Local officials said the rescue and recovery was undertaken in “extreme weather conditions” ….

The area was under a severe winter storm warning with heavy blowing snow or freezing rain. The Chamberlain Airport AWOS recorded a 500 foot ceiling with a half-mile of visibility, a temperature of 33 degrees and a dew point of 33 degrees and a north wind at 7 knots at the approximate time of their takeoff. The area was directly in the path of a major winter storm that dumped snow in Southern California and the Grand Canyon and is expected to hammer the Great Lakes and Northeast over the next couple of days.