North Dakota Bracing For More Wintry Weather

Tuesday, December 4th 2007, 9:19 am

By: News On 6

FARGO, N.D. (AP) _ After a record 7.4 inches of snow Saturday, the Fargo area was bracing for as much as another half-foot on Tuesday, with other cities in eastern North Dakota expecting even more.

The National Weather Service posted a variety of winter weather advisories Tuesday in North Dakota.

Parts of the northeast including Grand Forks could get up to 8 inches of snow, with the rest of eastern North Dakota getting up to 6 inches, forecasters said.

The wind should be light in the east, but gusts in the southwest were expected to reach 40 mph.

Western and central North Dakota were bracing for freezing rain and up to 2 inches of snow.

``The state should have quite a range of weather,'' said Rich Leblang, a weather service meteorologist in Bismarck.

The weather service said the 7.4 inches of snow Saturday in Fargo topped the record 2.8 inches for the date set in 1985, and the 0.67 inches of precipitation it brought topped the 0.48-inch record set in 1909.

Al Weigel, operations manager for Fargo's public works department, said street crews were busy Monday hauling piled snow away from the downtown area and residential cul-de-sacs after clearing the streets Sunday.

``We're ready to go again,'' he said.

Duane Ferchol, who owns a lawn equipment store in Fargo, said he already has sold 40 snowblowers this winter, surpassing last season's total sales of 32 machines.

Other businesses that sell winter equipment also were enjoying the early snowfall.

``The phone has been ringing nonstop,'' said Steve Moltzan, a local snowmobile retailer. ``It's been a great start of the year.''