Drifting snow and blustery wind in the Dickinson area on Tuesday, contributed to a crash involving a snowplow on Interstate 94, according to the North Dakota Highway Patrol.
Capt. Tony Huck said a vehicle hit a snowplow near Exit 64 after attempting to pass another vehicle that was not involved in the crash.
Both vehicles were heading westbound, and the snowplow was traveling on the right shoulder of the road, Huck said.
"He hit the little bit of snow and ice that was underneath the underpass there and then lost control of the vehicle," Huck said. "The car went partially onto the left shoulder of the roadway and then it came back across. It went sideways facing north and the front of the car struck the back tires of the snowplow."
Nobody was injured. The front end of the vehicle was damaged, but the snowplow was not.
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While the area may have had just a taste of a winter storm that pounded other parts of the state Tuesday, Dickinson's snowfall this season is still far above last year's numbers.
The average of the two Dickinson observing stations puts the area at about 45 inches for the 2008-2009 season, which is about 32 inches more snow than last year, according to the National Weather Service in Bismarck.
Patrick Ayd, meteorological intern, said last year fell way below the average yearly snowfall of 33 inches in Dickinson.
While March is known for snow, Ayd said Dickinson should be safe for a little while.
"It looks like the next week or so will be pretty dry," Ayd said.
Today will be frigid with a high of 4 and a wind chill of 40 below zero. However, Ayd said it should warm up by the weekend.
