Chance of snow expected Feb. 24

Mar. 1—A low-pressure system from the Colorado area is expected to bring better chances of widespread precipitation this week to the Jamestown area, according to Brandon Gale, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Bismarck.

"Right now there is still uncertainty about where the heaviest snow will fall and exactly how much snow will fall," he said. "But there are definitely better chances for more widespread snow with that system."

As of Tuesday morning, the Jamestown area had a 50% chance of snow with a high near 14 on Thursday. There is a 30% chance of snow and freezing drizzle Thursday evening.

Gale said there is no way to know if below-zero temperatures are finished for the rest of the winter. He said the state is expected to see a cold front that is more of Pacific origin versus Arctic origin.

"While it's going to make us colder, it's not going to be the negative teens, negative 20s temperatures that we have seen with previous cold fronts," he said.

Gale said the Jamestown area will see a lower temperature around 1 degree Thursday morning. He said in northeastern North Dakota, the Weather Service has forecasted temperatures as low as minus 12.

Gale said the outbreaks of Arctic air that have been felt across the region the last couple of months have been associated with clipper systems that move through the state and pull cold air from the north down south. Typically with clippers, the winds get gusty. He said this week the state will see multiple clipper systems but the wind and colder air are not coming with it.

"But then later on in the work week and the weekend we get more like a Colorado low instead of a clipper, so that will help to bring in some more colder air, but it's not the colder air that we've seen with recent cold fronts," he said.

On Friday, the Jamestown area is expected to see a chance of snow and freezing drizzle before 5 p.m. and a high near 24. The winds will increase to around 14 to 21 mph with gusts as high as 28 mph.

The forecast for Saturday says snow is likely on Saturday with a high near 23 and north winds of 15 to 22 mph with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Gale said the average temperature in January was 7.4 degrees for the Jamestown area, which was the 32nd-coldest January since data was collected in 1949. The average temperature in February was 9.1 degrees in Jamestown, which was the 23rd-coldest February.

Data for temperatures in Jamestown is collected at Jamestown Regional Airport.

Gale said the North Dakota State Hospital has reported 36.9 inches of snow from December through Feb. 27.

The total normal snowfall in Jamestown is 11.8 inches in December, 11.4 inches in January and 7.4 inches in February and 30.6 inches total for the three months for the Jamestown area, according to NWS data.