High Wind in North Dakota, April 18, 2006

Name: High Wind in North Dakota, April 18, 2006
Start: 2006-04-18T09:00
End: 2006-04-18T13:00
Location: North Dakota

April 18, 2006 · NWS BIS · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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: 9

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 tight pressure gradient developed over western North Dakota on April 18, 2006, in response to intensifying low pressure in southern Montana. The low moved through southern Montana and across North Dakota. Wind speeds were 40 mph gust 51 mph at Williston, Williams County, at 922 AM CST, and 38 mph gust 59 mph at Crosby, Divide County, at 1125 AM CST. Cold air worked into the storm and resulted in rain changing to snow, with significant amounts reported. See StormData entries for Winter Storm and Blizzard for this same date, April 18, 2006.

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 Apr 18, 2:21 AM CST, 6 hours 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 18, 2:21 AM CST, 6 hours 39 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
321 AM CDT TUE APR 18 2006

.SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...
MAIN FORECAST HIGHLIGHT/CONCERN IN THE SHORT TERM WILL BE A STRONG
SPRING STORM SYSTEM SET TO DOMINATE THE WEATHER THROUGH THURSDAY.
MAIN CHALLENGES WITH THIS EVENT WILL BE QPF/SNOW AMOUNTS AND STRONG
WINDS TODAY AND THIS EVENING.

CURRENTLY...BROAD UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVING OVER THE NORTHERN
ROCKIES WITH A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDING FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TO
THE NORTHERN PLAINS REGION. WIDESPREAD RAIN SHOWERS WEST ALONG THE
TROUGH LINE WITH A FEW EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH
CENTRAL.

BROAD UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL DEVELOP INTO A CLOSED LOW AND MOVE
OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS LATER THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON. MODELS
SHOW THE SURFACE TROUGH DEVELOPING INTO TWO SEPARATE LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEMS WITH THE STRONGER OF THE TWO DEVELOPING OVER THE FORECAST
AREA UNDER THE UPPER LOW THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON. SYSTEM THEN
STALLS OVER THE REGION THROUGH WED NIGHT BRINGING A CONTINUED THREAT
OF RAIN MIXED WITH SOME SNOW AT TIMES CENTRAL AND EAST...WITH MORE
SNOW WEST AS COOLER AIR IS PULLED IN. BEST CHANCE FOR PRECIP IS
LOOKING TO BE WEST AND NORTH ATTM.

MAIN IMMEDIATE CONCERN WILL BE STRONG NORTH TO NORTHWESTERLY WINDS
STRENGTHENING ACROSS THE WEST THIS MORNING AND CONTINUING INTO THE
AFTERNOON HOURS. 850H ANALYSIS OVER THIS AREA SHOWING 50-70KT WINDS
AT 15Z. WILL NEED SOME SORT OF WIND HIGHLIGHT EARLY ON...CURRENTLY
HAVE A WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT. WITH PRECIPITATION EXPECTED OVER THE
WEST...THINK THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE FOR STRONGER THAN EARLIER
ANTICIPATED WINDS TO MIX DOWN SO WILL REPLACE THE ADVISORY WITH A
WARNING. MODEL SOUNDINGS ARE QUICK TO COOL THE ATMOSPHERE FOR ALL
SNOW BY 18Z ACROSS THE FAR WESTERN COUNTIES AND NEW HPC SNOW
GRAPHICS CONTINUE TO HIT THIS AREA HARD WITH 8-16 INCHES SIMULATED
THROUGH 12Z THURS. HOW MUCH OF THIS WILL BE ACCUMULATION REMAINS
UNCERTAIN. THIS MAKES FOR COMPLICATED HEADLINES. DECIDED TO GO WITH
A HIGH WIND WARNING THROUGH 18Z...THEN TRANSITION TO A WINTER STORM
WARNING ACROSS THE FAR WESTERN COUNTIES BORDERING MONTANA AS WET
SNOWFALL AND WINDS WILL MAKE FOR NASTY CONDITIONS...BUT KEEPING A
LINE OF COUNTIES HWW THROUGH 03Z AND A WINTER STORM WATCH 0Z WED-0Z
THURS.

SYSTEM BEGINS TO WEAKEN AND MOVE EAST THURSDAY ENDING PRECIPITATION
WEST TO EAST AND TEMPERATURES RETURNING TO MORE SEASONAL TO ABOVE
SEASONAL VALUES.

.LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...
EXITING UPPER LOW BY FRIDAY WILL LEAVE THE WEEKEND DRY WITH AND NEAR
NORMAL TEMPERATURES. UPPER TROUGH OVER WESTERN US WILL BE SLOW TO
MOVE TO THE CENTRAL PLAINS. BUT WILL ADD A SLIGHT CHC FOR
THUNDERSTORMS FOR TUESDAY AS NEXT SYSTEM BRUSHES WRN ND. HOWEVER
EASTWARD PROGRESSION WILL BE LIMITED DUE TO WEAK BLOCKING FROM
PREVIOUS SYSTEM NOW OVER THE NE US.

&&

.BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 7 AM CDT /6 AM MDT/ THIS MORNING TO 1 PM
CDT /NOON MDT/ THIS AFTERNOON FOR NDZ001-NDZ009-NDZ017-NDZ031-
NDZ032-NDZ040-NDZ043.

WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 1 PM CDT /NOON MDT/ THIS AFTERNOON TO
7 PM CDT /6 PM MDT/ WEDNESDAY FOR NDZ001-NDZ009-NDZ017-NDZ031-
NDZ032-NDZ040-NDZ043.

HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 7 AM CDT /6 AM MDT/ THIS MORNING TO 10 PM
CDT /9 PM MDT/ THIS EVENING FOR NDZ002-NDZ010-NDZ018-NDZ033-
NDZ041-NDZ044.

WINTER STORM WATCH FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING
FOR NDZ002-NDZ010-NDZ018-NDZ033-NDZ041-NDZ044.

&&

NH/WAA

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 18, 4:38 AM CST, 4 hours 22 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

9 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Billings

When: April 18, 9:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Billings forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 47.023, -103.376 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Bowman

When: April 18, 9:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Bowman forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 46.113, -103.521 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Burke

When: April 18, 9:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Burke forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 48.791, -102.518 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Divide

When: April 18, 9:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Divide forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 48.815, -103.487 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Golden Valley

When: April 18, 9:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Golden Valley forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 46.940, -103.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, McKenzie

When: April 18, 9:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: McKenzie forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 47.740, -103.395 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Mountrail

When: April 18, 9:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Mountrail forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 48.201, -102.356 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Slope

When: April 18, 9:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Slope forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 46.447, -103.460 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Williams

When: April 18, 9:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Williams forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 48.344, -103.480 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Dakota in 2006 Every state in 2006 This day in weather history Warnings in North Dakota, April 2006

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: 5503886, 5503887, 5503888, 5503889, 5503890, 5503891, 5503892, 5503893, 5503894.