Blizzard warning continues for Red River Valley; interstates closed in Dakotas
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Updated: 8:55 p.m.
A blizzard warning remained in effect overnight for the Red River Valley of northwestern Minnesota and eastern North Dakota, as heavy snow and strong winds made travel nearly impossible.
As of Sunday night a no-travel advisory continued for parts of northwest Minnesota from Pelican Rapids and Detroit Lakes west to Moorhead and north to East Grand Forks. That included Interstate 94 from Moorhead to near Barnesville, U.S. Highway 10 from Moorhead to Hawley, U.S. Highway 75 between Moorhead and Crookston and U.S. Highway 2 between East Grand Forks and Erskine.
The North Dakota Department of Transportation and North Dakota Highway Patrol closed Interstate 29 from South Dakota to the Canadian border. Interstate 94 also was closed from Bismarck to Fargo due to heavy snow and high winds.
Interstate 90 remained closed across much of South Dakota, between Mitchell and Rapid City. South Dakota officials also closed Interstate 29 from Watertown to the North Dakota border.
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Snow totals exceeded a foot in parts of northern Minnesota and eastern North Dakota. A spotter in Mekinock, N.D., reported 18 inches of snow as of Sunday evening. The National Weather Service received reports of 13 inches of snow in several Minnesota communities — Bemidji, Bagley, Waskish, Climax and Elbow Lake.
Snow was winding down in many areas on Sunday night, though gusty north winds continued to blow that snow around and reduce visibilities. The city of Fargo said city offices and libraries won't open until noon on Monday. Grand Forks city offices and libraries will be closed on Monday. The blizzard warning was set to expire at 6 a.m. Monday.
The strong winds — gusting in excess of 60 mph at times — caused lakeshore flooding and power outages in Duluth earlier Sunday.
The slow-moving winter storm will linger in the region from Monday into early Tuesday, and most of Minnesota is in line to see another round of accumulating snow.
That's all in the wake of Saturday's freezing rain that caused hundreds of crashes in the Twin Cities.
Find updates on road conditions here.
Find updated forecast information on MPR Weather’s Updraft blog.
Winter storm warnings are in effect for northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin for Monday; snowfall on Monday may reach 6 to 8 in Duluth, with up to a foot in northwest Wisconsin.
The Twin Cities saw drizzle and fog on Sunday. But as temperatures drop overnight, the precipitation was forecast to change over to light freezing drizzle and then snow.
Winter weather advisories are in effect for the metro area, St. Cloud, Rochester and Mankato from late Sunday into Monday night and early Tuesday. Snow totals could reach 3 to 6 inches.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
