Jamestown receives 10 inches of snow

Kathy Steiner And Masaki Ova, The Jamestown Sun, N.D.
·2 min read

Apr. 5—JAMESTOWN — Jamestown reported 10 inches of snow by 6 a.m. Wednesday, April 5, according to measurements taken at the North Dakota State Hospital.

The 10 inches of snow had a moisture content of 0.72 inches, said Alex Edwards, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Bismarck.

Edwards said light snow could linger into the early afternoon. He said the Jamestown area could see anywhere from a half inch to an inch of additional snow.

A blizzard warning remains in effect until midnight Thursday, April 6. The blizzard warning says winds could gust as high as 50 mph.

Edwards said the wind gusts could create snowdrifts on the roads.

"The winds are going to create some havoc," he said.

A dispatcher at the Stutsman County Communications Center said Tuesday there were a few motorist assist calls with vehicles reported stuck.

Jason Falk, chief deputy with the Stutsman County Sheriff's Office, said conditions are poor in the country.

"Don't go anywhere," he said. "... All the roads are closed — (Highway) 52, interstate, (U.S.) 281. Everybody should stay home today."

Falk said the Sheriff's Office had about four calls on Tuesday with people stranded on closed roads that they had to help. A few semis are also stranded on Highway 52 as well, he said.

"Roads are closed, we can't get wreckers to them," he said. "A lot of them will end up getting rides in" using the department's track Humvees.

Falk said the wind is picking up more in the country and that's expected to continue.

"The visibility is the problem," he said. "You just don't know where you're driving. And with the drifting and the amount of snow we already had on the sides of the roads they just filled in, so it's going to be a rough day for getting around today.

"... I think you can get around in town a little bit if you're in a four-wheel-drive pickup but they're already getting calls today on cars in town that are stuck and sitting in the middle of the road abandoned," he added. "It's a storm day. Hopefully the last one."

Edwards said the temperatures will rise to the 40s and 50s early next week. He said the snowpack will help keep the temperatures a little lower in eastern North Dakota compared to the western side of the state.