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What happened to 'Mount Fargo'?

Six months ago we brought you the story of “Mount Fargo,” the giant pile of snow near the landfill on 12th Avenue.

Mount Fargo before/after

FARGO — Though it may be hard to believe in this hot weather, the snowpack hill spanning several stories still stands this spring.

On a cold January day where the temperature only hit two degrees, "Mount Fargo" reached 75 feet.

"Well, we’re hoping spring starts next month," Fargo Public Works Street Supervisor Corey Houim said at the time.

And while spring temperatures didn’t arrive in February, the snow all but stopped.

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From mid-January through April, this giant mound of snow only grew by another 9.2 inches.

Despite a significant downslope in snowfall and a few sweltering stints in the 90s, Mount Fargo still stands in June.

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Traffic moves past the large dirt covered snow pile known as Mt. Fargo located at 12th Ave. N. and 55th St. NE. on Friday, June 18, 2020. David Samson / The Forum

However, it looks different from the clean, white snow piled up back in January.

Nearly two months after the last flake fell in Fargo, the snow is covered by a two-inch coating of dirt and debris.

This dirt was originally picked up by plows as they cleared the streets last winter.

It is only visible now as the snow slowly melts into small streams of water.

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And since this snow stack still stands close to 45 feet, it will take more than just a few days reaching 90 degrees to make this snow pile disappear.

Underneath the dark surface, the snow has become compacted so much it resembles ice. This makes it difficult for warm air to move through the molecules to help melt the mound faster.

Fargo Public Works expects the snow pile to still be there in July.

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