RAPID CITY - Hang on to your hat.

That fierce wind whipping around the last of the fall leaves will last at least another day or two in the Black Hills area.

"Unfortunately, it's going to be windy for a while yet," David Carpenter, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service in Rapid City, said.

The strongest winds reported since this system moved in were about 95 mph near Custer on Monday night.

Carpenter said the winds are part of a weather system that began in the Pacific Northwest and is moving east over the Rocky Mountains and onto the Great Plains.

He said several places in Washington and Oregon reported 100 mph winds over the weekend.

He said it will taper off this evening or Thursday. He said tonight will be colder, with lows around 20 degrees.

He said although western South Dakota did not break any wind records Monday night or Tuesday, the area is fast approaching another record: the latest in the year for the first snowfall of the season.

"It's continuing to be dry," Carpenter said. "If we go for another five days with no measurable snow, that will be an all-time record."

He said usually the Black Hills and surrounding area have had at least enough snow to lightly cover the ground by mid-November.

He said breaking that record looks quite possible, and with dry conditions combining with strong winds, fire danger remains high.