North central North Dakota is currently under a blizzard warning, and forecasters say that warning is in effect until 6pm central time this evening.
Zachary Hargrove is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Bismarck. He says the heaviest snow arriving with this system that came in yesterday has fallen in the north central region up into the Turtle Mountains down through the northern James River Valley, and winds have picked up causing blizzard conditions. He says gusts of up to 60 to 65 miles per hour have been recorded, making visibility difficult to impossible within the warned area. The blizzard warning will continue until 6pm Central Time. Hargrove says after that, cold temps remain.
"We will probably get very cold tonight, especially across the northwest and north central, we'll have lows in the single digits above zero. And then tomorrow, it's going to be more of the same, with the highs generally upper teens to lower twenties north, to lower 30s in the southwest. But whereas before the storm, we had temperatures in the 40s and 50s, in the next week or so we will have much cooler weather. It's not really cooler than normal, but it sure feels like it since we've been so warm."
Hargrove says current trends point toward colder temperatures sticking around for the Thanksgiving holiday. He says if you have to travel today, check the North Dakota DOT Road Conditions map, and be sure to pack a winter survival kit in your vehicle.