GRAND FORKS — As one blizzard moved out of the Red River Valley, another took its place.
Just a day after a blizzard moved out of the region, the National Weather Service issued another blizzard warning for 17 counties in eastern North Dakota and parts of a dozen more in northwest Minnesota Sunday, Jan. 18. Additionally, the region is under a cold-weather advisory through noon Monday, Jan. 19.
No-travel advisories were posted throughout the region. Interstate 29 was open early in the day, but later was closed from Grand Forks to the Canada border. A report that was sent late Sunday morning from Walsh County, northwest of Grand Forks, noted wind was blowing snow over the road, causing some travel difficulties.
A number of highways in northwest Minnesota were closed as well, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
“When a road is closed it is illegal to travel in that area,” MnDOT said in a release sent to the media. “Motorists can be fined up to $1,000 and/or sentenced to 90 days in jail. In addition, if travelers need to be rescued from a closed road, other expenses and penalties will apply.”
At times, visibility in the rural areas near Grand Forks fell to nearly zero Sunday. The same was happening in some places within city limits as well.
“Whiteout conditions are expected and will make travel treacherous and potentially life-threatening,” the National Weather Service said in a bulletin before the storm struck. “Persons should consider delaying all travel. Motorists should use extreme caution if travel is absolutely necessary.”
The Herald named the storm Blizzard Danny, in honor of Danny Freund, a former UND football standout and assistant coach who this past week was hired to return to the program as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The Herald has been naming blizzards since 1990, giving storms alphabetically alternating male/female names in an effort to honor local residents and also to log storms for the sake of history. The Herald generally uses the names of people in the news, famous figures or those with connections to the Herald.
Blizzard Danny is the fourth blizzard in the Grand Forks region this season, following
Blizzard Alice
(Dec. 18),
Blizzard Brad
(Dec. 28) and
Blizzard Cassie
(Jan. 16).
The record is eight, during the winter of 1996-97 and again in 2021-22.
Blizzard Cassie arrived Friday afternoon and evening and affected travel throughout the Red River Valley until midday Saturday, when the high winds finally subsided, the sun broke through and the day was generally calm — albeit frigid, with sub-zero temperatures.
And then Blizzard Danny arrived, bringing more of the same. WDAY meteorologist Stefan Sundin called it “rinse and repeat.”
In a broadcast Saturday, Sundin said he was “expecting conditions to be very similar to what we had (Friday) to last through much of the day (Sunday) before calming down going into your Monday, with a more settled day there.”
The blizzard warning encompassed an expansive region that includes the towns of Langdon, Devils Lake, Grand Forks, Lisbon, Fargo, Fergus Falls, Detroit Lakes, Thief River Falls and Roseau.
Sundin’s forecast called for a half-inch to 2 inches of snow for places like Valley City, Fargo, Fergus Falls and Detroit Lakes, while 1 to 3 inches — possibly as much as 4 inches — could fall in the northern part of the region, including Grand Forks, Thief River Falls, Hallock and Warroad.
On Monday, according to the WDAY forecast, wind chills could fall into the minus-30s.
In anticipation of the storm, UND announced Saturday evening that its main campus will be closed from 10 p.m. Saturday before reopening at 8 a.m. Monday. The reason, according to the announcement, is “deteriorating winter weather and anticipated blizzard conditions that could make travel in the region hazardous.”
The announcement said the closure includes the UND Wellness Center, Chester Fritz Library and Memorial Union. Wilkerson Dining Center will remain open for students during the closure. There are no classes and most UND offices will be closed on Monday, Jan. 19, in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, the announcement noted.
Additionally, UND’s essential personnel are to report to work as scheduled. If it’s not safe for to travel, they are asked to notify a supervisor. Non-essential personnel should not report to work during the closure.
Korrie Wenzel has been publisher of the Grand Forks Herald and Prairie Business Magazine since 2014.
Over time, he has been a board member of the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corp., Junior Achievement, the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation, United Way, Empire Arts Center, Cornerstones Career Learning Center and Crimestoppers.
As publisher, Wenzel oversees news, advertising and business operations at the Herald, as well as the newspaper’s opinion content.
In the past, Wenzel was sports editor for 14 years at The Daily Republic of Mitchell, S.D., before becoming editor and, eventually, publisher.
Wenzel can be reached at 701-780-1103.
