North Dakota, 2005

Cold in North Dakota, January 13 to 15, 2005

January 13 to 15, 2005 · NWS FGF · 18 events in 18 counties and zones

Eastern North Dakota and portions of the northwest quarter of Minnesota ended up in a steady surface pressure gradient between high pressure just to the south and low pressure to the northeast. This produced wind speeds from 10 to 20 mph in combination with very cold temperatures.

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.

Eastern North Dakota and portions of the northwest quarter of Minnesota ended up in a steady surface pressure gradient between high pressure just to the south and low pressure to the northeast. This produced wind speeds from 10 to 20 mph in combination with very cold temperatures. Daytime highs generally stayed from -5F to -15F while lows ranged from -20F to -35F. Wind chill temperatures ranged from -40F to -60F, which are wind chills in warning criteria. The cold temperatures were good news for vehicle service stations, which provided jumps, tows, and new batteries.

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 13, 5:14 AM CST, 21 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 13, 5:14 AM CST, 21 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
514 AM CST THU JAN 13 2005

.DISCUSSION....
WILL UPDATE WINTER STORM WARNING AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TO WIND
CHILL WARNING AND WIND CHILL ADVISORY RESPECTIVELY.

.LONG TERM...
NO CHANGES.

&&

.FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ND...WIND CHILL WARNING ALL COUNTIES THROUGH MIDNIGHT.
MN...WIND CHILL WARNING ALONG AND WEST OF A ROX-FSE-DTL-ELBOW LAKE
LINE THROUGH MIDNIGHT.
WIND CHILL ADVISORY THROUGH MIDNIGHT POINTS EAST.

&&

HOPPES

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
January 13, 5:35 AM CST to January 15, 3:03 PM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Cavalier

When
January 13, 5:35 AM CST to January 15, 3:03 PM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Pembina

When
January 13, 5:35 AM CST to January 15, 3:03 PM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Benson

When
January 13, 5:35 AM CST to January 15, 3:03 PM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Ramsey

When
January 13, 5:35 AM CST to January 15, 3:03 PM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Western Walsh

When
January 13, 5:35 AM CST to January 15, 3:03 PM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Eastern Walsh

When
January 13, 5:35 AM CST to January 15, 3:03 PM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Eddy

When
January 13, 5:35 AM CST to January 15, 3:03 PM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Nelson

When
January 13, 5:35 AM CST to January 15, 3:03 PM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Grand Forks

When
January 13, 5:35 AM CST to January 15, 3:03 PM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Griggs

When
January 13, 5:35 AM CST to January 15, 3:03 PM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Steele

When
January 13, 5:35 AM CST to January 15, 3:03 PM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Traill

When
January 13, 5:35 AM CST to January 15, 3:03 PM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Barnes

When
January 13, 5:35 AM CST to January 15, 3:03 PM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Cass

When
January 13, 5:35 AM CST to January 15, 3:03 PM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Ransom

When
January 13, 5:35 AM CST to January 15, 3:03 PM CST
Where
Ransom forecast zone
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
January 13, 5:35 AM CST to January 15, 3:03 PM CST
Where
Sargent forecast zone
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
January 13, 5:35 AM CST to January 15, 3:03 PM CST
Where
Richland forecast zone
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

More

Every storm in North Dakota in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5435998, 5435999, 5436000, 5436001, 5436002, 5436003, 5436004, 5436005, 5436006, 5436007, 5436008, 5436009, 5436010, 5436011, 5436012, 5436013, 5436014, 5436015.