Grand Forks might end up with little or no new snow accumulation by late morning Thursday. It may be a near-miss, too.
The same already can't be said for the Devils Lake region, where very heavy snow -- a foot to 15 inches from roughly Cando to Devils Lake, 6 to 10 inches in most others -- is forecast, and lots of snow already has fallen.
"Even within the warning and advisory areas, wide variations of snow amounts will occur," the National Weather Service said on its website today.
A winter storm warning for heavy snow remains in effect until 6 a.m. for much of northeast North Dakota lying west of the Red River Valley. Cavalier, Towner, Ramsey, Eddy, Nelson, Griggs and Benson counties are in the winter storm warning area. No travel is advised in the area, stretching from the Rolla and Langdon, N.D., areas south past Carrington, N.D.
Steele and western Walsh counties are under a winter weather advisory, where somewhat lesser snow amounts are expected.
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"Even within the warning and advisory areas, wide variations of snow amounts will occur," the National Weather Service said on its website today.
Snow fog is helping to making any travel very difficult, even dangerous, in much of the storm area. Widespread blowing and drifting isn't expected as winds shift from around 10 mph out of the southeast to light northerly breezes overnight, the weather service says.
Farther west and southwest, in Rolette, Pierce, Wells and Fostser counties, the winter storm warning expires at midnight tonight. Five to seven inches of new snow is expected in that area, though some locations might receive up to a foot.
The winter weather advisory also includes most of southeast North Dakota and parts of west-central Minnesota, including the cities of Fargo, Jamestown, Valley City and Lisbon, N.D., and Fergus Falls and Breckenridge, Minn. Two to five inches are possible in Fargo.
There's also a winter storm warning well to the southeast of the Red River Valley, roughly along and south of Interstate 94 from Alexandria, Minn., all the way south to Faribault and St. Peter, Minn. That warning expires at 9 a.m. Thursday, with the most significant snowfall coming tonight and tomorrow morning. Five to eight inches of snow is expected there.
The National Weather Service forecast for Grand Forks:
Tonight: Cloudy. Snow likely in the evening...especially west of a grand forks to buxton to ada line. Chance of snow after midnight. Snow accumulation 1 to 3 inches. Lows 10 to 15. Northeast winds up to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70 percent.
Thursday: Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of snow. Highs 15 to 20. Light winds becoming north around 10 mph in the afternoon.
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Thursday night: Partly cloudy. Lows zero to 5 above. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph.
Friday: Partly sunny. Highs 10 to 15.
Friday night: Mostly cloudy. Lows zero to 5 below.
Saturday: Cloudy. Highs 5 to 10.
Saturday night: Partly cloudy. Lows 5 to 10 below.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy. Highs 5 to 10.
Sunday night: Partly cloudy. Lows zero to 5 below.
Monday: Mostly cloudy. Highs 10 to 15.
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Monday night: Mostly cloudy. Lows zero to 5 below.
Tuesday: Partly sunny. Highs 10 to 15.
Tuesday night: Partly cloudy. Lows zero to 5 below.
Wednesday: Partly sunny. Highs 10 to 15.
