Blizzard, Barnes
- When
- March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Barnes forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.936, -98.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in North Dakota, March 23 to 24, 1996
A gusty north wind and heavy snowfall combined to produce visibilities to near zero at times. A peak wind gust of 46 mph was reported at the airport at Fargo.
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 BIS wrote it up.
A gusty north wind and heavy snowfall combined to produce visibilities to near zero at times. A peak wind gust of 46 mph was reported at the airport at Fargo. Snowfall totals generally ranged from 6 to 10 inches while wind chills dropped to 30 to 50 below zero. Snowplows were pulled off the roads and law enforcement agencies advised no travel. I-29 and I-94 were closed quickly, along with US Highway 2 from Devils Lake to Grand Forks.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
17 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Benson
- When
- March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Benson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.069, -99.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Cass
- When
- March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cass forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.933, -97.248 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Cavalier
- When
- March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cavalier forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.772, -98.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Eddy
- When
- March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Eddy forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.718, -98.902 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Grand Forks
- When
- March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Grand Forks forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.922, -97.457 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Griggs
- When
- March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Griggs forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.457, -98.237 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Nelson
- When
- March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Nelson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.922, -98.192 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Pembina
- When
- March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pembina forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.768, -97.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Ramsey
- When
- March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Ramsey forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.269, -98.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Ransom
- When
- March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Ransom forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.456, -97.657 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Sargent
- When
- March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Sargent forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.108, -97.631 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Richland
- When
- March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Richland forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.265, -96.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Steele
- When
- March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Steele forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.456, -97.725 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Towner
- When
- March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Towner forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.686, -99.246 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Traill
- When
- March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Traill forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.454, -97.162 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Eastern Walsh
- When
- March 23, 7:00 PM CST to March 24, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Eastern Walsh forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.370, -97.721 (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
- High Wind in New Mexico, March 23, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 23 to 25, 1996
- Winter Storm in North Dakota, March 23 to 25, 1996
- High Wind in Kansas, March 23, 1996
- Blizzard in South Dakota, March 23 to 24, 1996
- Blizzard in North Dakota, March 23 to 24, 1996
- Blizzard in Minnesota, March 23 to 24, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, March 23, 1996
- Blizzard in Wyoming, March 23 to 24, 1996
- Winter Storm in Wisconsin, March 23 to 25, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, March 23 to 25, 1996
- Blizzard in Nebraska, March 23 to 24, 1996
More
Every storm in North Dakota in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, March 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: 5546642, 5546643, 5546644, 5546645, 5546646, 5546647, 5546648, 5546649, 5546650, 5546651, 5546652, 5546653, 5546654, 5546655, 5546656, 5546818, 5546819.