While NDOT personnel work in 12-hour shifts 24 hours a day until the roads are passable, there’s only so much that crews can do when temperatures reach single digits.

“We’re dealing with extreme cold,” NDOT Director of Strategic Communications Cortnye Stone told the Banner. “13 degrees is kind of the magic number for the products that we use on the roadways to work. And we’re colder than that. So until temps get up a little bit, we’re going to struggle to get roads completely clear.”

NDOT encourages people to stay off the roads if possible, especially for the next 12 to 24 hours. The city has 32 snow plows working to get 28 primary routes and 28 secondary routes cleared. And as a reminder, just because a vehicle has four-wheel drive or “all-weather tires” doesn’t mean it’s easy or safe to navigate snowy streets.