A blizzard warning has been issued for the central and northern Red River Valley until 6 p.m. on Saturday, January 13th. The warning, issued at 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, includes areas such as Grand Forks, Grafton, Langdon, and Devils Lake.

The blizzard is expected to bring whiteout conditions in open country, drastically reducing visibility to less than a quarter-mile. The National Weather Service has cautioned that dangerously low wind chills will further worsen the situation, reaching 35 degrees below zero in the Red River Valley and 45 degrees below zero to the west. These extreme temperatures can cause frostbite on exposed skin in just 10 minutes. Additionally, the blizzard will be accompanied by gusting winds of up to 40 mph, further exacerbating the conditions. The warning also predicts an additional snow accumulation of up to one inch is expected, and blowing snow will significantly reduce visibility.

No travel advisories have been issued for northeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. As a precautionary measure, it is essential that travel during the blizzard be restricted to emergencies only. Those who must venture out are strongly advised to carry a winter survival kit and avoid leaving their vehicles if they get stranded.

To stay updated on road conditions, residents can visit travel.dot.nd.gov for North Dakota or 511mn.org for Minnesota. Alternatively, they can call 511 in either state.

The dangerous wind chills are expected to persist throughout the weekend until Monday. Grand Forks is anticipated to experience wind chill temperatures of 37 degrees below zero on Saturday night and into Sunday morning. Although there will be a slight improvement with temperatures around minus-30 at 3 p.m. on Sunday, they will drop down to minus-37 again at 9 a.m. on Monday.

Cando, N.D. has one of the coldest forecasts in the region, with a projected wind chill of minus-47 at 6 a.m. on Monday.