Charles Crane/MDN Three of the city’s eight motor graders sit in the Minot City Public Work’s complex, tucked in and with their blades sharpened ready and waiting to be called upon to contend with the accumulated snow forecasted this week.

For those fortunate enough to live in the upper Midwest, the preparation for inclement weather is just a part of the routine. With the National Weather Service declaring a winter weather advisory until Thursday, there has been a mad scramble across the region to make sure the larder and the gas tank have been filled and the snow blower warmed up.

According to Alex Edwards, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Bismarck, Minot should expect around six inches of snowfall during the storm, with the bulk of it falling this evening, and continuing on through Wednesday into Thursday morning.

“You’re likely to have something to shovel or play. It might start out with a freezing drizzle, which will make slick roads ahead of the snow. It’s a sneaky issue, so expect to see liquid collecting on the roads and freezing,” Edwards said.

The City of Minot’s regular snow removal program is set to be implemented, with the snow removal schedule available on the city’s website. The priority for snow removal will focus on 32 snow routes after snow accumulation reaches three to four inches. Hills and school zones are next, followed by residential areas and downtown. Once the streets have been cleared the city will turn its attentions to making sidewalks accessible.

The city’s snow removal crews will operate 24 hours until all streets cleared, with the crews for the overnight shift already acclimated to the round-the-clock schedule. In anticipation of the snow, briners and sanders have already been deployed to pretreat the roads to prevent as much slipping and sliding as possible.

Area schools are keeping an eye on the weather report and road conditions to determine if it is safe enough to travel for class, but there is some difference in how each of them will approach potential “snow days.” Nedrose Superintendent Matthew Norby said they are considering the possibility of holding “virtual days” for high schoolers and older students, but would utilize prepared packets for younger elementary students who struggled with virtual learning during the pandemic.

In lieu of having homework packets for the younger kids, South Prairie Superintendent Wayne Stanley said that his school will probably elect to give the kids a good old-fashioned “snow day.”

“We’re prepared for a virtual day, but we have storm days on the calendar for a reason. For the youngers it’s pretty hard to get them what they need. It’s easier to just use a storm day and make it up later,” Stanley said.

Edwards said the storm system could stick around for a few days, which means the possibility of more snow on Friday and this weekend. High wind is expected in the days after, but Edwards said it shouldn’t be enough to turn into a full blown blizzard. It could be enough to create drifts and other issues on the highway.

Once this system has fully passed, Edwards said, North Dakotans should prepare themselves for some bitter cold, with single-digit highs sticking around as the region approaches the end of the Christmas season.