Winter storm system could drop a lot or little snow here

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The Jamestown area could receive 8 to 10 inches of snow Sunday night through Tuesday morning as a late-season snow storm moves across North Dakota.

The National Weather Service office in Bismarck issued a winter storm warning for most of north and east central North Dakota from Sunday afternoon through 6 a.m. Tuesday. WDAY-6 Meteorologist John Wheeler said this is a big winter storm.

“The heaviest of the storm, the worst of it is going to be up in northern North Dakota,” Wheeler said. “Williston, N.D., Minot, Devils Lake, a number of areas along there could get over a foot of snow over the course of the storm.”

Wheeler said Sunday afternoon the Jamestown area could get as much as 8 to 10 inches of snow Sunday night into Monday.

“Jamestown is poised to where the storm could go either way,” he said. “The low (pressure system) hasn’t formed as yet. I really don’t know where it’s going to go.”

Another unknown factor is that in the middle of the low pressure system creating the storm is a patch of dry air. Wheeler said if dry air moves in over Jamestown, it will stop snowing.

“Depending on where that dry air goes, Jamestown could receive only a few inches or almost a foot,” he said.

NWS Meteorologist Ken Simosko said the storm will dump mainly rain over Bismarck as it moves through.

“By the time it gets to Jamestown, it will be cold enough for snow,” he said. He predicts a total snowfall of 7 to 8 inches by Tuesday morning.

Simosko said Jamestown should receive around 5 inches Sunday night into Monday morning. As the storm moves through it could dump another 2 to 3 inches by Monday night.

“On Monday night Jamestown will get the back end of the storm, which will bring wind, blowing snow and maybe another inch of snow by Tuesday morning,” he said.

The NWS forecast said the precipitation was to start as a snow/sleet mix Sunday afternoon, then turn to all snow after 5 p.m.

Sun reporter Chris Olson can be reached at 701-952-8454 or by email at colson@jamestownsun.com

Tags: local news, snow, news, weather, local