The 'Alberta clipper'

Fargo is about to get its first snowfall of the year, a light dusting of about one to five inches, thanks to a storm known as an "Alberta clipper." This is the tourist-friendly name for a weather event defined as "a fast moving low pressure system that moves southeast out of Canadian Province of Alberta (southwest Canada) through the Plains, Midwest, and Great Lakes region usually during the winter. This low pressure area is usually accompanied by light snow, strong winds, and colder temperatures."

The less-tourist-friendly name for this type of storm is the "Saskatchewan Screamer."

The storm's winds are expected to run about 45 mph. If it were warmer, and moved in a circle, it would be a tropical storm (39-73 mph). Warmer, circular storms over 74 mph denote a hurricane in more tropical climes.

Apparently, the mild weather we experienced a week ago in Fargo was a trick of some sort, according to the Forum newspaper: "The storm comes on the heels of unseasonably warm weather. Some North Dakota cities set record highs on Friday, with temperatures exceeding 70 degrees in some areas. It was 62 degrees in Fargo-Moorhead on Friday, which broke a record of 61 set in 1905."