Early Spring Storm Is Making Travel Difficult for Some in the Region

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — The region is seeing snow and strong winds.

Snow and strong winds are expected from Sunday through Tuesday, impacting travel conditions across the region.

Crews from Fargo Public Works have been on staff since Saturday afternoon prepping for this storm.

“We did some pre-treating of the roads, and now we’re out there scraping some of the slush and the ice pack off, getting ready for the next round here.”

The North Dakota Department of Transportation is reporting that many state highways are at least partially covered with snow, and that travel is expected to be difficult Sunday night through Monday. NDDOT has already reported one crash on I-94 West of Valley City.

Meanwhile MNDOT is reporting that roads on the Minnesota side are similarly impacted, with roads in Clay and Wilkin County being partially or completely covered. Three crashes have also been reported, with vehicles spinning out on I-94 between Fergus Falls and Alexandria. There have also been crashes reported near Battle Lake, as drivers struggle to deal with the deteriorating road conditions.

MNDOT has crews on the roads already, and will have more crews out working 24/7 starting at Midnight Monday.

The National Weather Service in Grand Forks is expecting this storm to have significant travel impacts in the Southern Red River Valley while possibly impacting travel North of Fargo as well.

“As we get further North, it won’t be as significant or severe, but we could still definitely see, especially if we get that accumulating snow, some areas of reduced visibility and then more hazardous travel.”

The weather has also impacted flights at Hector International Airport.

Two flights ariving from Minneapolis were delayed and another was cancelled, while tow flights to Minneapolis out of Fargo have been cancelled as well.

For those traveling in our area, Fargo Public Works is reminding drivers to give the plows space.

“It’s just as hard for us to see out there even though we’re in bigger equipment. It takes a lot longer to stop, and it gets icy with the wind blowing across this wet stuff.”

More snow is still on its way and with the winds picking up, travel conditions are unlikely to improve.

Fargo Public Works won’t begin hauling out the accumulated snow until after the storm is over.