Travel Alert for Southwest North Dakota
These things are becoming pretty regular lately, so here's another one.
The North Dakota Department of Transportation and the North Dakota Highway Patrol have issued a Travel alert due to snowfall and lack of visibility on the roads.
Motorists are advised to travel at reduced speeds during this alert to preserve safety.
While there have been many travel alerts during this winter, it's important to understand what it is as well as the level of alerts that are available due to the severity of the storm that exists.
Here's a clarification of those levels from an official Highway Patrol press release:
The three categories are as follows:
1. TRAVEL ALERT – Motorists can still travel but may encounter areas of challenging winter weather driving conditions on roadways. Motorists should allow extra time to reach their destination and be alert to conditions that may make travel difficult, change rapidly, or cause travel delays. A TRAVEL ALERT has the potential to change to a NO TRAVEL ADVISED if conditions deteriorate.
2. NO TRAVEL ADVISED – Motorists should not travel due to hazardous conditions which may make it unsafe to travel. Snowplows may be pulled from the roads during severe conditions. Motorists should take NO TRAVEL ADVISED seriously as those motorists who choose to travel at their own risk may become stranded and emergency responders may not be able to reach them safely. A NO TRAVEL ADVISED has the potential to change to a ROAD CLOSED OR BLOCKED if conditions deteriorate.
3. ROAD CLOSED OR BLOCKED – Motorists are not allowed to travel on a closed road due to life threatening conditions. The road may be impassible or blocked. Motorists who drive past a road closure device may be fined up to $250.
Please be advised that road condition information on 511 and the travel map is updated daily from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. CDT. The road report is based upon the information available to the NDDOT at the time of preparation and is provided solely as a public service. Conditions may vary from those reported.
Please be safe on the roads tonight.