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peratures. • "In the wintertime you do get shots of cold air coming out of the north, so you get these little shots of snow and wind behind it," said Brad Hopkins, a weather service meteorologist in the northeastern North Dakota city of Grand Forks -- one of the communities that has been in the bulls-eye of several recent storms. "This year, we seem to be getting a little bit more than we usually get." • The forecast called for up to 4 inches of snow Saturday, followed by winds Sunday gusting to 60 mph. • "All of a sudden you get the ingredients for near whiteout conditions, especially in open country," Hopkins said. • Wind chills could drop to as low as 50 degrees below zero Sunday into Monday. • The recent bad weather has been troublesome for some businesses. For example, BNSF Railway issued a statement this week saying the recent bad weather in the central and northern U.S. has slowed its operations and caused delays in several states including the Dakotas. • For other businesses, bad weather can mean an upturn in sales. The Jimmy John's restaurant in Aberdeen, S.D. -- another city that has been hit by several recent storms -- typically sees an increase in delivery sales during blizzards, manager Brandon Bortz said. • Bortz and his employees Saturday were gearing up for Sunday's blizzard by doing more prep work in the store and checking to see if any delivery drivers wanted extra hours. • "Because no one really wants to leave (their homes), it puts a little stress on us delivery-wise -- which is great for us," Bortz said. "We typically have to put a few more drivers on per shift, or call someone in to help out." • Bortz said his drivers know how to handle winter weather and have had no problems during the recent string of storms. • Sunday's storm might not be the last in the string, according to Hopkins. • "Looks like we'll see another one possibly Wednesday night into Thursday," he said. "It's been a while since we've seen these waves come through like this in a steady progression." •
SD rancher fund set to dole out $3.3 million
• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- Organizers of a donation fund set up to help South Dakota ranchers hurt by an early October blizzard are preparing to distribute an additional $3.3 million to producers, after earlier doling out about $775,000. • The fund was established by the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, the (Continued on page 23)
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