I-29 near Pembina late Friday night. (Pembina Fire Department photo)
FARGO (KFGO) — Strong winds and fresh snow are expected to impact the region this weekend.
Visibility is greatly reduced across the Red River Valley, and whiteout conditions were reported in several spots late Friday night and early Saturday morning.
“Visibility is near-zero at times,” Grand Forks County Sheriff Andy Schneider said Friday evening. “Open country is absolutely terrible… I’m not advising you travel.”
Minnesota State Patrol Sgt. Jesse Grabow says drivers need to be aware that conditions can change quickly during winter events.
“There can be times where you’re driving along with normal highway speeds, and it changes just on a dime. I mean, it’s that quick that it can happen,” Grabow said. “So just understand that in some of these areas it can change very fast out here.”
The National Weather Service in Grand Forks expects sustained winds out of the northwest at 20 to 20 mph Saturday. No new snowfall is expected, but visibility is reduced due to the fresh snow already on the ground from snow showers Friday.
The Weather Service says up to 3 inches of snow is expected to fall early Sunday morning. Wind gusts up to 50 mph are forecasted. Blowing snow is expected across the region until Sunday night.
Wind chill values as low as -40º F are forecasted across much of North Dakota and northwest Minnesota.
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