Heavy Snow in North Dakota, March 1 to 2, 2006

Name: Heavy Snow in North Dakota, March 1 to 2, 2006
Start: 2006-03-01T06:00
End: 2006-03-02T05:50
Location: North Dakota

March 1 to 2, 2006 · NWS FGF · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

An area of surface low pressure tracked from eastern Kansas to southern Illinois. For a period of time, an inverted trough extended back up into the Red River Valley.

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 FGF wrote it up.

An area of surface low pressure tracked from eastern Kansas to southern Illinois. For a period of time, an inverted trough extended back up into the Red River Valley. This brought some heavy snow to areas mostly along the Canadian border, from Cando (ND) to Pembina (ND) to Baudette (MN). The most snow, 12 inches, fell at Pembina, Neche, and Walhalla. With the heavy snow, primary and secondary roads quickly became impassable. Many drivers lost sight of the roads and ended up in ditches. Many drivers pulled off Interstate 29 at Pembina and waited out the storm.

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 Mar 1, 4:07 AM CST, 1 hour 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 1, 4:07 AM CST, 1 hour 53 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 28, 6:31 AM CST, 23 hours 29 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
631 AM CST TUE FEB 28 2006

MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052>054-011245-
WEST POLK-NORMAN-CLAY-KITTSON-ROSEAU-LAKE OF THE WOODS-
WEST MARSHALL-EAST MARSHALL-NORTH BELTRAMI-PENNINGTON-RED LAKE-
EAST POLK-NORTH CLEARWATER-SOUTH BELTRAMI-MAHNOMEN-
SOUTH CLEARWATER-HUBBARD-WEST BECKER-EAST BECKER-WILKIN-
WEST OTTER TAIL-EAST OTTER TAIL-WADENA-GRANT-TOWNER-CAVALIER-
PEMBINA-BENSON-RAMSEY-EASTERN WALSH COUNTY-EDDY-NELSON-
GRAND FORKS-GRIGGS-STEELE-TRAILL-BARNES-CASS-RANSOM-SARGENT-
RICHLAND-WESTERN WALSH COUNTY-
631 AM CST TUE FEB 28 2006

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN NORTH
DAKOTA...WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

AREAS OF FREEZING RAIN ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE REGION MAINLY
AFTER MIDNIGHT. ANY FREEZING RAIN THAT DOES DEVELOP ACROSS NORTHERN
PARTS OF THE REGION SHOULD CHANGE OVER TO SNOW BY MORNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE ACROSS PARTS OF THE REGION ON
WEDNESDAY. AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY 2 COULD SEE SNOWFALL
ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 6 INCHES OR MORE BEFORE ENDING WEDNESDAY
NIGHT.

THE NEXT CHANCE FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL WILL BE ON SATURDAY AS
ANOTHER AREA OF DEEP LOW PRESSURE APPROACHES THE AREA.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED WEDNESDAY FOR SNOW FALL REPORTS.

VOELKER

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Towner

When: March 1, 6:00 AM CST to March 2, 3:48 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)

Heavy Snow, Cavalier

When: March 1, 6:00 AM CST to March 2, 3:48 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)

Heavy Snow, Pembina

When: March 1, 6:00 AM CST to March 2, 5:50 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)

Heavy Snow, Western Walsh

When: March 1, 6:00 AM CST to March 2, 5:50 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)

Heavy Snow, Eastern Walsh

When: March 1, 6:00 AM CST to March 2, 5:50 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)

Heavy Snow, Benson

When: March 1, 6:00 PM CST to March 2, 3:48 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)

Heavy Snow, Ramsey

When: March 1, 6:00 PM CST to March 2, 3:48 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)

Heavy Snow, Eddy

When: March 1, 6:00 PM CST to March 2, 3:48 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)

Heavy Snow, Nelson

When: March 1, 6:00 PM CST to March 2, 5:50 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)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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, March 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5499124, 5499125, 5499126, 5499130, 5499131, 5499127, 5499128, 5499129, 5499132.