OVERNIGHT - MONDAY: After a low-pressure system brought up to 2″ of snow in NE SE overnight into Sunday, the system moved east of our region, leaving breezy northerly winds, sunny skies and highs in the 40s. Overnight, the winds will die down and become a light wind by the early morning hours. At the same time, skies will be partly to mostly cloudy, but that cloud cover will break up by Wednesday morning, leaving sunny skies and few clouds for the last day of March. As for temperatures, morning lows will be in the upper-teens to low-20s and highs will be in the upper-30s, so the last day of March will be cool and sunny.
FIRST ALERT TUESDAY - WEDNESDAY: On Tuesday morning, moisture ahead of a Colorado Low will lift into our region, leading to rain/snow mix in parts of our region and snow in other areas. This comes as temperatures will be in the mid-30s to low-40s during the afternoon hours. By the evening hours, that precipitation starts transitioning into snow. Overnight into Wednesday morning, as morning lows will be in the 20s, any leftover mix will fully turn into snow, some of which may come down as moderate to heavy snowfall. That moderate to heavy snowfall will last well into Wednesday afternoon and evening, and it’s not until the overnight hours that the snow starts to lighten up. Even so, it’s not until Thursday morning that any leftover snow flurries and showers move out of our region. Models vary regarding snow totals, but most suggest that between Tuesday and Thursday morning, 6″ of snow or more is likely between southeast ND, the central and southern Red River Valley, and much of northwest MN, with higher totals possible.
Around that same time, between late morning Tuesday and late evening Wednesday, strong wind gusts above 30 mph will blow throughout our region, with the highest gusts generally seen in the southern and eastern parts of our region. It’s not until Wednesday night that the winds start dying down. This means a blowing snow situation at times.
The combination of blowing snow and moderate to heavy snowfall rates will mean slick roads and low visibility, which means a difficult commute if you have to travel. Winter Storm Watches are in effect from southeast ND to northwest MN from Tuesday evening to Wednesday night, and we have First Alert Weather Days for Tuesday and Wednesday for the same reason. Stick with Valley News Live for First Alert Updates, and make sure to have a plan in place in case you have to travel.
THURSDAY - FRIDAY: Any leftover flurries will move out before midday Thursday, leaving behind partly to mostly cloudy skies. A cold front may bring cloud cover into our region on Friday, but high pressure from Canada will mean dry, stable air settling into our region, so expect a mix of Sun and clouds. Temperatures will also climb into the 40s, so we end the first workweek of April on a cool, clear note.
THIS WEEKEND: A stable air mass will settle in over the first weekend of April, leading to more sun than clouds. At the same time, morning lows will be in the 20s and highs will be in the 40s. So we’re looking at a seasonable weekend.
NEXT WEEK: Long-term projections suggest that next week will be on the cool side, with highs in the 20s and lows in the 40s. For context, normal lows and highs are in the upper-20s and mid-to-upper-40s respectively. So keep the sweatshirt on standby. On the bright side, skies will be partly sunny throughout next week, so that means we’re looking at plenty of sunshine throughout the week.
FARGO 7-DAY FORECAST:
Monday: Sunny. Low: 19. High: 42
FIRST ALERT WEATHER DAY Tuesday: Mix/snow. Cloudy. Windy. Low: 28 High: 39
FIRST ALERT WEATHER DAY Wednesday: Mostly snow, with some mix. Cloudy. Windy. Low: 30 High: 34
Thursday: Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of flurries during morning. Low: 27 High: 40
Friday: Partly cloudy. Breezy. Low: 25 High: 48
Saturday: Slight chance of flurries. Otherwise, partly sunny. Low: 28 High: 46
Sunday: Breezy. Mostly sunny. Low: 25 High: 44.
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