Late Spring Blizzard Hits North Dakota

Bismarck, North Dakota -- Blizzard conditions began Monday in Bismarck with an afternoon rain storm, including some thunder and small hail, which turned to sleet by early evening, and into snow by sundown. By noon Tuesday, approximately 8 inches of snow had fallen in the Bismarck area, with significantly more to the west and north. Another 2 to 6 inches of snowfall are anticipated, according to the National Weather Service office in Bismarck. This is a slow-moving storm, and is expected to move out gradually to the eastern part of the state by tonight through Wednesday morning.

This storm comes after several days with highs in the 40s and in some areas as high as 50 degrees from last Thursday through Sunday, causing rapid melting of the record snowfalls and flooding throughout the state. Generally the Missouri River, between Bismarck and Mandan, doesn't flood, as flow is controlled by Garrison Dam about 35 miles upstream. However, ice jams began blocking many of the inlets and bays along the river Sunday night and Monday morning, and residents of the Fox Island and South Port areas along the Missouri in south Bismarck were evacuated Monday afternoon as flooding began. Although the Army Corps of Engineers, who regulate the dam, have slowed the flow of water into the downstream river, the water has now inundated Riverwood Golf Course in southwest Bismarck, and is threatening homes in the low-lying areas there. Most streets in that area are closed to all but residents, so check with the city before attempting to drive there.

Several smaller towns, including Linton, Hettinger, Mott, and Napoleon are experiencing flooding from just snowmelt, with no river involvement, and the new snow won't help the situation, as temperatures are predicted to be in the 40s again by the weekend. Residents of those areas voluntarily evacuated Monday after doing what they could to protect their belongings. Earlier in the month, Governor John Hoeven gave a press release declaring a statewide emergency with flooding caused from the quick melting of the record snowfalls across the state. On the 20th, FEMA announced that they're sending a 25-person team to North Dakota to assist with the emergencies caused by weather and flooding. The team will be based in Bismarck, but personnel will be in Fargo, Grand Forks, and anywhere else they're needed

Currently all roads from Jamestown west to the Montana border are closed, either from the blizzard conditions or from flooding. The North Dakota Highway Patrol has closed Interstate 94 from Jamestown west to the Montana border. Winds of 28 miles per hour gusting to 45 and occasionally as high as 50 miles per hour make visibility limited to half a mile or less outside the city. Today's high of 31 came shortly after midnight, and the temperature continues to drop as the storm continues. It was 22 degrees at noon, with a windchill factor of just below zero.

It's difficult to measure snowfall amounts in any given spot because of the drifting. My driveway has at least two feet of snow, possibly more, at the north end next to the garage. The footprints I left in it around 9:30 a.m. were invisible by noon due to snowfall and continued drifting. The photos show snowfall in my neighborhood. The driveway across the street from me was cleared at about 11:00 a.m.; by 1:00 p.m., when the photo was taken, the snow had begun to fill it in again.

Only my dog seems to be enjoying this weather. She started her day by rolling in the fresh snow, and tossing it around with her snout. By the time she came back inside, about 10 minutes after going out, she was caked with snow. No pedestrians are visible from my home.

The eastern part of the state will face even worse conditions as the storm arrives there. In Fargo, over a million sand bags had been placed along the levees that were built after the hundred year flood in 1997, which damaged much of the city. According to the Fargo city engineer's office, at least another million are needed, and they have only a few days to get it done. Classes at North Dakota State University in Fargo, along with the Fargo high schools, were cancelled Monday and today so that the students could help with sandbagging efforts. Students from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, 75 miles north of Fargo, came down in several buses to assist with sandbagging as well. The city engineer of Grand Forks has advised that sandbagging will be required there, as well, again to raise the height of the levees built after the 1997 flood and fire that destroyed much of downtown Grand Forks and caused major damage to the University. Because they are north of Fargo, residents of Grand Forks have a few more days to sandbag.

Sandbags and sand were made available to Bismarck residents by the city yesterday, at a cost of $1 per bag, which could be filled on-site. Although some residents did take advantage of those sandbags to place around the foundations of their homes, many others did not, assuming that it wouldn't flood in their areas. Today Mother Nature is proving them wrong. This additional snow is expected to cause increased flooding throughout the state. March is going out like a lion, and the winter of 2008-2009 will be talked about for many years to come.

(Sources: http://www.dot.nd.gov/roadreport/roadreport/roadreport.asp , http://radar.weather.gov/radar_lite.php?product=N0R&rid=BIS&loop=yes , http://governor.nd.gov/media/news-releases/2009/03/090316.html, http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ , http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=47771 , http://www.bismarck.org/ )