Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghengis
they get just as much massive snow storms in North Dakota as anywhere on the East Coast. The difference is that they are much more prepared and have the equipment and know-how to remove the snow much more efficiently. Often they'll drive their dump trucks (thousands of them) around as the snow starts. Most of the snow lands in the hoppers before it even reaches the ground. Giant heaters then melt the snow and spray the water out onto the beet fields on either side of the roadways. Later the beets are processed as fuel and that is used to power all the dump trucks the next winter.
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ah ok.....that was quite funny.
In reality....most of our snowfalls are of the fluffy variety and can easily be blown about by wind. The moisture source for the big snows along the Middle Atlantic and Northeast is the Atlantic Ocean (and somewhat the Gulf) and those moist airmases dont get up to our area very often in the winter. On occasion we can get a foot plus snowfall from a Colorado Low as it moves east and then taps moisture from the Gulf as it moves toward the western Great Lakes. These systems tend to deepen and can produce very heavy snow totals along with strong winds on the northwest and western side. Some years the weather pattern is such North Dakota / northwestern Minnesota doesnt get one and the track is more apt to bring them to southeastern SD, northern Iowa. southern Minnesota into Wisconsin. Some rare years like 96-97 winters there was one right after the other and snowfall records were set in Grand Forks with just over 97 inches and Fargo with around 115 inches. Those winters thankfully are rare.
Most of our snows are of the 2-5 inch variety some 6-8 and tend to blow around a lot causing blizzards.
This winter season Grand Forks has had about 24 inches of snow. Cold weather ensures that in most winters snow stays on the ground in northeastern ND for much of the time from Mid November thru mid or late March. Bismarck and SW ND are drier and can get less snow and also more in line for frequent warm ups.
But we snow plows like out east....schools can be closed due to heavy snow and certainly blizzards like out east. But what we dont have is the very large metro areas with all the heavy traffic. And we always get the snow and cold each year.....so generally more used to it. Municipal supplies of sand/salt mixture high. But in very cold temperatures the sand/salt does little to melt the snow on the roads and they can remain quite icy for a prolonged period.
Dan
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