Associated Press

Northeastern North Dakota was bracing for as much as 10 inches of snow from an Alberta clipper that was moving into the northern Plains on Monday.

Warnings and advisories were posted for the state. The National Weather Service said snow totals on Monday ranged from 1-2 inches in the southwest to as much as 5 inches in the northeast.

Up to 10 inches of snow was expected to accumulate in the northeast by Wednesday morning. Winds gusting up to 55 mph were expected to drive the snow and make travel hazardous.

The storm came on the heels of unseasonably warm weather. Some North Dakota cities set record highs on Friday, with temperatures exceeding 70 degrees in some areas.

Snow hit some parts of the state on Saturday but "anything that hit the ground pretty much melted," said Vince Godon, a Weather Service meteorologist in Grand Forks.

With cooler temperatures this week, snow from the Alberta clipper is likely to stick around, he said.

"Really, the big change comes when you can keep some (snow) on the ground," Godon said. "Temps will change - the highs and lows - when there is snow on the ground. Once that happens, you are never going to get those record highs anymore."

High temperatures Monday were in the lower 30s northwest to the lower 40s southeast, with overnight lows dropping into the 20s statewide.

Morning lows later in the week were forecast to be in the teens and single digits.

Much of eastern Montana was under a blizzard warning Monday.

"This is one of those great, old-fashioned Alberta clippers," said Rick Dittmann, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Great Falls, Mont.

"It comes in swift and does its thing."

Meteorologist Todd Hamilton, at the National Weather Service in Bismarck, said sustainted winds of up to 35 mph were expected most of the day today in the western and central parts of North Dakota.

"There will be light snow over western and central (North Dakota), but the big deal will be strong winds," Hamilton said.