Blizzard Coyote shuts down I-29

A blizzard warning took effect at 7 this morning and is set to expire at 1 a.m. Wednesday.

At 4 p.m., the North Dakota Department of Transportation closed Interstate 29 from the Canadian border to the South Dakota border. The Minnesota Highway Patrol closed Interstate 94 from Moorhead to Fergus Falls earlier today.

Grand Forks and East Grand Forks city buses will cease operation at 5 p.m., city spokes-man Kevin Dean said this afternoon.

Visibility on north-south highways in Walsh County are down to a quarter mile to 20 feet. Visibility in Pembina County is also reported to be bad.

Three-foot drifts are reported on Highway 200 in Steele County from Finley, N.D. to Highway 18. Snow plows will not go out until the storm passes.

The Grafton, Valley City, Jamestown and Fargo Drivers License offices are temporarily closed until further notice.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has closed Highway 2 from East Grand Forks to Crookston and Highway 200 from Highway 9 to Ada to west of the Highway 75 interchange.

The Marshall County Sheriff's Office is advising no travel. Snow is beginning to stick to east-west roads in Kittson County.

East Grand Forks plows were pulled off streets at 3 p.m. because of poor visibility. Gateway Drive as well as 23rd St. N.W. in East Grand Forks are closed.

Grand Forks streets superintendent Mark Aubol said plows are keeping up in town, but visibility is near zero on the outskirts near King's Walk. A new crew is scheduled to come on at 9 p.m. and work until 1 a.m.

UND has canceled all classes after 3:30 p.m. because of weather conditions, and the UND Concert Choir performance set for tonight has been canceled, the university announced during the noon hour.

Grand Forks International Airport has canceled all afternoon arrivals and departures. Evening arrivals are still on schedule, but all evening departures are cancelled.

Most schools in Grand Forks and the region are closed. UND has cancelled all classes after 3:30 p.m.

East Grand Forks City Hall closed at 1 p.m. and the City Council Work Session has been rescheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday.

TJ Maxx in Grand Forks will close at 6 p.m.

The blizzard warning area includes areas along and south of a line from Carrington, N.D., to Grand Forks to Thief River Falls.

Six to 10 inches of snow are expected in most of the blizzard warning area, the weather service forecasts.

The temperature fell below zero and wind chills dipped into toward or past 30 below zero in the region, and gusts reached past 40 mph in much of the area.

Grand Forks County Offices were closed today, including the County Office Building. There will be no District Court proceedings today.

All Park District facilities closed at 1 p.m. today, including the Park District office, Center Court Fitness and all arenas.

The semifinal games North Dakota Class B Region 2 Basketball Tournament at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center are postponed until 6 p.m. Thursday. The third place and championship games will begin at noon Saturday.

Motorists in the blizzard warning are urged not to travel because weather conditions will make travel extremely dangerous, the weather service says. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If stranded, stay with your vehicle.

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