North Dakota, 2001

Blizzard in North Dakota, December 22, 2001

December 22, 2001 · NWS BIS · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Low pressure developed over the Colorado Rockies on the 20th of December and moved into the central plains on the 21st andintensified into a winter storm system. The storm moved northeast into western Minnesota on Saturday, the 22nd, and broughtsnow and wind across North Dakota.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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.

Low pressure developed over the Colorado Rockies on the 20th of December and moved into the central plains on the 21st andintensified into a winter storm system. The storm moved northeast into western Minnesota on Saturday, the 22nd, and broughtsnow and wind across North Dakota. Although snow amounts only ranged from 1 to 3 inches, gusty northwest winds up to 35 mph caused considerable blowing and drifting snow to much of central North Dakota. Visibilities were reduced to less thana quarter mile, lowering to only a couple hundred feet at times, lasting 3 to 6 hours across the warned area.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Bismarck, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 22, 3:30 AM CST, 8 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 22, 3:30 AM CST, 8 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
330 AM CST SAT DEC 22 2001

THE MODELS ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT THIS MORNING. THE UPPER
LEVEL LOW APPEARS ON THE WATER VAPOR SATELLITE IMAGE TO BE NORTH OF
MINOT ABOUT WHERE THE MODELS INDICATE IT SHOULD BE.  THE LOW SHOULD
CONTININUE TO TRACK SOUTH AND SHOULD BE CENTERED NEAR MOBRIDGE SOUTH
DAKOTA BY NOON AND OVER NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA BY EVENING.
CONSIDERING THE TRACK OF THE LOW...IT WOULD APPEAR THAT LIGHT SNOW
WILL CONTINUE IN SOUTH CENTRAL ND THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. DONT SEE
MUCH IN THE WAY OF SNOW ACCUMULATION...1 TO 2 INCHES AT BEST EAST OF
THE MISSOURI RIVER .  THE WEST AND NORTH CENTRAL WILL HAVE
INCREASING SUBSIDENCE THE UPPER LEVEL LOW DROPS SOUTH. ALTHOUGH MID
AND HIGH CLOUDS WILL CLEAR...SHOULD CONTINUE TO HAVE LOW LEVEL
CLOUDS AND FLURRIES AT LEAST THROUGH THE MORNING. A STRONG SURFACE
GRADIENT AND THIS MORNING AND STRONG WINDS ALOFT TODAY POINT TOWARD
A WINDY DAY.  WILL ISSUE A WIND ADVISORY FOR JAMESTOWN TO ELLENDALE
AREA. FOR NOW THE AVN INDICATES A SHORT WAVE RIDGE WILL MOVE RAPIDLY
ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT AND THAT SHOULD CREATE ENOUGH
SUBSIDENCE TO CLEAR OUT THE FORECAST AREA.  BOTH THE ETA AND AVN
DROP A SHORT WAVE DOWN OUT OF NORTHERN CANADA TONIGHT...BUT THE AVN
DEVELOPS A CLOSED LOW WHILE THE ETA WASHES IT OUT.  IF THE AVN IS
CORRECT THE EFFECT WOULD BE TO BRING DOWN A SURGE OF COLDER
AIR...LOW CLOUDS AND LIGHT SNOW OR FLURRIES.  SINCE THIS WOULD
MAINLY AFFECT THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE STATE WILL TREND WITH THE
WEAKER ETA FOR NOW.

.BIS...WIND ADVISORY     CARRINGTON TO ASHLEY AND EAST      TODAY.
TSW

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Foster

When
December 22, 12:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where
Foster forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
47.457, -98.883 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Stutsman

When
December 22, 4:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Stutsman forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
46.979, -98.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Wells

When
December 22, 4:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Wells forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
47.588, -99.661 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, La Moure

When
December 22, 6:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where
La Moure forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
46.457, -98.535 (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

More

Every storm in North Dakota in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, December 2001

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: 5274967, 5274969, 5274970, 5274968.