A winter storm bearing down on North Dakota may erase any memories of 90-degree temperatures a few days ago.

The National Weather Service said the state could expect as much as 8 inches of snow in a wide band from Dickinson to Devils Lake, with more in higher elevations, by Wednesday night.

"The wind is going to be pretty strong, too. There'll be some areas of reduced visibility," said meteorologist Harlyn Wetzel, at the weather service office in Bismarck.

The storm was expected to hit late Tuesday. Wetzel said some areas north of Belfield, in southwestern North Dakota, reported snow in the afternoon.

"It does look like a strong storm system, and it's going to be moving rather slowly. We could be in line for one and two inches of liquid precipitation, if you were to melt the snow from the southwest to the northeastern parts of the state," meteorologist Bill Abeling said.

In Rugby, street department worker Dan Bolk said he and his co-workers were ready for it.

"We've got gates on the plows. We've got salt and sand ready," he said Tuesday morning. It's normal to prepare in early October, he said.

Today's storm was expected to move on by the weekend, melting the snow.

By Friday, the weather service said, high temperatures were expected to range from the lower 50s in the northeast to the mid-60s in the west.