Every few years, South Dakota gets some seriously horrific winter storms, but even our more mild winters can require some hardy fortitude. If you’re new to the state, here are nine things that no one tells you about surviving a South Dakota winter.

1. At least once during a South Dakota winter, you'll find yourself driving 20 mph on the highway.
alirfd/flickr
Of course, there's always the guy who insists on driving the speed limit, even though visibility is down to five feet. He'll come blowing past you on the left, spraying snow and slush all over your windshield. Don't curse him...you'll find him wedged in a snowbank up ahead a few miles.
2. Snow doesn't mean that school is cancelled.
Kristin Andrus/flickr
Forget long days with bored kids - send those little darlings off to school!
3. The office doesn't close, either. After a long day of work, you find that you have 20 minutes of digging your car out.
Via Tsuji/flickr
Not only is it covered in two feet of snow, but the helpful snow plow driver left a four-foot-high snowbank behind your car.
4. You've never experienced wind like this.
Diana Robinson/flickr
Oh, we're sure that wherever you're from has icy cold wind. But until you've driven across the prairie with that South Dakota wind buffeting your car and blowing snow all over the road, you can't properly call yourself a South Dakotan.
5. We love to argue amongst ourselves whether this winter is worse than the last.
Jasmine Rockwell/flickr
And there's always someone around to remind you about the horrible blizzard of (fill in the year).

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6. Of course, some of your best childhood memories will be of playing in the snow after a big storm.
skua47/flickr
It doesn't get any better than this when you're a kid.
7. At some point, you'll end up driving behind a guy like this, and it won't work out well.
Mikhail A.M./flickr
There's always some jerk who just can't be bothered to remove the two feet of snow off the top of his vehicle. At some point, all that snow will slide off his car and explode in a cloud of powder, temporarily blinding the driver behind.
8. When the roads are bad in the Black Hills, you'll learn to find alternate means of transportation.
Sam Klein/flickr
And let's be honest...sometimes the roads are perfectly fine, but we just love hopping on our snowmobiles and playing in the snow.
9. South Dakotans know how to make the most of our snowbanks.
Richard Kelland/flickr
Turns out that snowbanks provide some great refrigeration.
10. Even though we like to complain about it, a South Dakota winter is so jaw-droppingly beautiful that we can't help but secretly love it.
Roderick Eime/flickr
Shhh...don't tell anyone.

What other things would you tell a South Dakota newbie before his or her first winter here? Leave your best advice in the comments!

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