WARD COUNTY, N.D. (KXNET) The saying is ‘nothing is certain except death and taxes’, and in North Dakota, you possibly can add winter snow to that checklist.

Right now, forecasters expect extra deep snow subsequent week. So, The North Dakota Highway Department is wanting into climate instruments that can assist preserve neighbors even safer throughout excessive climate.

Ward County Engineer Dana Larsen, is proposing a brand new weathering system to assist notify folks in rural areas even sooner about street situations and assist the freeway division perceive which locations have been hit the toughest.

Larsen says even in a big county like Ward, not all locations are created equally so far as climate situations.

He stated, “It’s a beautiful day, the sun’s out here in Minot, there’s a little bit of breeze but it’s not too bad, suns kind of poking out. But you drive down to South Prairie and the wind is ten miles an hour faster, it’s enough to cause snow to blow, the sun is shining on the road, and all of a sudden the snow is sticking to the road causing ice we think it’s beautiful out and they are having completely different conditions.”

The proposal, if accepted, would imply ward county would pay $30,000 over three years so as to add 4 totally different cameras.

The climate monitoring instruments would have the ability to measure air and pavement temperatures and supply some forecast calculations.

It would additionally give a visible to the freeway division in additional rural areas to assist them get a greater thought of blowing snow and street situations so as to make selections on freeway closures and wanted snow removing throughout our massive storms.

Some county leaders say the plan is just too costly and should not add a lot profit on high of the system the state already makes use of, referred to as NDAWN.

“The idea is good. But it’s like all these other things we do. When you tie yourself into a vendor, and that’s what we would be doing, pay them for necessary equipment and stuff, those things have a tendency to go up in price once you’re into them,” stated John Fjeldahl, a Ward County commissioner

But the Highway Department says they use a number of sources proper now, having to drive out to the neighboring cities throughout blizzards to find out the street situations.

“What we were looking at, is to make better decisions or help us understand what’s happening out in the rural county during a snow event or freezing event,” stated Larsen.

County commissioners stated no to the plan for now, however they are saying they’re not ruling out different choices for climate alerts sooner or later.

The Highway Department is wanting right into a digicam weathering system from NDawn and a grant that would assist with the associated fee.

You can at all times preserve observe of street and climate situations on our KX storm team app.