PIERRE, S.D. — Snow combined with hurricane force wind gusts put a stranglehold on traffic near Sioux Falls, S.D. Thursday afternoon.

South Dakota transportation officials closed the westbound lanes of Interstate 90 from Sioux Falls to Salem for about four hours Thursday; lanes re-opened just before 6 p.m. local time. The DOT told weather.com approximately 20 vehicles were involved in a chain-reaction pile up.

Police were also on the scene of a crash on Interstate 29 near Tea that involved as many as a dozen vehicles. Initial reports indicate some injuries but no fatalities in the accidents.

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(FORECAST: Snow Slams Upper Midwest)

Travel was not advised across much of eastern South Dakota due to slick roads and poor visibility, including in Sioux Falls where schools let out early.

National Weather Service blizzard warnings are posted in eastern South Dakota, as a system that moved in from Canada has brought an inch of snow and winds gusting at hurricane force. Wall, S.D. recorded gusts of 76 mph; Garrison, N.D. saw a gust of 75 mph. The combination is creating whiteout conditions in many areas.

Temperatures have plummeted through the day. According to weather.com meteorologist Chrissy Warrilow temps sat at 38 degrees around midnight, only to slide to 9 above zero at 3 p.m.

Our Storify below shows some of the wrecks in the area. Drivers can check safetravelusa.com/sd or dial 511 for up-to-date road information.