Blizzard in North Dakota, October 24 to 25, 2001

Name: Blizzard in North Dakota, October 24 to 25, 2001
Start: 2001-10-24T09:00
End: 2001-10-25T03:00
Location: North Dakota

October 24 to 25, 2001 · NWS FGF · 15 events in 15 counties and zones

An early season storm dropped 4 to 12 inches of snow across the area. The storm intensified over northwest Minnesota, keeping the heaviest snowfall across northeast North Dakota.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 15 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: 15

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 early season storm dropped 4 to 12 inches of snow across the area. The storm intensified over northwest Minnesota, keeping the heaviest snowfall across northeast North Dakota. Nearly a foot of snow fell from Devils Lake to Cavalier to Grand Forks. 10.9 inches of snow fell at the NWS office in Grand Forks, an unofficial record snowfall for the month of October. As the low started to move away from the area, northwest winds gusted up to 40 mph. Many schools closed during the event and nearly 1300 people lost power. 400 vehicles were stranded along Interstate 29 between Thompson and Grand Forks after a semi truck jack-knifed and blocked the road. Interstate 94 was also blocked near Tower City for nearly 2 hours by the snow and stalled vehicles. Three people were killed in vehicle accidents just outside the warning area, most due to ice covered roads. One accident occurred near Christine, another east of Lisbon, and the third near Jamestown. Flights were cancelled at the Fargo and Grand Forks airports. The heavy wet snow that fell first caused most snowblowers to clog with snow. The emergency room in Grand Forks reported many injuries due to people trying to unclog their snowblowers with their hands or feet.

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 Grand Forks, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 24, 3:05 AM CST, 5 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 24, 3:05 AM CST, 5 hours 55 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

15 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Towner

When: October 24, 9:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM 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: October 24, 9:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM 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, Pembina

When: October 24, 9:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM 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, Eastern Walsh

When: October 24, 9:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM 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, Western Walsh

When: October 24, 9:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM 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)

Blizzard, Ramsey

When: October 24, 9:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM 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, Benson

When: October 24, 9:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM 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, Eddy

When: October 24, 9:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM 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: October 24, 9:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM 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, Grand Forks

When: October 24, 9:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM 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: October 24, 9:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM 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: October 24, 9:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM 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: October 24, 9:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM 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: October 24, 9:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM 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: October 24, 9:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM 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)

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 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in North Dakota, October 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5270694, 5270695, 5270696, 5270697, 5270698, 5270699, 5270700, 5270701, 5270702, 5270703, 5270704, 5270705, 5270706, 5270707, 5270708.