North Dakota Travel Alert: Blizzard, High Winds, and Weekend Storm Threaten Roads Through Sunday

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – A blizzard warning is in effect tonight across northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota, where whiteout conditions and extremely dangerous travel are expected through Friday morning.

No Travel Advised: Effective Now

The following North Dakota counties are currently under a No Travel Advisory:

Pierce, Rolette, Towner, Benson, Ramsey, Cavalier, Pembina, Walsh, Nelson, and Grand Forks counties.

Conditions prompting the advisory include:

• Icy and slippery roads
• Near-zero visibility

Do not travel in these counties unless it is an emergency.

Travel Alert — Use Caution

A Travel Alert is currently in effect for Steele and Griggs counties, indicating hazardous conditions. Motorists should use extreme caution if travel is necessary.

Tonight into Friday Morning: Avoid Travel If Possible

A Blizzard Warning is in effect until 7 a.m. Friday for portions of northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota, including the northern Red River Valley. Whiteout conditions are expected.

• Snow accumulations of 1–6 inches in northeast ND and 5–9 inches in northwest MN are possible.
• Wind gusts of 55–60 mph will create blowing and drifting snow, reducing visibility to near zero.
• Conditions will be most dangerous Thursday evening through the Friday morning commute.

A Winter Storm Warning is also in effect until 7 a.m. Friday for the Devils Lake Basin. While snow accumulation will be limited to around 1 inch, winds up to 60 mph will cause significant drifting and occasional whiteout conditions.

A High Wind Warning is in effect until 7 a.m. Friday for east-central ND, southeast ND, the southern Red River Valley, and Lakes Country, MN. Northwest winds of 35–45 mph with gusts up to 60 mph are expected. Isolated thunderstorms could produce brief wind gusts up to 80 mph.

Valley News Live has raised a First Alert Weather Day for Thursday night into Friday morning.

More First Alert Weather Days are expected going into the weekend. For a further outlook click here.

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