Is Our Long Winter Setting Any Records?

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — Snow has been the story of the winter with storm after storm pummeling the valley.

Grand Forks has already secured more than 70 inches of snow with Fargo not far behind with over 60 inches.

This season, we have experienced above average amounts of snowfall and set some new records.

“The lack of melting this winter was what was highly unusual. So, with this storm, we have over twenty inches of snow on the ground. Again, that element, of having this much snow on the ground at this time in April, that’s the thing you can call a record.” says Daryl Ritchison, Director, North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN)

The valley has been no stranger to April snow, but big storms are uncommon.

Late April storms have hit the valley, including the April 25-26th, 2008, snowstorm, which dropped greater than a foot of snow in portions of west-central Minnesota.

“It’s really not that unusual to see some flurries or something in the air, even in the middle to end of April. But to get big snowstorms like which happened in seven or eight, the very end of April event. That is the type of stuff, which is unusual, but to see more snow this year, a little bit probably, and it wouldn’t be unusual, in fact it would be fairly common for us.” says Ritchison

After more than 140 days not breaking the forty-degree threshold, Fargo finally reached into the forties on April 2nd.

Fortunately, warmer weather is expected to carry into the weekend with temperatures rising into the forties for Easter.

“I bet it ends up being in the low to mid-forties, but so much less than our potential due to this late season snowpack.” says Ritchison

He adds the latest round of snowfall will have an impact on the flooding potential across the region.