A strong wind out of the northwest wreaked havoc for motorists in the Bismarck area Friday.

North Dakota Highway Patrol Capt. Mark Bethke said drivers on Interstate 94 and Highway 83 had to deal with "tough conditions because of blowing and drifting snow sticking to the road."

The drifting snow created slushy and icy conditions on patches of the roads, Bethke said.

"The sun was out and melted it, and then it froze," said National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Leblang.

Leblang said northwest winds in the Bismarck area Friday were between 25 and 40 mph.

Single vehicle rollover accidents were reported on Highway 83 north of Bismarck and on Highway 83 north of Linton, and several were reported on Interstate 94, Bethke said.

No serious injuries were reported in any of the accidents, Bethke said.

"We've got numerous vehicles in the ditch," Bethke said while driving from Sterling to Bismarck around 3:45 p.m.

The winds aren't expected to continue into today, Leblang said. "They'll continue through (Friday night)," he said. "They'll diminish around midnight."

Leblang said a weather front moving down from Canada would likely bring less than an inch of snow during the night, but would decrease visibility. Some places near the Canadian border were reporting visibility of about one-quarter of a mile during the afternoon snowfall, he said.

Drivers around Bismarck Friday night could expect to experience "rapidly changing visibilities," Leblang said. However, this was expected to last only two to four hours, he said.

"It's not a lot of snow," Leblang said. "It's just a visibility problem."