Cold/Wind Chill, Towner
- When
- December 21, 8:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Towner forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.686, -99.246 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold in North Dakota, December 21 to 27, 1996
For a period of 6 days, the temperature did not climb above zero across the area. The coldest temperature in Fargo was 27 below on the 25th, while in Grand Forks the coldest temperature was 26 below on the 25th.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 17 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 17
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.
For a period of 6 days, the temperature did not climb above zero across the area. The coldest temperature in Fargo was 27 below on the 25th, while in Grand Forks the coldest temperature was 26 below on the 25th. Dangerous wind chills were common from the slightest wind.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
17 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Cold/Wind Chill, Cavalier
- When
- December 21, 8:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Cavalier forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.772, -98.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Pembina
- When
- December 21, 8:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Pembina forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.768, -97.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Benson
- When
- December 21, 8:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Benson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.069, -99.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Ramsey
- When
- December 21, 8:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Ramsey forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.269, -98.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Eastern Walsh
- When
- December 21, 8:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Eastern Walsh forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.370, -97.721 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Eddy
- When
- December 21, 8:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Eddy forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.718, -98.902 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Nelson
- When
- December 21, 8:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Nelson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.922, -98.192 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Grand Forks
- When
- December 21, 8:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Grand Forks forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.922, -97.457 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Griggs
- When
- December 21, 8:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Griggs forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.457, -98.237 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Steele
- When
- December 21, 8:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Steele forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.456, -97.725 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Traill
- When
- December 21, 8:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Traill forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.454, -97.162 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Barnes
- When
- December 21, 8:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Barnes forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.936, -98.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Cass
- When
- December 21, 8:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Cass forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.933, -97.248 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Ransom
- When
- December 21, 8:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Ransom forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.456, -97.657 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Sargent
- When
- December 21, 8:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Sargent forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.108, -97.631 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Richland
- When
- December 21, 8:00 AM CST to December 27, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Richland forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.265, -96.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Cold/Wind Chill
- Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Wind in California, December 21, 1996
- Winter Storm in California, December 21 to 23, 1996
- Cold in Minnesota, December 21 to 27, 1996
- Avalanche in California, December 21, 1996
- Winter Storm in California, December 21 to 22, 1996
- High Wind in Colorado, December 21 to 22, 1996
- High Wind in Colorado, December 21, 1996
- Heavy Snow in South Dakota, December 21 to 22, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Montana, December 21, 1996
- High Wind in Alaska, December 21, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Montana, December 21 to 31, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Nevada, December 21 to 22, 1996
More
Every storm in North Dakota in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5575917, 5575918, 5575919, 5575920, 5575921, 5575922, 5575923, 5575924, 5575925, 5575926, 5575927, 5575928, 5575929, 5575930, 5575931, 5575932, 5575933.