High temperatures in the 30s capped off a warm week, but arctic air that began moving into the region Friday night will drop thermometers below zero this weekend and cause dangerously cold wind chills.
A slight breeze early in the day "polished up the roads" and made for hazardous traveling conditions in central and northwestern Minnesota on Friday, the Minnesota Highway Patrol reported.
Friday night, the North Dakota Department of Transportation issued a no travel advisory for eastern North Dakota, including the Grand Forks and Devils Lake areas, as high winds caused blowing and drifting snow over ice-covered roads. The no travel advisory remains in effect until this morning.
The Minnesota patrol responded to 15 crashes and 26 vehicles that had gone off the road by 3:30 p.m., with most of the accidents occurring on Interstate 94 from Moorhead to Rothsay and U.S. Highway 10 from Moorhead to Hawley. Nine of the crashes were rollovers and three involved injuries.
National Weather Service meteorologist John Hoppes said the Grand Forks International Airport reached 36 degrees on Friday, but a cold front will cause a big chill and high temperatures in the single digits that could make for hazardous traveling conditions today.
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"Anything that's liquid now is going to be freezing tonight, so roads are probably going to be pretty slippery," he said Friday night.
Today's high is expected to reach 5 to 10, dropping down to a low of around 13 below zero tonight that will begin a streak of subzero temperatures that will last until Wednesday.
Hoppes said the normal temperature at the Grand Forks International Airport for this time of year is a high of about 16 degrees and a low of about 3 below zero, but it's been about 5 degrees below normal so far this month.
But highs of around 15 will be back by Thursday and Grand Forks could reach 20 degrees on Friday.
Forecast
Here's the weather service's forecast for Grand Forks:
TODAY: Scattered flurries. Cloudy, with a high near 5. Wind chill values as low as -17. North northwest wind between 13 and 17 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
TONIGHT: Mostly cloudy, with a low around -16. Wind chill values as low as -36. North northwest wind between 11 and 13 mph.
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SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy and cold, with a high near -5. Wind chill values as low as -37. North wind around 11 mph.
SUNDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy, with a low around -17. Wind chill values as low as -32. North wind between 7 and 10 mph.
MONDAY: Mostly cloudy, with a high near -1. North wind between 7 and 9 mph.
MONDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy, with a low around -20.
TUESDAY: Mostly sunny, with a high near -3.
TUESDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy, with a low around -17.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny, with a high near 7.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy, with a low around -3.
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Travelers are urged to monitor road conditions and use caution while driving.
For North Dakota road information, call 511 from any type of phone or visit www.dot.nd.gov .
For Minnesota road information, call 511 or visit www.511mn.org .
Reach Johnson at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send e-mail to rjohnson@gfherald.com .
