FOLLOW US FOR INSTANT UPDATES!
This week’s ice storm continues to impact travel throughout much of the region. The good news is that I-29 has reopened from Fargo to the Canadian border (8:45 am). A Travel Alert if posted for much of the Red River Valley due to icy roads. The storm cancelled flights at the Grand Forks Airport on Tuesday.
Freezing rain began in Fargo and expanded west and north. The National Weather Service says as much as three-quarters of an inch of freezing rain fell in Jamestown.
Heavy icing and strong winds downed tree branches and caused power outages in the southern James River Valley. As of this morning Cass County Electric Cooperative was working to restore power to thousands of customers. Otter Tail Power reported over 13,000 customers were in the dark as of this morning with the largest are located in Stutsman and Lamoure counties.
= = =
Statements from the city of Grand Forks:
- For the rest of this week, crews will be working in residential neighborhoods clearing ice from the roads. This is a slow process. Just a heads up, while crews are working on the ice they will not be clearing the ends of driveways as they come by. Sorry for the inconvenience
- Crews from the City of Grand Forks and the Grand Forks Park District will make a complete pass through the city picking up downed branches caused by the recent ice storm. Crews will be picking up from the berm only. Please have your downed branches placed on the berm by the street. Crews will not pick up in the alley. Crews will start this citywide pick up the first week in January at the earliest as they are currently working on clearing city streets from the recent storm. The downed branch pick up will take several days once started so please be patient.
= = =
UND will remain closed today (Wed)….
Grand Forks County offices and courthouse are closed for a second straight day…
NCTC in East Grand Forks will reopen at 10:00 a.m….
Northeast Human Service Center in Grand Forks closed…
The Grand Forks Library to open at noon…
Community Violence Intervention Center will remain closed today….
The light snow and freezing drizzle is expected to come to an end from north to south with minimal ice accumulations.
The recent rainfall is also putting some unusual winter pressure on rivers in the southern end of the basin. A Flood Warning has been posted for the Red River at Fargo and the Wild Rice in Richland County. In Fargo the “Red” could climb to four-and-a-half feet over flood stage by this weekend.
