Winter Storm in North Dakota, January 24 to 26, 2004

Name: Winter Storm in North Dakota, January 24 to 26, 2004
Start: 2004-01-24T15:25
End: 2004-01-26T03:15
Location: North Dakota

January 24 to 26, 2004 · NWS FGF · 18 events in 18 counties and zones

An inverted trough extended into the northern plains from an area of surface low pressure over the central plains. Much of the area received over 6 inches of snow.

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: 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 northern plains from an area of surface low pressure over the central plains. Much of the area received over 6 inches of snow. A heavy snow band set up from Cooperstown to Mayville (North Dakota) and toward Wadena, Minnesota. Up to 2 feet of snow fell along this line. Wind chills of 20 below to 30 below zero also occurred during the day sunday (January 25th). 17 inches of snow fell at Hillsboro, ND. Many sunday church services and other activities were cancelled. Most schools closed on monday, while others started late. Some areas only saw partial mail service on monday. Interstate 29 closed between Grand Forks and Fargo around 6:15 pm sunday, and remained closed until 8 am on monday. There was a 15 to 20 car pileup on the Interstate 94 bridge between Fargo and Moorhead, with only minor injuries reported. Snowfall amounts like these had not occurred since the record setting winter of 1996/97.

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 Jan 24, 2:30 PM CST, 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 24, 2:30 PM CST, 55 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 24, 6:50 AM CST, 8 hours 35 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

18 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Towner

When: January 24, 3:25 PM CST to January 26, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Towner forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 48.686, -99.246 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Cavalier

When: January 24, 3:25 PM CST to January 26, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Cavalier forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 48.772, -98.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Pembina

When: January 24, 3:25 PM CST to January 26, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Pembina forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 48.768, -97.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Benson

When: January 24, 3:25 PM CST to January 26, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Benson forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 48.069, -99.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ramsey

When: January 24, 3:25 PM CST to January 26, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Ramsey forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 48.269, -98.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Western Walsh

When: January 24, 3:25 PM CST to January 26, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Western Walsh forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 48.370, -97.721 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Eastern Walsh

When: January 24, 3:25 PM CST to January 26, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Eastern Walsh forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 48.370, -97.721 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Eddy

When: January 24, 3:25 PM CST to January 26, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Eddy forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 47.718, -98.902 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Nelson

When: January 24, 3:25 PM CST to January 26, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Nelson forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 47.922, -98.192 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Grand Forks

When: January 24, 3:25 PM CST to January 26, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Grand Forks forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 47.922, -97.457 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Griggs

When: January 24, 3:25 PM CST to January 26, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Griggs forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 47.457, -98.237 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Steele

When: January 24, 3:25 PM CST to January 26, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Steele forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 47.456, -97.725 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Traill

When: January 24, 3:25 PM CST to January 26, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Traill forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 47.454, -97.162 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Barnes

When: January 24, 3:25 PM CST to January 26, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Barnes forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 46.936, -98.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Cass

When: January 24, 3:25 PM CST to January 26, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Cass forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 46.933, -97.248 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ransom

When: January 24, 3:25 PM CST to January 26, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Ransom forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 46.456, -97.657 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sargent

When: January 24, 3:25 PM CST to January 26, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Sargent forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 46.108, -97.631 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Richland

When: January 24, 3:25 PM CST to January 26, 3:15 AM CST
Where: Richland forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 46.265, -96.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Dakota in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in North Dakota, January 2004

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: 5383894, 5383895, 5383896, 5383897, 5383898, 5383899, 5383900, 5383901, 5383902, 5383903, 5383904, 5383905, 5383906, 5383907, 5383908, 5383909, 5383910, 5383911.