Storm dumps heavy snow, falls short of blizzard

Winter Storm Eric, the fifth major storm of the year, swept through North Dakota on Monday, leaving behind up to a foot of snow in some areas.

Counties in northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota remained under a winter storm warning until 6 a.m. today.

The Grand Forks Herald named the winter storm Eric after its longtime photographer Eric Hylden, whose photos have appeared in the paper for 27 years.

Eric brought winds reaching up to 25 mph that resulted in poor visibility and drifting snow throughout the Red River Valley.

Heavy snowfall

Snow piled up by the foot in some areas of North Dakota.

“The Devils Lake Basin and the northern valley are getting the brunt of it,” said Jim Kaiser, a weather service meteorologist in Grand Forks.

Devils Lake received about 11 inches of snow, while Sarles, N.D., located in northwest Cavalier County, recorded 12 inches by midday Monday, according to the weather service.

The National Weather Service office in Grand Forks recorded 4 inches of snow at its facility Monday.

Another 1 to 3 inches was possible for the northern parts of North Dakota and Minnesota by 6 a.m. today.

Several counties in northeastern North Dakota issued no-travel advisories for Monday because of icy roads or poor visibility.

Meanwhile, no-travel alerts also were in effect in other areas of the state, including the Jamestown and Valley City areas, according to the North Dakota Department of Transportation and North Dakota Highway Patrol.

The storm’s path

The storm, with mixed precipitation and gusty winds, moved east out of Montana overnight Sunday and crossed the Dakotas into Minnesota and Iowa.

“There’s quite a variance (in precipitation) depending on where you are, but overall, it’s a pretty large storm system,” said Dave Kellenbenz, a weather service meteorologist in Grand Forks.

While as much as a foot of snow had fallen on some parts of the northern valley and the Devils Lake Basin, the southern valley saw much less.

Fargo had about 2 inches by about 2:30 p.m. Monday, with another 1 to 2 inches expected.

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