Some areas of eastern North Dakota saw over 17 inches of snow during yesterday’s storm. National Weather Service meteorologists said on-and-off snowfall should be finished Thursday morning, but the cold temperatures will remain.
Meteorologist Andrew Moore said the Grand Forks area is expected to see temperatures just below freezing for most of the day, with the high around 34 degrees. Moore said roads were a little slick Thursday morning and it’s possible they could become icy, depending upon how they’re treated.
Grand Forks Streets and Facilities Manager Mark Aubol said crews have been plowing roads and working to remove any ice buildup. He said they will continue to salt and sand the roadways throughout Thursday.
The North Dakota Department of Transportation’s travel map showed ice or compacted snow on the roads for most of eastern North Dakota. A no-travel advisory was still in effect Thursday morning for Jamestown, Valley City, Larimore, Cooperstown and surrounding areas due to icy roads and reduced visibility. A travel alert is in effect for Grand Forks, Grafton, Cavalier, Cooperstown, Michigan, Larimore, Drayton and surrounding areas. The alert means drivers should be cautious of wet, slushy road conditions and rapidly changing conditions.
“The biggest thing is to slow down and give yourself enough time to get where you’re going,” Moore said.
Grand Forks saw about 6 inches of snow, nearly doubling the day’s record-high snowfall amount. Moore said in 1921 it snowed 3 inches on Oct. 10, but yesterday’s measurement initially sat around 5.7 inches. The amount has also placed this year in third place for snowiest overall October.
At Grand Forks Air Force Base, the snow totals continued to climb, and Moore said about 9.3 inches were recorded. A belt of snowfall formed just west of Grand Forks and remained in place for most of the day, dumping heavy snowfall in the area, Moore said.
The heaviest snowfall was reported near Finley, N.D., where Moore said measurements reached 17 inches. Between Larimore and Valley City records showed 14.2 inches, and Moore said there were about 12.5 inches in Larimore.
“It’s kind of unbelievable that this happened in October,” Moore said.
Moore said Thursday’s wind will be calmer also, with gusts expected to be between 10 and 15 mph. Aubol said there were a few tree branches downed by the storm, but there wasn’t any major damage.
Moore said the weekend is expected to be warmer, with most of the area reaching the high 30s and the southeast corner of North Dakota possibly reaching the low 40s. He said a storm is expected Saturday night and into Sunday, but it will likely be just rain because of the higher temperatures. Areas near the Canadian border may accumulate some snow, however.
