North Dakota weather: Frost and fog mark deer season opener
Temperatures dropped into the 20s before rebounding to the 40s on Friday, creating challenging conditions for hunters beginning the firearm deer season at noon.
By Nadia Rahman ·
Lows fell to the 20s and low 30s across the region on Friday morning, driven by clear skies and light winds under a cool high-pressure system. These conditions produced dense fog in eastern North Dakota and frosty terrain across the area. In some parts of the state, the fog actually froze. At noon, hunters entered the fields for the firearm deer season opener. The fog cleared by that hour, but a weak front began moving in to bring scattered clouds through the afternoon. A light south breeze of 5 to 15 mph is expected to persist.
Afternoon highs are capped in the 40s, a figure near the seasonal average for this time of year. The cloud cover is expected to break up during the evening hours. The weather pattern shifts over the weekend as warm air lifts into the region. Lows will rise into the 30s and highs will climb into the 50s. These temperatures are above normal for early November. This warmer spell coincides with the start of the firearm deer opener in Minnesota. Skies will remain partly to mostly sunny, and precipitation is unlikely. A small chance of patchy fog exists for Saturday morning, but otherwise the weekend should remain quiet and dry.
The seasonably mild pattern is projected to continue through the first half of next month. Temperatures are expected to stay above normal until cool Canadian air slides in during the middle of next week. Until then, daily lows will hover in the 30s and highs in the upper 40s to mid 50s. A few weather models indicate a slight chance of isolated rain toward next weekend, but high pressure is expected to maintain dry and stable conditions through mid-November. This outlook suggests mostly partly sunny skies with little risk of rain.
Specific forecasts for the Fargo area show Friday as partly cloudy with a south wind of 10 to 15 mph and a high of 44. Saturday will be partly cloudy with a low of 30 and a high of 56. Sunday follows with a low of 35 and a high of 54. Monday will be partly cloudy with a low of 37 and a high of 58. Tuesday brings a low of 33 and a high of 51. Wednesday is forecast to be partly cloudy with a low of 33 and a high of 50. Thursday will begin with clouds in the morning, clearing by afternoon, with a low of 34 and a high of 51.
