Blizzard in North Dakota, December 15 to 16, 2000

Name: Blizzard in North Dakota, December 15 to 16, 2000
Start: 2000-12-15T20:00
End: 2000-12-16T20:00
Location: North Dakota

December 15 to 16, 2000 · NWS BIS · 36 events in 36 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 32 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: 36

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 moved rapidly across southern Canada ushering frigid arctic air and strong northwest winds acrosswestern and central North Dakota. Wind gust to 60 mph were common throughout the region. The frigid arctic air kept daytimetemperatures 5 to 10 below zero. The cold temperatures coupled with the high winds brought dangerous wind chills to 75 belowzero. Snowfall was light, around an inch total, however existing snow on the ground created near zero visibilities in blowing and drifting snow for an extended period of time. This prompt the closing of many roads throughout western and central North Dakota.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

36 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Divide

When: December 15, 8:00 PM CST to December 16, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Divide forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.815, -103.487 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Bowman

When: December 15, 9:00 PM CST to December 16, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Bowman forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.113, -103.521 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Slope

When: December 15, 9:00 PM CST to December 16, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Slope forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.447, -103.460 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Williams

When: December 15, 9:00 PM CST to December 16, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Williams forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.344, -103.480 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, McKenzie

When: December 15, 10:00 PM CST to December 16, 8:00 AM CST
Where: McKenzie forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.740, -103.395 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Adams

When: December 15, 11:00 PM CST to December 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Adams forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.097, -102.528 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Billings

When: December 15, 11:00 PM CST to December 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Billings forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.023, -103.376 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Burke

When: December 15, 11:00 PM CST to December 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Burke forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.791, -102.518 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Golden Valley

When: December 15, 11:00 PM CST to December 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Golden Valley forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.940, -103.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hettinger

When: December 15, 11:00 PM CST to December 16, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Hettinger forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.433, -102.460 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Dunn

When: December 16, 1:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Dunn forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.357, -102.618 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Mountrail

When: December 16, 1:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Mountrail forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.201, -102.356 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Renville

When: December 16, 1:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Renville forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.719, -101.658 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Stark

When: December 16, 1:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Stark forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.811, -102.655 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Mercer

When: December 16, 2:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
Where: Mercer forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.309, -101.831 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Grant

When: December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Grant forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.358, -101.640 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Morton

When: December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Morton forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Oliver

When: December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Oliver forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.115, -101.340 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Sioux

When: December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Sioux forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Bottineau

When: December 16, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Bottineau forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.792, -100.833 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Burleigh

When: December 16, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Burleigh forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.977, -100.469 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Emmons

When: December 16, 4:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Emmons forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.285, -100.239 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Kidder

When: December 16, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Kidder forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.980, -99.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, La Moure

When: December 16, 4:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: La Moure forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.457, -98.535 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Logan

When: December 16, 4:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Logan forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.457, -99.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, McHenry

When: December 16, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: McHenry forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.235, -100.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, McLean

When: December 16, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: McLean forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Sheridan

When: December 16, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Sheridan forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.575, -100.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Ward

When: December 16, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Ward forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Blizzard, Dickey

When: December 16, 5:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Dickey forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.110, -98.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Foster

When: December 16, 5:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Foster forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.457, -98.883 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, McIntosh

When: December 16, 5:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: McIntosh forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.112, -99.441 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Pierce

When: December 16, 5:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Pierce forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.250, -99.972 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Rolette

When: December 16, 5:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Rolette forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.772, -99.841 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Stutsman

When: December 16, 5:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Stutsman forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.979, -98.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Wells

When: December 16, 5:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Wells forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.588, -99.661 (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 2000 Every state in 2000 This day in weather history Warnings in North Dakota, December 2000

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: 5159385, 5159381, 5160763, 5160768, 5160752, 5159378, 5159379, 5159382, 5159483, 5160746, 5159386, 5160756, 5160759, 5160764, 5160754, 5160745, 5160755, 5160757, 5160762, 5159380, 5159383, 5159387, 5160747, 5160748, 5160749, 5160750, 5160753, 5160761, 5160766, 5159384, 5159482, 5160751, 5160758, 5160760, 5160765, 5160767.