On a media briefing about the ongoing storm, Greg Fuller with the state Department of Transportation was just asked how the severe weather South Dakota has had over the last month will impact the department's budget.

"We'll continue to provide the level of service we need to," Fuller said. "If that exceeds our budget, the first thing we try to do is find money in other parts of our budget ... In the past, we have gone to the Legislature and asked for some special funding, if need be."

A need for more DOT money will be an interesting wrench into discussions about how to balance this year's budget — as many legislator are calling for — by making cuts.

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Yesterday, the National Weather Service said the long-term forecast (which is, of course, always hazy) suggests February might be warmer and drier than usual but March and April are expected to be colder and wetter than usual. (Heavy March and April precipitation, of course, raises the prospect of flooding, an entirely different issue.)