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2021 ends with winter storm, sub-zero temps

By Sue Sitter - | Dec 31, 2021

A grader scrapes several inches of snow from Second Avenue Southeast in Rugby after a winter storm Dec. 27. Sue Sitter/PCT

Pierce County residents saw 2021 end with high winds and more than eight inches of snow followed by several days when temperatures plunged to more than 20 below zero.

The mountains of snow plowed on Rugby streets after a winter storm Dec. 26 and 27 left many wondering if the accumulation would put dent in drought conditions central North Dakota experienced in 2020 and 2021.

“It’s a little early to say,” Zack Hargrove, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Bismarck cautioned. “Any moisture we can get is good. But typically with snowfall, especially when it’s really cold, there’s a lot less liquid content in the snow than we’d see in the fall and spring months.”

“So, any moisture we can get is beneficial. But it’s a little early to say what kind of impact it’s going to have on drought conditions going forward,” Hargrove noted.

Hargrove said although predicting the future for North Dakota drought conditions would be tough, other predictions made by the NWS have proven true so far this winter.

“With our winter outlook, we were talking about how the late fall and start of winter would probably be warmer than normal, which ended up working out,” Hargrove said. “Then, we were thinking that toward the end of December into February, we would have some pretty big cold shots.”

“Overall, we were expecting a colder than normal winter given La Nina conditions, especially since this is our second La Nina year in a row,” Hargrove explained. “When we see that, we see below normal conditions in the Northern Plains. So, this is fairly expected.”

According to information by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), La Nina is the name for colder than normal trade winds that push cold-water currents and the Polar Jet Stream northward on the Pacific coast. Cold air from North America’s polar regions plunges southward into Northern Plains and Northern Rocky Mountains.

Hargrove called the cold snap that followed the Dec. 26-27 winter storm “one of the more extreme cold snaps that we’ve seen in a while. Last year was fairly mild. We had some brief shots of colder air here and there, but definitely for an extended period of time, we’re going to see some pretty frigid conditions.”

During the height of the winter storm on Dec. 26, the North Dakota Department of Transportation placed no travel advisories on most of Highway 2. Sections of Interstates 29 and 94 were closed.

Tracy Prellwitz of the Northern Lights Inn said, “We had more walk-ins than normal. They couldn’t see the road, so they decided to stop here and stay the night.”

Robin Thow of Rugby’s Cobblestone Inn said guest checked in “because they were pretty much stranded. They were from the Mandan-Bismarck area. They stopped here because they couldn’t go any farther on the highway.”

Thow said the next morning, “We had a lot of drifts in our parking lot. We had our plow come and clear them away.”

“We had one guest get stuck (in a snow drift) in the parking lot, but he got out,” Thow added.

Pierce County Sheriff Josh Siegler said the storm kept his department busy. However, he said “There were no major accidents. Just a couple of people stuck in the snow. Just a couple of minor, unreportable accidents.”

Siegler said city and county snow removal crews had an easier time after the winter storm because banks and other Rugby businesses had “pushed back their opening hours. The courthouse is opening late. White Drug is opening late. All the banks and other businesses are opening late. So, you don’t see a ton of vehicles on the road, but it’s pretty ugly out there.”

The storm snarled local mail delivery Dec. 27. A sign on the door of the Rugby post office read, “No mail today.” Some banks closed early. The Heart of America Public Library was closed Dec. 27 as well.

“There have been a couple of calls (from motorists having difficulty with the snow). There were a few vehicles out there, but the DOT did a no travel advisory, so it’s been quieter than usual. That’s all right, though,” Siegler added.

Siegler said the holidays might have been the reason for lighter-than-normal traffic on county roads. “We kind of got a pretty good warning that this storm was coming, also,” Siegler said. “I think a lot of people wrapped up their holiday stuff early on Sunday and went home early before it came in that afternoon. I think people were pretty smart about it, for the most part.”

Hargrove suggested some smart ways to help people face challenging North Dakota winters. “It’s always good to have a winter survival kit with non-perishable food and water and some first aid kits and blankets. You should have that in your car if you’re traveling just in case you get stranded.”

“Always follow the weather forecast,” Hargrove added. “You can follow our forecast at www.weather.gov/bis or you can go to www.weather.gov and you can click anywhere on the map. So, really staying up-to-date with the forecast and any watches or warnings that are out, you should heed those. That’s the best advice we can give.”