Winter Storm, Divide
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Divide forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.815, -103.487 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in North Dakota, March 12 to 13, 1997
A winter storm that moved out of Montana brought yet more snow to a winter weary state. The snow was mainly confined in a band from the northwest part of the state to the southcentral.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 19 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
- 4
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 23
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 winter storm that moved out of Montana brought yet more snow to a winter weary state. The snow was mainly confined in a band from the northwest part of the state to the southcentral. I-94 was again closed from Bismarck to Fargo, and many of the smaller school districts again cancelled school. Snowfall amounts include 4 inches at Minot and Washburn, 5 inches at Williston, 7 inches at Bismarck, and 10-11 inches at Powers Lake and Jamestown. At Jamestown, Thompson Auditorium was closed due to structural damage done to the roof from all the snow. A car accident near Berthold in Ward county sent 4 to the hospital. Roads were icy and visibility near zero. The driver of the car lost control and spun into oncoming traffic.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
23 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Burke
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Burke forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.791, -102.518 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Williams
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Williams forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.344, -103.480 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Mountrail
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Mountrail forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.201, -102.356 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Ward
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Ward forecast zone
- Injuries
- 4 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $15,000
Winter Storm, McKenzie
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- McKenzie forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.740, -103.395 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Dunn
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Dunn forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.357, -102.618 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Mercer
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Mercer forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.309, -101.831 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Oliver
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Oliver forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.115, -101.340 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, McLean
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- McLean forecast zone
Winter Storm, Sheridan
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Sheridan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.575, -100.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Wells
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wells forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.588, -99.661 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Morton
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Morton forecast zone
Winter Storm, Burleigh
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Burleigh forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.977, -100.469 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Kidder
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Kidder forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.980, -99.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Stutsman
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Stutsman forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.979, -98.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Grant
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Grant forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.358, -101.640 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Sioux
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Sioux forecast zone
Winter Storm, Emmons
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Emmons forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.285, -100.239 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Logan
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Logan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.457, -99.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, La Moure
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- La Moure forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.457, -98.535 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, McIntosh
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- McIntosh forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.112, -99.441 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Dickey
- When
- March 12, 9:00 PM CST to March 13, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Dickey forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.110, -98.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Weather in Vermont, March 12, 1997
- Flood in Oklahoma, March 12, 1997
- Flash Flood in Texas, March 12, 1997
- Flooding in South Dakota, March 12 to 31, 1997
- Winter Storm in South Dakota, March 12 to 14, 1997
- Winter Storm in South Dakota, March 12 to 13, 1997
- Flooding in Iowa, March 12 to 31, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, March 12 to 13, 1997
- Winter Storm in Montana, March 12 to 13, 1997
- Winter Storm in Minnesota, March 12 to 14, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Montana, March 12 to 13, 1997
- Winter Storm in Wyoming, March 12 to 13, 1997
More
Every storm in North Dakota in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, March 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: 5588151, 5588152, 5588153, 5588154, 5588155, 5588156, 5588157, 5588158, 5588159, 5588160, 5588161, 5588162, 5588163, 5588164, 5588165, 5588166, 5588167, 5588168, 5588169, 5588170, 5588171, 5588172, 5588173.