Blizzard warnings in Northwest Minnesota, winter weather advisories across the state

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Authorities closed highways across parts of the Red River Valley on Thursday as 

Minnesota Department of Transportation closed several highways

, including U.S. Highway 2 between Crookston and East Grand Forks, and U.S. Highway 75 between Shelly and the Canadian border. In North Dakota, the entire length of Interstate 29 — between the South Dakota border and the Canadian border — was also closed as of Thursday afternoon.

The treacherous travel conditions spread east through the day, with snow and gusty winds leading to occasional whiteout conditions across much of western and southern Minnesota. Plunging temperatures and light snow led to icy sidewalks, streets and freeways in the Twin Cities for the afternoon commute, with authorities responding to a flurry of crashes and spinouts.

Many school districts, colleges and universities across northwest Minnesota and eastern North Dakota canceled classes or moved to online learning Thursday. Across the state, some other schools that did hold classes Thursday, later changed course and decided to dismiss students early. Find a list of affected schools below.

Winds gusted in excess of 60 mph in the Red River Valley through the morning and into Thursday afternoon.

The Grand Forks airport reported wind gusts to 67 mph. Other reported wind gusts included 62 mph at Fergus Falls, 61 mph at Morris and at the Fargo airport, 60 mph in Willmar and 59 mph at Crookston.

“Visibility is down to zero in some areas, and with the rain from this morning some roads are glare ice. If you do not need to travel, please stay home. We have vehicles that are pulled off the road and stranded due to the conditions,” the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Crookston reported at mid-morning Thursday.

Polk County Chief Deputy Mike Norland said the blowing snow and icy roads are making it difficult for first responders to get to stranded vehicles.

“If people can’t see the road in front of them, we can’t see the road either,” Norland said. “So, if people do decide to travel and get stuck, responders might not be able to get to them till the weather lightens up.”

If drivers are stranded and need assistance, besides calling 911, Norland suggested making their vehicles visible by turning on their hazard lights. 

Rural areas are particularly vulnerable to blizzard winds, as the open fields there mean there’s no way to get under cover from the snow. That is slowing response times to emergencies.

Mackenzie Roller is a dispatcher for the Marshall County Sheriff's office. This morning, she said the office was fielding several calls about stranded drivers.

“Our sheriff’s on his way to go try to help a semi that’s in the ditch right now,” Roller said. “He has zero visibility, so he is slowly making his way over there. Some troopers have said they’ve been driving at 5 miles an hour. The wind's blowing them all over the road.”

The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for the Red River Valley through Thursday evening, for the potential for several inches of snow and winds gusting to 70 miles per hour. 

In addition to causing whiteout conditions, those winds will cause plunging temperatures through the day for the entire state. The Twin Cities was near 40 degrees early Thursday — but temperatures by early Friday may fall below zero.

That may cause a “flash freeze” on roads and sidewalks across much of the state.

Outside of the blizzard warning area, winter weather advisories cover much of the rest of northern and central Minnesota. Snow totals may reach 2 to 4 inches near the Canadian border, with lesser amounts — along with some mixed precipitation — to the south. For Bemidji, St. Cloud, Duluth and the Twin Cities, any snow that falls will be accompanied by winds gusting in excess of 40 mph.

School districts canceling classes for Thursday, Dec. 18

School districts moving to online learning for Thursday, Dec. 18

Dismissing classes early on Thursday, Dec. 18

These state transportation departments offer live updates on road conditions and crashes:

For bus and light rail riders in the Twin Cities, Metro Transit offers weather-related updates on its 

Is there is snow emergency in effect for St. Paul or Minneapolis? Find out on the 

If you’re planning to fly from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport or another airport around the region — or if you are expecting visitors to arrive by plane — airports offer flight status updates online:

Minnesota News

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Andrew Krueger

Author

Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval

Authorities closed highways across parts of the Red River Valley on Thursday as blizzard conditions swept into the region. The treacherous travel conditions spread east across Minnesota through the day.

A lone signpost is visible as blizzard conditions sweep across a highway

Highways closed as blizzard conditions sweep into parts of Minnesota

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