UPDATED 11:33 a.m.
FARGO — Regional and local law enforcement agencies advise the public to stay home this Christmas and avoid any travel, as winter weather is ex-pected to worsen throughout the day.
A blizzard warning remains in effect in the Red River Valley region until noon Saturday.
The North Dakota Department of Transportation extended its "no travel" advisory to cover the entire state, excluding the northwest corner. However, roads there in the Williston, N.D., region are reportedly covered with snow and drifting snow is occurring, according to the NDDOT.
The four remaining snow plows out on Cass County roads will be pulled by noon due to deteriorating conditions, Sgt. Bruce Jorgenson said.
Plows were still operating on emergency routes in Fargo and Moorhead city streets, as of 10:20 a.m., according to regional dispatchers.
All roads in Cass County have between 4-and 14-inch snow drifts covering the majority of the road surface. The compacted snow and ice makes any travel in the county hazardous, even impossible in some areas, the sheriff’s office reported.
Local police departments and several area county sheriff’s agencies in North Dakota and Minnesota reported only a few cars in the ditch this morning and no major accidents.
Just before 5 a.m., Cass County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to rescue a driver from the Kindred road south of Interstate 94, after the motorist slid into a ditch and became stuck, according to a county news release.
The driver was unharmed, but county officials are cautioning drivers to stay at a safe location until road conditions improve.
For the most part, agencies reported that it appears people are heeding their advice.
West Fargo and Fargo police are advising no travel, and officers are monitoring 19th Avenue North, 32nd Avenue South and 52nd Avenue South, among other major thoroughfares, to ensure they stay open, dispatchers said.
Meanwhile, in rural areas, county agencies re-ported worsening weather conditions.
The National Weather Service indicated zero visibility in open areas.
All state highways in Richland County were closed this morning, according to dispatchers in Wahpeton.
In Minnesota, several counties are advising no travel as visibility worsens on the roads. Snow plows are having difficulty keeping up with the snowfall and accumulating drifts.
Crews in Otter Tail County were pulled off the road this morning, and the same is expected shortly in Polk County, according to county dispatchers.
Despite the oncoming blizzard conditions, all flights going into and out of Fargo’s Hector International Airport were on time, as of 9:30 a.m., ac-cording to the airport’s Web site.
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