Blizzard in North Dakota, December 20 to 21, 1996

Name: Blizzard in North Dakota, December 20 to 21, 1996
Start: 1996-12-20T22:00
End: 1996-12-21T08:00
Location: North Dakota

December 20 to 21, 1996 · NWS FGF · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

An arctic front moved southeast across the area, bringing in bitterly cold temperatures and strong winds. Whiteout conditions were common across northeast North Dakota.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 1
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS FGF wrote it up.

An arctic front moved southeast across the area, bringing in bitterly cold temperatures and strong winds. Whiteout conditions were common across northeast North Dakota. A delivery man spent 20 hours stranded in his truck near Dahlen, ND, and suffered frostbite on his hands and arms.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Towner

When: December 20, 10:00 PM CST to December 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Towner forecast zone
Coordinates: 48.686, -99.246 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Cavalier

When: December 20, 10:00 PM CST to December 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Cavalier forecast zone
Coordinates: 48.772, -98.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Pembina

When: December 20, 10:00 PM CST to December 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Pembina forecast zone
Coordinates: 48.768, -97.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Benson

When: December 20, 10:00 PM CST to December 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Benson forecast zone
Coordinates: 48.069, -99.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Ramsey

When: December 20, 10:00 PM CST to December 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Ramsey forecast zone
Coordinates: 48.269, -98.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Eastern Walsh

When: December 20, 10:00 PM CST to December 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Eastern Walsh forecast zone
Coordinates: 48.370, -97.721 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Nelson

When: December 20, 10:00 PM CST to December 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Nelson forecast zone
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 47.922, -98.192 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Grand Forks

When: December 20, 10:00 PM CST to December 21, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Grand Forks forecast zone
Coordinates: 47.922, -97.457 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Blizzard: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Dakota in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in North Dakota, December 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5575958, 5575959, 5575960, 5575961, 5575962, 5575963, 5575964, 5575965.