Winds gust to more than 50 mph

High winds and blowing snow led authorities to advise no travel in parts of central North Dakota on Monday night.

The Highway Patrol said an area from Bismarck east to Steele had whiteout conditions and icy roads at about 6 p.m. Sheriffs in Kidder and McIntosh counties also were advising no travel.

The National Weather Service reported wind gusts of around 55 mph near Garrison and 54 mph in the Hettinger area. The winds were starting to die down in the western part of the state, but the Jamestown area could see strong winds through midnight, said National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Hamilton in Bismarck.

The Ashley area, in the south central part of the state, still has about a foot of snow on the ground, and parts of the state got snow showers that reduced visibility, Hamilton said.

"We've had some snow squalls move through the area - they don't last very long, but there's some pretty good snow in them," he said. "You get 40-50 mph (winds) blowing that around and it's causing some reduced visibility."

Temperatures in the Bismarck area still are about 10 degrees above normal, he said. Colder weather is expected later in the week.

- Associated Press