Month: March 2020

I am not sure if or how the current COVID-19 pandemic will impact the schedule, but NDAWN, the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network, is scheduled to install some additional weather stations next month in preparation for the 2020 growing season.  One of these stations will be just east of Fargo Moorhead.  That station will be… Read more 2020 NDAWN

The Red River from about Fargo and southward is beginning to rise as it has been warm enough to get some of the winter snow cover into the streams and tributaries.  There has been little snow on the ground for the past week or more south of Fargo, in turn, those areas have been noticeably… Read more Rivers Rising

Through yesterday, Fargo has only recorded 0.23 inches of rain and melted snow since February 1.  That currently ranks as the 3rd driest February and March on record with 8 days to go if we include today.  There will be some scattered light rain today then a chance of snow or rain tomorrow from a… Read more Dry Continues

Believe it or not, one of the most common questions asked of me these days is the prospects of a dry summer.  There are many examples historically of a wet year being followed by a dry year, or wet followed by dry.  Plus, with the recent lack of moisture, I think a lot of people… Read more Dry Summer?

There are many periods of time when it doesn’t seem like it, but this region has a semi-arid climate.  In turn, when we go through very dry periods like we have lately, you discover that there have been many other years that were as dry or even drier.  For example, through yesterday, Fargo has recorded… Read more Dry but not Driest

This stretch of weather going back to late January has been one of the driest such periods on record.  From January 20 through yesterday Fargo has recorded less than a quarter of an inch of moisture.  Last year, during that same period we recorded 3.82 inches of moisture, which was the wettest such period on… Read more Fargo Dry Stretch

Some of you may know this, if not, I am the official cooperative weather observer for Fargo.  If you hear a report of snow for the city, that came from me.  Part of being the weather observer for the metro this time of year is taking snow core samples to know what the snow water… Read more Fargo SWE

The vernal equinox is coming this Thursday, March 19.  Yes, you heard that right, on the 19th, not the 20th or 21st like it is most years.  In fact, this is the earliest Vernal Equinox since 1894, meaning the earliest in all of our lifetimes.  Although the equinox is on the 19th this year, it… Read more Vernal

Much of North Dakota is now snow free in the sense of not having any snow cover left.  Far western North Dakota was snow free more often than not this past winter, but that snow free zone has shifted east to close to Highway 281.   The eastern one-third of North Dakota into northwestern Minnesota is… Read more Disappearing Snow

This Sunday, March 15, will mark the anniversary of two of the worst blizzards to hit this region since weather records began in the second half of the 1800s.   The first occurred one-hundred years ago in 1920, which is often called the Hazel Miner Blizzard, as Hazel, a 15-year-old girl sacrificed her life to save… Read more Ides of March