Blizzard, Pembina
- When
- December 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pembina forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 48.768, -97.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in North Dakota, December 16, 2000
An inverted trough extended into the Red River Valley from an area of surface low pressure over Iowa. Little new snowfall occurred, with most locations reporting one to two inches.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 18 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
- 18
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 inverted trough extended into the Red River Valley from an area of surface low pressure over Iowa. Little new snowfall occurred, with most locations reporting one to two inches. However, as the low pulled away, a strong pressure gradient formed over eastern North Dakota and the Red River Valley portion of northwest Minnesota. Peak wind speeds of 45 mph occurred at both Devils Lake, North Dakota and Crookston, Minnesota. These strong speeds whipped the fresh snow around, with widespread visibilities reported below a quarter mile, especially outside city limits.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
18 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Eastern Walsh
- When
- December 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Eastern Walsh forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 48.370, -97.721 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Grand Forks
- When
- December 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Grand Forks forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 47.922, -97.457 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Griggs
- When
- December 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Griggs forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 47.457, -98.237 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Steele
- When
- December 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Steele forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 47.456, -97.725 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Traill
- When
- December 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Traill forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 47.454, -97.162 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Barnes
- When
- December 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Barnes forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 46.936, -98.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Cass
- When
- December 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cass forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 46.933, -97.248 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Ransom
- When
- December 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Ransom forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 46.456, -97.657 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Sargent
- When
- December 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Sargent forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 46.108, -97.631 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Richland
- When
- December 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Richland forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 46.265, -96.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Towner
- When
- December 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Towner forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 48.686, -99.246 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Cavalier
- When
- December 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cavalier forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 48.772, -98.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Benson
- When
- December 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Benson forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 48.069, -99.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Ramsey
- When
- December 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Ramsey forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 48.269, -98.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Eddy
- When
- December 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Eddy forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 47.718, -98.902 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Nelson
- When
- December 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Nelson forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 47.922, -98.192 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Western Walsh
- When
- December 16, 9:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Western Walsh forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- 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
- Tornado in Alabama, December 16, 2000
- Tornadoes in Alabama, December 16, 2000
- Tornado in Alabama, December 16, 2000
- High Wind in Louisiana, December 16, 2000
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, December 16, 2000
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Georgia, December 16 to 17, 2000
- Tornado in Alabama, December 16, 2000
- Extreme Cold and Lightning Strike in Tennessee, December 16, 2000
- Tornado in Florida, December 16, 2000
- Tornado in Georgia, December 16, 2000
- Extreme Cold in Illinois, December 16 to 17, 2000
- Tornado in Alabama, December 16, 2000
More
Every storm in North Dakota in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5176863, 5176864, 5176865, 5176866, 5176867, 5176868, 5176869, 5176870, 5176871, 5176872, 5176873, 5176874, 5176875, 5176876, 5176877, 5176878, 5176879, 5177187.