The above video is from the Minnesota State Patrol’s Facebook site. It shows the fierceness of the current winter storm.
FARGO, N.D. — Blizzard conditions have closed portions an interstate and highways in eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota Friday.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol has closed Interstate 29 from Fargo to the Canadian border due to blowing snow and near-zero visibility. Motorists face fines if they travel on roads that have been closed. Highway 2 from Devils Lake to Grand Forks is also closed.
No travel is advised in much of the Red River Valley.
“Those winds are making their way into the Valley from north to south. As to conditions on I-29 right now, with the temperature changing, we’ve got icy roads combined with zero visibility,” said Highway Patrol Capt. Brian Niewind.
More than a dozen vehicles were involved in a chain-reaction crash on Interstate 94 just west of Valley City on Friday morning, Niewind told KOVC-AM. Three people were hurt. The crashes closed the westbound lane of the interstate for nearly three hours, he said.
The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for all of eastern North Dakota and parts of northwestern Minnesota. Wind gusts of up to 65 mph were expected with isolated gusts of 70 mph.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation and State Patrol have also closed parts of at least 11 highways in northwestern Minnesota.
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