Winter Storm in North Dakota, January 1 to 2, 2005

Name: Winter Storm in North Dakota, January 1 to 2, 2005
Start: 2005-01-01T00:00
End: 2005-01-02T00:50
Location: North Dakota

January 1 to 2, 2005 · NWS FGF · 15 events in 15 counties and zones

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.

This event began on the afternoon of December 31, 2004. This was a more typical "Colorado Low," and it brought some freezing drizzle and snow to portions of eastern North Dakota and the northwest quarter of Minnesota. The surface low tracked from the Kansas area toward western Wisconsin. The way this system set up, an impressive supply of gulf moisture was carried northward, moisture amounts well above normal for the time of year. Temperatures on saturday (January 1, 2005) showed a strong northwest to southeast gradient, with the Cando (ND) area having a high of zero and the Park Rapids (MN) area around 20F. The freezing precipitation mostly affected the U.S. Highway 10 corridor. Snowfall amounts ranged from 5 to 8 inches along the Canadian border to around 4 inches along U.S. Highway 2. Wind speeds and blowing snow were not a factor in this system. Many county highway departments advised no travel.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

15 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Towner

When: January 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 12:50 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 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 12:50 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 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 12:50 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 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 12:50 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 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 12:50 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 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 12:50 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 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 12:50 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 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 12:50 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 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 12:50 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 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 12:50 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 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 12:50 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 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 12:50 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 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 12:50 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 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 12:50 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 1, 12:00 AM CST to January 2, 12:50 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)

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 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in North Dakota, January 2005

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: 5435888, 5435889, 5435890, 5435891, 5435892, 5435893, 5435894, 5435895, 5435896, 5435897, 5435898, 5435899, 5435900, 5435901, 5435902.