Ice Storm in North Dakota, April 4 to 5, 1997

Name: Ice Storm in North Dakota, April 4 to 5, 1997
Start: 1997-04-04T10:00
End: 1997-04-05T22:00
Location: North Dakota

April 4 to 5, 1997 · NWS FGF · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

8 inches, tracked from Fergus Falls to International Falls, Minnesota. The initial rain was accompanied by lightning and thunder in southern Grand Forks county, and then changed to freezing rain as the temperature dropped.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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: $96 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 16

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 intense low pressure system, with center pressures around 28.8 inches, tracked from Fergus Falls to International Falls, Minnesota. The initial rain was accompanied by lightning and thunder in southern Grand Forks county, and then changed to freezing rain as the temperature dropped. One-half to 2 inches of ice built up on exposed surfaces. Hundreds of power poles and lines snapped due to the weight of the ice, cutting power to many homes and businesses, many of which were beginning to fight the spring flood. The wind reporting systems on the AWOS and ASOS sites across eastern North Dakota froze in place, remaining out for 7 days. The three inches of liquid equivalent from the storm fell on top of a record snowpack.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Towner

When: April 4, 10:00 AM CST to April 5, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Towner forecast zone
Property damage: $6.0 million
Coordinates: 48.686, -99.246 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Cavalier

When: April 4, 10:00 AM CST to April 5, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Cavalier forecast zone
Property damage: $6.0 million
Coordinates: 48.772, -98.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Pembina

When: April 4, 10:00 AM CST to April 5, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Pembina forecast zone
Property damage: $6.0 million
Coordinates: 48.768, -97.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Benson

When: April 4, 10:00 AM CST to April 5, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Benson forecast zone
Property damage: $6.0 million
Coordinates: 48.069, -99.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Ramsey

When: April 4, 10:00 AM CST to April 5, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Ramsey forecast zone
Property damage: $6.0 million
Coordinates: 48.269, -98.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Eastern Walsh

When: April 4, 10:00 AM CST to April 5, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Eastern Walsh forecast zone
Property damage: $6.0 million
Coordinates: 48.370, -97.721 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Eddy

When: April 4, 10:00 AM CST to April 5, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Eddy forecast zone
Property damage: $6.0 million
Coordinates: 47.718, -98.902 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Nelson

When: April 4, 10:00 AM CST to April 5, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Nelson forecast zone
Property damage: $6.0 million
Coordinates: 47.922, -98.192 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Grand Forks

When: April 4, 10:00 AM CST to April 5, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Grand Forks forecast zone
Property damage: $6.0 million
Coordinates: 47.922, -97.457 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Griggs

When: April 4, 10:00 AM CST to April 5, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Griggs forecast zone
Property damage: $6.0 million
Coordinates: 47.457, -98.237 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Steele

When: April 4, 10:00 AM CST to April 5, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Steele forecast zone
Property damage: $6.0 million
Coordinates: 47.456, -97.725 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Traill

When: April 4, 10:00 AM CST to April 5, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Traill forecast zone
Property damage: $6.0 million
Coordinates: 47.454, -97.162 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Barnes

When: April 4, 10:00 AM CST to April 5, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Barnes forecast zone
Property damage: $6.0 million
Coordinates: 46.936, -98.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Cass

When: April 4, 10:00 AM CST to April 5, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Cass forecast zone
Property damage: $6.0 million
Coordinates: 46.933, -97.248 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Ransom

When: April 4, 10:00 AM CST to April 5, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Ransom forecast zone
Property damage: $6.0 million
Coordinates: 46.456, -97.657 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Sargent

When: April 4, 10:00 AM CST to April 5, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Sargent forecast zone
Property damage: $6.0 million
Coordinates: 46.108, -97.631 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Ice Storm: Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Dakota in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in North Dakota, April 1997

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: 5591732, 5591733, 5591734, 5591735, 5591736, 5591737, 5591738, 5591739, 5591740, 5591741, 5591742, 5591743, 5591744, 5591745, 5591746, 5591747.