North Dakota, 2004

Winter Weather in North Dakota, May 11 to 12, 2004

May 11 to 12, 2004 · NWS BIS · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A very late season winter weather event hit northern North Dakota on May 11th and May 12th. Surface low pressure tracked farther south than expected and allowed cold air to filter into northern North Dakota out of Canada.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
2

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.

A very late season winter weather event hit northern North Dakota on May 11th and May 12th. Surface low pressure tracked farther south than expected and allowed cold air to filter into northern North Dakota out of Canada. Eight to 12 inches of snowfall was reported over the two day period with snow depths of two to six inches. Water equivalent in the snow was one to two inches. About two-thirds of Mountrail County was without power for at least part of the event as at least 150 power poles began failing as early as 4:00 pm CST on the 11th. There was also extensive tree damage. In Ward County there was damage at 158 different line locations, including wire breaks, damaged cross arms, broken poles and insulators. One-thousand customers were left without power. Hardest hit areas were Berthold, Des Lacs, South Prairie, Max and Carpio.

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 May 11, 2:30 AM CST, 8 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 11, 2:30 AM CST, 8 hours 30 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, May 11, 4:00 AM CST, 7 hours before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
500 AM CDT TUE MAY 11 2004

NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-120958-
ADAMS ND-BILLINGS ND-BOTTINEAU ND-BOWMAN ND-BURKE ND-BURLEIGH ND-
DICKEY ND-DIVIDE ND-DUNN ND-EMMONS ND-FOSTER ND-GOLDEN VALLEY ND-
GRANT ND-HETTINGER ND-KIDDER ND-LA MOURE ND-LOGAN ND-MCHENRY ND-
MCINTOSH ND-MCKENZIE ND-MCLEAN ND-MERCER ND-MORTON ND-MOUNTRAIL ND-
OLIVER ND-PIERCE ND-RENVILLE ND-ROLETTE ND-SHERIDAN ND-SIOUX ND-
SLOPE ND-STARK ND-STUTSMAN ND-WARD ND-WELLS ND-WILLIAMS ND-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BISMARCK...BOTTINEAU...BOWMAN...CROSBY...
DICKINSON...JAMESTOWN...MINOT AND WILLISTON
500 AM CDT TUE MAY 11 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH
DAKOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

STRONG WINDS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED TODAY.  SOME OF THE
THUNDERSTORMS MAY REACH SEVERE CRITERIA IN CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA THIS
AFTERNOON. WINDS OF 20 TO 35 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED. GUSTS OF 45 TO 55
MPH ARE LIKELY ACROSS THE WEST AND NORTH CENTRAL. IN ADDITION...SNOW
THE COUNTIES BORDERING CANADA CAN EXPECT SNOW THIS MORNING...WITH
SOME ACCUMULATION LIKELY ON LAWNS AND GRASSY AREAS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Mountrail

When
May 11, 11:00 AM CST to May 12, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Mountrail forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
48.201, -102.356 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Ward

When
May 11, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Ward forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Dakota in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, May 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5394136, 5394137.