Significant Snowstorm Is Brewing For North Dakota Midweek

The National Weather Service in Bismarck has issued a special weather statement.

Depending on where you live in the state of North Dakota, if you have been dreaming of a white Christmas, you might get your wish.

Impactful winter weather is likely Wednesday afternoon and continues through much of Thursday.

An Alberta clipper will begin to spread snow across northwest and north-central North Dakota Wednesday afternoon and evening, before spreading into south-central North Dakota and then the James River Valley Wednesday night.

There is a medium to high chance of at least 4 inches of snow along and to the northeast of the Highway 52 corridor, with low chances of up to 8 inches (Kenmare, Minot, Velva, Harvey, Carrington to Jamestown).

Southwest North Dakota has a 30 to 60 percent chance of freezing rain Wednesday evening.

One weather model shows the chance of significant snow for a swath of North Dakota north and east of Highway 52 with over a foot of snow possible (keep in mind this is only a weather model and not a forecast).

What can we expect in the Capital Region?

It looks like we will be on the southern edge of this system and we will likely miss out on any significant snow. 1 to 2 inches of snow is expected at this time unless there is a shift in the track of this storm.

However, very strong winds are expected with wind gusts up to 55 mph are expected across western and south-central North Dakota. This could result in significant visibility reductions from blowing snow in open areas, especially from Williston to Bismarck to the south of Jamestown.

Be prepared for hazardous travel conditions from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday.

Be sure to travel with a winter survival kit and watch for changing weather conditions.