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We have been watching the weather in Fargo and it seems to get very cold there! Is this year normal in temperatures or is it colder/warmer then most? Also, we have heard a lot about floods and blizzards. Is this a common occurrence in Fargo? How often do the floods and blizzards normally come in a year? We are moving from Idaho and are used to snow......but it seems you guys get much more then we do!
Short answer: Yes. North Dakota is roughly the third coldest state in the nation (behind Minnesota and Alaska).
Now with that said, ND, along with most areas nearby, is getting above average snowfall this year. The biggest thing to remember is that Blizzards don't necessarily mean that they are getting 100s of inches of snow, rather Blizzards just define white out conditions where the winds are above 35 MPH and there is considerable blowing/drifting snow. ND, like most Plains/Prairie states/provinces, is a very windy place which is ideal for blizzards and you will likely see more blizzards here than in any other state in the lower 48.
In a separate topic, flooding does happen as the Red River Valley is very susceptible to flooding. Best thing to do is before you figure out where to live, look at FEMA flood maps to determine if your prospective housing is in a flood zone.
Yes, flooding happens, and since April of 1993 we are in a wet cycle meteorologically. I heard one meteorologist state last week that when you look at the relative drought scale to measure soil moisture, etc.--we are wetter now in the Red River Valley than it was dry during the Dustbowl era.
The City of Fargo maintains a Flood Information Center on their web site that links to FEMA maps, elevations, what to do in a flood, etc.
Hi I work as a meteorologist in Grand Forks and forecasts for the area. The other posts above were all excellent and correct.
This year temperatures (on average) have been just a bit warmer than usual....but not by much. No record cold was observed (so far). Of course in our area normals are relative....as large week to week or day to day temperature variations are normal.
The Fargo area 30 yr average snowfall is around 40 inches...and we are a bit above average snowfall this year but not anywhere close to record. But snow here rarely melts much in Dec Jan Feb due to the persistent cold and low sun angle. Certainly it is colder here in the winter than in Idaho...even when comparing Fargo to the coldest parts of the Idaho. 2-3 blizzards each year are pretty common...and as previously mentioned blizzards to not equate to snowfall. The Red River valley is a windy place year around and with the dry fluffy snowfall we often get....it doesnt take much wind to blow it around and reduce visibility to near zero in the countryside. There often are big differences in vsby between the country and the city in such cases.
Flooding is a fact of life in many years along the Red. Some worse than others. But in the last 20-25 years major floods have been more consisent as we have been in a wet cycle as dutchinnd mentioned.
Hi I work as a meteorologist in Grand Forks and forecasts for the area. The other posts above were all excellent and correct.
This year temperatures (on average) have been just a bit warmer than usual....but not by much. No record cold was observed (so far). Of course in our area normals are relative....as large week to week or day to day temperature variations are normal.
The Fargo area 30 yr average snowfall is around 40 inches...and we are a bit above average snowfall this year but not anywhere close to record. But snow here rarely melts much in Dec Jan Feb due to the persistent cold and low sun angle. Certainly it is colder here in the winter than in Idaho...even when comparing Fargo to the coldest parts of the Idaho. 2-3 blizzards each year are pretty common...and as previously mentioned blizzards to not equate to snowfall. The Red River valley is a windy place year around and with the dry fluffy snowfall we often get....it doesnt take much wind to blow it around and reduce visibility to near zero in the countryside. There often are big differences in vsby between the country and the city in such cases.
Flooding is a fact of life in many years along the Red. Some worse than others. But in the last 20-25 years major floods have been more consisent as we have been in a wet cycle as dutchinnd mentioned.
Yep I am active on occasion on ND board and sometimes MN and a few others. I live in EGF MN but work in GF. I work for the NWS in town.
Dan
Very cool! I work at AFWA down at Offutt AFB. I just read the NWS Article about the forecasted extreme flooding this spring along the Red River and at Devil's Lake...very interesting! Hopefully the experiences last year give residents a chance to better prepare for this year's flooding.
Just wanted to interject something here. I live in Sheridan Wyoming and last week we took some horse drawn equipment over to Bowman ND to an auction. They have a lot more snow then we do. From the state line into Bowman we went past where the snowplow and plowed through 10 and 12 ft drifts. Road was pretty much clear with a few stretches of snow/ice spots here and there but you could tell they had a bunch more snow then Wyoming or Eastern Montana had.
The week before, we were supposed to get a snow storm and it missed us. I think I know where it landed.
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