Western North Dakota experienced a frost just over a week ago, with temperatures dipping into the 20s in several areas. Bismarck-based National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Schild credits an unusual combination of weather factors. “What we had was just a perfect little setup of high-pressure settling into the area. We also ended up with clear skies and calm winds, and to top it off, that high pressure was an unusually cold air mass.” Schild says the coldest temperatures were recorded west of Highway 83. McKenzie County Extension Agent Ryan Odenbach said the amount of frost damage varies. “I’ve seen anywhere from five-to-ten percent of the field, to more like 80 to 90 percent of the field.”
