First Major Winter Storm Strikes North Dakota, Causes Road Closures

The first major winter storm of the 2008-2009 season hit North Dakota early the morning of November 6^th. Williston, in northwest North Dakota, and southwest North Dakota from Bowman and Hettinger to Dickinson were the first to get the brunt of the snow, while the central and eastern portions of the state received mist and rain.

By mid-morning Thursday, the North Dakota Department of Transportation issued a travel advisory for State Highway 22, running north and south through Dickinson, and by about 1 pm, Interstate 94 between Mandan and Bismarck was closed by the Highway Patrol because of snow and poor visibility (10 feet to 50 feet at best). At the same time, the road conditions going into South Dakota were worsened by snowfall and blowing and drifting snow.

At 5:00 pm Central Time, U.S. Highway 2 around Minot was closed due to the bad road conditions. Snow totals at that time ranged from 11 inches in Williston, ND to 38.5 inches in Deadwood, SD., with 16 inches measured in downtown Spearfish, SD. Dickinson had received 10 inches of snow, and snow was still falling in the western part of the state and moving into the eastern portion.

The Highway Patrol of North Dakota advised no travel on secondary roads due to white-out conditions and drifting snow. Although all of Minot's plows were out and working, they were forced to keep re-plowing the same areas as the snow continued to fall and to drift on steady winds of nearly 30 mph, and gusts up to 48 mph in the Minot area. The snow was also falling steadily in the Rugby and Devils Lake regions (both east of Minot on US 2).

Between about 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. the snowfall stopped in the Bismarck area, but blowing and drifting snow combined with low to zero visibility made all travel hazardous, and Bismarck residents were advised to stay home unless travel was unavoidable. By 7:30 the storm had swung around at the top, and more snow was moving into central ND, including the Bismarck area, from the northeast. Most residents couldn't see across the street in the capital city. Snow continued overnight, diminishing after midnight, in the central and western portions of the state, and secondary road closures, along with school and business closings, were reported throughout the area.

At 10:00 am Central Time on Friday, Nov. 7, I- 94 was reopened, as was US 2. The Highway Patrol still described road conditions in the central and western parts of the state as hazardous. Bismarck had recieved a total of 9.2 inches of snow, but because of the wind, parts of the road were still getting drifting snow, and snowdrifts in the city were as high as 8 feet.

At 3:00 pm Central Time the North Dakota Department of Transportation issued an updated report of road conditions. I-94 from Beach to the junction of State Highway 8 had scattered ice and frost. From Dickinson to ND 31, I-94 had continuous ice and compacted snow. From there to Jamestown, I-94 again had scattered ice and frost, while from Jamestown east to Minnesota the road condition was described as good. U.S. 2 had continuous ice or compacted snow from ND 28 west of Minot to Lakota, about 20 miles west of Devils Lake . From Lakota to Grand Forks US 2 is in good driving condition. ND 1806 north from the South Dakota border through Mandan had scattered ice and frost; north of Mandan it deteriorated to scattered snow and snow drifts. All roads in the southwestern corner of the state, from I-94 and ND 40 south and west to the SD and Montana borders had conditions of continuous ice and compacted snow. Roads in the northwestern part of the state are good, as temperatures climbed and the wind died down. Snow never completely reached the eastern corridor of the state, where I-29 between the SD border and the Canadian border remained open from Thursday through Friday in good condition, and secondary roads remained open from Grafton in the north through Valley City and south to the SD border.

Clear skies and cold temperatures are expected over the weekend, so no further worsening of road conditions is anticipated. Travel should be improved significantly by Saturday morning (Nov. 8) and throughout the rest of the weekend.