North Dakota Winter Weather Alert: Second Blizzard in Two Days

A second blizzard in just two days is bearing down on eastern North Dakota along the Red River Valley this afternoon and into this evening. According to the North Dakota Weather Service, snowfalls are expected to be 3-9 inches with wind speeds producing 25-35 below-zero windchill factors.

Roads still closed

11:18 a.m. - Interstate 29 is closed from the southern border of North Dakota until Grand Forks. Beyond Grand Forks, I-29 is not closed but no travel is advised. Interstate 94 is closed from the eastern border of North Dakota until Jamestown. After Jamestown, I-94 is open but shows scattered snow drifts and ice.

North Dakota Department of Transportation has issued a no-travel advisory for all county highways in the eastern quarter of the state.

Authorities search for stranded travelers

According to Inforum.com, authorities are out on the roads today searching for drivers stranded in their vehicles before the second blizzard hits this afternoon.

Approximately 20 people spent the night at the Mapleton Community Center after the first storm forced them to abandon their travels. This morning, a caravan led by snow plows will transport them into Fargo. One driver spent the night at the Harwood Community Center.

Motorists struggle to get home

On his way to Fargo yesterday from Hope, my boyfriend Ray Dawkins witnessed firsthand the chaos caused on I-94 after a 100-car pileup closed a section of the interstate from Mapleton to Raymond, ND. After spending the night in Fargo, he is struggling to make his way home for the holiday. As both interstates are closed, Dawkins has been traveling backroads.

He described the scenes on the highways as eerie.

"It's like those Armageddon movies - at the end of the world, when all the traffic is abandoned on the roadways," he said. "There are cars, trucks, even semis all over in the ditch and even stuck right on the road. Our little convoy is having to weave around vehicles."

Dawkins said he was directed by North Dakota Highway Patrol officers to a safer route, but even that roadway was covered in snow drifts. He said on his side of the road there were two-foot high drifts, but along the other side were up to six-foot drifts.

Right now Dawkins is stuck on County Highway 4 on the railroad tracks approximately 15 miles east of the turn onto Highway 38. He is awaiting 911 rescue.

Current weather conditions

Currently, the temperature for Hope, ND, is -2 degrees Fahrenheit, but it feels like -28. Wind speeds are estimated at 25-35 miles per hour, reducing visibility to a half mile in open country.

Sources:

"Authorities continue rescuing motorists and look to clear roadways as second blizzard bears down", InForum.com

"North Dakota Travel Information Map", nddot.com

Weather.com