A winter storm that swept into North Dakota and created blizzard and near-blizzard conditions caused headaches for motorists across the state, including in Bismarck-Mandan, where icy streets led to nearly 50 crashes over a 24-hour span.

Bismarck officers responded to 37 crashes and took 26 reports, according to the Police Department. State law defines a reportable traffic incident as one involving injury, fatality or at least $4,000 in total property damage, including damage to vehicles, according to Lt. Luke Gardiner. Four of Tuesday's crashes in Bismarck involved injuries.

Mandan police responded to seven crashes over the 24-hour period ending at 7 a.m. Wednesday. Police spokesperson Lt. Brent Wilmeth said one incident involved a minor injury. Burleigh County deputies responded to two crashes, according to Maj. Jim Hulm. He described the incidents as "pretty basic." Morton County had only one reported crash, according to Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier.

The first major winter storm of the season provided a test for motorists new to the conditions, and also for those reacclimating to winter driving. Two people from Hillsboro were injured Tuesday when their pickup truck rear-ended an SUV on an icy Interstate 29 in Cass County amid the snowy, windy conditions, according to the Highway Patrol. In another incident in eastern North Dakota, a Patrol trooper suffered minor injuries when the trooper's SUV was rear-ended on I-29 in the Fargo area while parked with its emergency lights activated as it provided traffic control for a tow operator removing a vehicle from the median.

Highways were still in poor shape early Wednesday. No travel was advised in most of northern North Dakota, according to the state Department of Transportation. The Red River Valley and parts of southeast and south central North Dakota -- including Bismarck-Mandan -- were under a travel alert, which cautions motorists about difficult driving conditions. The Highway Patrol restricted travel for all permitted oversize vehicles in the northwest and northeast regions.

A big chunk of north central and northeastern North Dakota -- the Minot, Bottineau, Rugby, Devils Lake and Harvey areas -- were under a blizzard warning on Wednesday. The rest of the state was under either a winter weather advisory or high wind warning. Wind gusts in many parts of the state were surpassing 50 mph and in some places even 60 mph, according to National Weather Service data. In the Bismarck area gusts were around 40 mph.

Many areas around the state saw a couple of inches of snow. Snowfall on Tuesday was heaviest in the north -- 3 inches in Watford City and Langdon, 3.5 inches in Newburg, 4 inches in Minot, and nearly 7 inches in the Turtle Mountain area near Bottineau, according to initial Weather Service reports. Most of those areas were forecast to get another couple of inches on Wednesday, with the Turtle Mountains in for another 4-6 inches. Several schools and agencies in northern North Dakota opened late; a few closed.

Bismarck received half an inch of snow on Tuesday. The Weather Service reported at midday Wednesday that accumulating snowfall in the city had stopped as the system slowly moved eastward, with the storm total at 1.7 inches. There was no disruption to schools in the metro area. It was the first snowfall of the season in Bismarck, when normally at this time of year the city has seen about 7 inches.

Another round of snow is expected to cross the state Friday evening through Sunday, with the best chances mainly across the north, especially along the border, according to the Weather Service. There are chances for snow in Bismarck-Mandan those days -- 30-50% at various times of the weekend, according to the forecast.

Temperatures will trend slightly warmer than average Thursday through Saturday, with daytime temps in the Bismarck area forecast around 30 degrees, before another cooling trend Sunday into Monday, with highs dropping back into the low-to-mid 20s, according to the Weather Service.

"While uncertainty increases for next week, there is potential for even colder temperatures across the region as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday weekend," the Weather Service said.

AccuWeather's holiday travel forecast calls for blustery, chilly weather for the Northern Plains.

Meanwhile, Mandan Public Works on Wednesday announced that grass collection sites will be closed for the season on Monday, as dumping the bins becomes difficult when temperatures drop below freezing. Residents may dispose of grass and leaves free of charge at the city landfill during business hours.

(Check back for updates.)

As the evenings get darker and the roads get icier, you should take extra caution, so here are some tips for driving during the fall and winter months from road safety expert Daived Georgis.