Charles Crane/MDN Snow covers Scandinavian Heritage Park in Minot on Wednesday.

With the first flurries of flakes hitting the ground Wednesday morning, North Dakota residents old and new settled in for the first snowstorm of the new winter season.

The snow was preceded by freezing rain, which gave way to patchy blowing snow drifting soon after which sent local snow removal teams into action. New snow accumulation predictions for the storm were updated by the National Weather Service Wednesday morning, painting a grim picture of 9-16 inches in the Minot area. Though snowfall is expected to taper off this evening, the winter storm warning from the weather service in Bismarck won’t be lifted until Friday morning.

The white stuff has made some local prep sports and other event organizers to consider canceling or rescheduling their events, including the 2023 Main Street ND Summit in Watford City and the State Class B Cross Country tournament which was moved to a one-day schedule format to be run on Saturday. Senator Kevin Cramer, R-ND, announced that the mobile office hours scheduled for today in Bottineau and Rolla would also be postponed, with the new hours to be announced at a later date.

The weather service warned that travel will be made very difficult during the storm, with the patchy blowing snow reducing visibility. The Minot Police Department addressed the changing weather, directing the public to make considerations before traveling by leaving early to avoid being rushed and to double check the tread of their tires. Slow and steady speeds were also recommended, along with keeping window scrapers handy. Drivers are also advised to keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in their vehicles in case of emergency.

The weather service also released a Cold Advisory For Newborn Livestock for the region, advising local livestock producers that most of the northwest corner is in the “Extreme” risk range for the duration of the storm. These advisories are determined by wind chill temperature, precipitation, and humidity, with the “Extreme” designation reserved for rare and particularly dangerous situations with wind chill of -18 or colder for more than two hours or less than 32 degrees for two or more hours with .1 inches of precipitation.