Blizzard in North Dakota, February 26 to 28, 1996

Name: Blizzard in North Dakota, February 26 to 28, 1996
Start: 1996-02-26T21:30
End: 1996-02-28T04:00
Location: North Dakota

February 26 to 28, 1996 · NWS BIS · 38 events in 38 counties and zones

A strong low pressure system moving east out of the central rockies brought another blizzard to North Dakota. Winds of 20-30 mph combined with the snow to produce white-out conditions.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 35 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: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 38

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 BIS wrote it up.

A strong low pressure system moving east out of the central rockies brought another blizzard to North Dakota. Winds of 20-30 mph combined with the snow to produce white-out conditions. Voters for North Dakota's primary were hampered in getting to the polling places. I-29 was closed in North Dakota as was I-94 from Jamestown to the Minnesota line. Snowfall totals include 11 inches at Bismarck, 10 inches at Grand Forks, 6.5 inches at Fargo, and 4-5 inches at Dickinson and Jamestown. Many schools again closed, creating the problem of trying to figure out how to make up for so many missed school days.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

38 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Cavalier

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Cavalier forecast zone
Coordinates: 48.772, -98.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Pembina

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Pembina forecast zone
Coordinates: 48.768, -97.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Benson

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Benson forecast zone
Coordinates: 48.069, -99.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Ramsey

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Ramsey forecast zone
Coordinates: 48.269, -98.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Eastern Walsh

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Eastern Walsh forecast zone
Coordinates: 48.370, -97.721 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Mercer

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Mercer forecast zone
Coordinates: 47.309, -101.831 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Oliver

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Oliver forecast zone
Coordinates: 47.115, -101.340 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, McLean

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: McLean forecast zone

Blizzard, Sheridan

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Sheridan forecast zone
Coordinates: 47.575, -100.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Wells

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Wells forecast zone
Coordinates: 47.588, -99.661 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Eddy

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Eddy forecast zone
Coordinates: 47.718, -98.902 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Foster

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Foster forecast zone
Coordinates: 47.457, -98.883 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Nelson

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Nelson forecast zone
Coordinates: 47.922, -98.192 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Grand Forks

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Grand Forks forecast zone
Coordinates: 47.922, -97.457 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Griggs

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Griggs forecast zone
Coordinates: 47.457, -98.237 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Steele

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Steele forecast zone
Coordinates: 47.456, -97.725 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Traill

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Traill forecast zone
Coordinates: 47.454, -97.162 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Stark

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Stark forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.811, -102.655 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Morton

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Morton forecast zone

Blizzard, Burleigh

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Burleigh forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.977, -100.469 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Kidder

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Kidder forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.980, -99.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Stutsman

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Stutsman forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.979, -98.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Barnes

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Barnes forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.936, -98.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Cass

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Cass forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.933, -97.248 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Slope

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Slope forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.447, -103.460 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hettinger

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Hettinger forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.433, -102.460 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Grant

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Grant forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.358, -101.640 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Bowman

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Bowman forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.113, -103.521 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Adams

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Adams forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.097, -102.528 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Sioux

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Sioux forecast zone

Blizzard, Emmons

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Emmons forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.285, -100.239 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Logan

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Logan forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.457, -99.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, La Moure

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: La Moure forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.457, -98.535 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Ransom

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Ransom forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.456, -97.657 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, McIntosh

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: McIntosh forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.112, -99.441 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Dickey

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Dickey forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.110, -98.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Sargent

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Sargent forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.108, -97.631 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Richland

When: February 26, 9:30 PM CST to February 28, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Richland forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.265, -96.948 (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, February 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: 5535459, 5535460, 5535461, 5535462, 5535463, 5535464, 5535465, 5535466, 5535467, 5535468, 5535469, 5535470, 5535471, 5535472, 5535473, 5535474, 5535475, 5535476, 5535477, 5535478, 5535479, 5535480, 5535481, 5535482, 5535483, 5535484, 5535485, 5535486, 5535487, 5535488, 5535489, 5535490, 5535491, 5535492, 5535679, 5535680, 5535681, 5535682.