Blizzard in North Dakota, January 4 to 5, 1997

Name: Blizzard in North Dakota, January 4 to 5, 1997
Start: 1997-01-04T06:00
End: 1997-01-05T18:00
Location: North Dakota

January 4 to 5, 1997 · NWS BIS · 26 events in 26 counties and zones

The first blizzard of 1997 hit east-central North Dakota on the morning of the 4th. The blizzard was preceeded by freezing rain that lasted most of the day before switching over to snow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 23 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: 10
Property damage: $6.5 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 26

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.

The first blizzard of 1997 hit east-central North Dakota on the morning of the 4th. The blizzard was preceeded by freezing rain that lasted most of the day before switching over to snow. The snow became so heavy that the highway department pulled the plows off of the roads the evening of the 4th and all day on the 5th. It was during the evening of the 4th that the northwest winds began to blow. Winds of 25 to 35 mph were common. Some of the higher snow amounts include 14 inches of snow at Ellendale (Dickey Co) and Linton(Emmons Co), 11 inches at Hague(Emmons Co) and 18 inches of snow at Oakes(Dickey Co). The roof collapsed at the Lull plant in Oakes from the weight of the snow. Although the snow was not as heavy in the western part of North Dakota, the freezing rain made travel very hazardous. A Greyhound bus slid into the ditch on I-94 near New Salem. This would turn out to be the first of 4 major snow events that would hit western and central North Dakota during January. Injuries and dollar damage amounts estimated.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

26 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, McKenzie

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: McKenzie forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 47.740, -103.395 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Dunn

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Dunn forecast zone
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 47.357, -102.618 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Mercer

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Mercer forecast zone
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 47.309, -101.831 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Oliver

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Oliver forecast zone
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 47.115, -101.340 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, McLean

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: McLean forecast zone
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000

Blizzard, Sheridan

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Sheridan forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 47.575, -100.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Wells

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Wells forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 47.588, -99.661 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Foster

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Foster forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 47.457, -98.883 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Golden Valley

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Golden Valley forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 46.940, -103.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Billings

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Billings forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 47.023, -103.376 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Stark

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Stark forecast zone
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 46.811, -102.655 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Morton

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Morton forecast zone
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000

Blizzard, Burleigh

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Burleigh forecast zone
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 46.977, -100.469 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Kidder

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Kidder forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 46.980, -99.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Stutsman

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Stutsman forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 46.979, -98.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Slope

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Slope forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 46.447, -103.460 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hettinger

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Hettinger forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 46.433, -102.460 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Grant

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Grant forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 46.358, -101.640 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Bowman

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Bowman forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 46.113, -103.521 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Adams

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Adams forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 46.097, -102.528 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Sioux

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Sioux forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000

Blizzard, Emmons

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Emmons forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 46.285, -100.239 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Logan

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Logan forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 46.457, -99.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, La Moure

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: La Moure forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 46.457, -98.535 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, McIntosh

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: McIntosh forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 46.112, -99.441 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Dickey

When: January 4, 6:00 AM CST to January 5, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Dickey forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 46.110, -98.505 (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 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in North Dakota, January 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: 5587102, 5587103, 5587104, 5587105, 5587106, 5587107, 5587108, 5587109, 5587110, 5587111, 5587112, 5587113, 5587114, 5587115, 5587116, 5587117, 5587118, 5587119, 5587120, 5587121, 5587122, 5587123, 5587124, 5587125, 5587126, 5587127.