Cold in North Dakota, March 8 to 9, 2003

Name: Cold in North Dakota, March 8 to 9, 2003
Start: 2003-03-08T14:54
End: 2003-03-09T12:00
Location: North Dakota

March 8 to 9, 2003 · NWS FGF · 18 events in 18 counties and zones

A fairly compact ridge of high pressure brought clear skies and brisk west/northwest winds to eastern North Dakota. High temperatures on the 8th were only in the single digits above and below zero.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $360,000
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.

A fairly compact ridge of high pressure brought clear skies and brisk west/northwest winds to eastern North Dakota. High temperatures on the 8th were only in the single digits above and below zero. The west/northwest winds of 15 to 25 mph with a few gusts to 35 mph kept temperatures from plunging too far, yet overnight temperatures did drop to 10 below to 20 below zero (or about 30 degrees below normal). This dropped wind chill temperatures to 40 below to 50 below zero for a prolonged period the night of the 8th into the morning of the 9th. With only a few inches of snow left on the ground (mostly in sheltered areas), these extreme wind chill temperatures disrupted public events and services. Some schools cancelled or postponed activities, rather than risk unneeded exposure to these elements. Numerous water main breaks were also reported, due to the prolonged exposure to the cold.

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 Mar 8, 10:10 AM CST, 4 hours 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 8, 10:10 AM CST, 4 hours 44 minutes before

FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
1010 AM CST SAT MAR 8 2003

MAIN FORECAST CHALLENGES FOR TODAY ARE TEMPERATURES AND WIND.
CURRENT SATELLITE IMAGERY HAS MID AND HIGH CLOUDS ERODING...WITH N
HALF OF AREA ALREADY SUNNY. LATEST MSAS SURFACE PRESSURE ANALYSIS
HAS HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE EXTENDING THROUGH ND ALONG A ISN TO JMS
LINE. WHEN COMPARING ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS TO MODEL
INITIALIZATIONS... PREFERRED GFS OVER ETA. HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE AXIS
CONTINUES TO  INTENSIFY TODAY...KEEPING A W-NW FLOW OVER REGION.
WHEN COMPARING GRIDS TO MSAS TEMPERATURES...GRIDS DOING PRETTY WELL
WITH TEMPERATURES. HOWEVER...WHEN COMPARING WIND GRIDS TO MSAS
WINDS... ACTUAL WINDS HAVE BEEN INCREASING A LITTLE FASTER THAN
PRIORLY EXPECTED IN THE GRIDS...RESULTING IN WIND CHILLS FROM 30 TO
40 BELOW FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE AREA. WITH THE WINDS EXPECTED TO
MAINTAIN AND INCREASE EVEN A LITTLE MORE YET TODAY...CURRENT WIND
CHILL ADVISORY STILL LOOKS GOOD. ALL IN ALL...CURRENT FORECAST
LOOKING PRETTY GOOD...WITH ONLY MINOR CHANGES NEEDED TO GRIDS.
THANKS TO BIS FOR COORD.

.FGF...WIND CHILL ADVISORY FULL CWFA TODAY AND TONIGHT.

NG

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 8, 2:30 PM CST, 24 minutes before

MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052>054-082230-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
230 PM CST SAT MAR 8 2003

...WIND CHILL WARNING FOR TONIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING FOR EASTERN
NORTH DAKOTA...WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA...WEST
CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT

BITTERLY COLD WIND CHILLS OF 40 TO 50 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ARE
EXPECTED TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA...WEST
CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA. UNSEASONALLY COLD AIR COUPLED WITH
WESTERLY WINDS OF 10 TO 20 MPH WILL CREATE LIFE THREATENING WIND
CHILL VALUES OVER THE REGION.

HIGH PRESSURE OVER NORTHWEST CANADA WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD OVER THE
NORTHERN PLAINS OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY...TRANSPORTING ARCTIC AIR INTO
THE REGION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT
HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/FGF/INDEX.HTML (ALL LOWER CASE)

BRAMER

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

18 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Towner

When: March 8, 2:54 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Towner forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.686, -99.246 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Cavalier

When: March 8, 2:54 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Cavalier forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.772, -98.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Pembina

When: March 8, 2:54 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Pembina forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.768, -97.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Benson

When: March 8, 2:54 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Benson forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.069, -99.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Ramsey

When: March 8, 2:54 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Ramsey forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.269, -98.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Western Walsh

When: March 8, 2:54 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Western Walsh forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.370, -97.721 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Eastern Walsh

When: March 8, 2:54 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Eastern Walsh forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.370, -97.721 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Eddy

When: March 8, 2:54 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Eddy forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.718, -98.902 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Nelson

When: March 8, 2:54 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Nelson forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.922, -98.192 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Grand Forks

When: March 8, 2:54 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Grand Forks forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.922, -97.457 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Griggs

When: March 8, 2:54 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Griggs forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.457, -98.237 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Steele

When: March 8, 2:54 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Steele forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.456, -97.725 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Traill

When: March 8, 2:54 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Traill forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.454, -97.162 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Barnes

When: March 8, 2:54 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Barnes forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.936, -98.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Cass

When: March 8, 2:54 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Cass forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.933, -97.248 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Ransom

When: March 8, 2:54 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Ransom forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.456, -97.657 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Sargent

When: March 8, 2:54 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Sargent forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.108, -97.631 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Richland

When: March 8, 2:54 PM CST to March 9, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Richland forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.265, -96.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill: Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Dakota in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in North Dakota, March 2003

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: 5344628, 5344629, 5344630, 5344631, 5344632, 5344633, 5344634, 5344635, 5344636, 5344637, 5344638, 5344639, 5344640, 5344641, 5344642, 5344643, 5344644, 5344645.