Extreme Cold in North Dakota, March 11, 2009

Name: Extreme Cold in North Dakota, March 11, 2009
Start: 2009-03-11T00:00
End: 2009-03-11T10:56
Location: North Dakota

March 11, 2009 · NWS FGF · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Wind chills dipped to around 40 below zero in the wake of the blizzard event which ended the morning of March 11th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: 5

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.

Wind chills dipped to around 40 below zero in the wake of the blizzard event which ended the morning of March 11th.

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 10, 8:40 PM CST, 3 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 10, 8:40 PM CST, 3 hours 20 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 10, 5:00 AM CST, 19 hours before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
600 AM CDT TUE MAR 10 2009

MNZ001>003-008-013>015-022-027-029>031-040-NDZ027>030-038-039-049-
052-053-111100-
WEST POLK-NORMAN-CLAY-EAST MARSHALL-PENNINGTON-RED LAKE-EAST POLK-
MAHNOMEN-WEST BECKER-WILKIN-WEST OTTER TAIL-EAST OTTER TAIL-GRANT-
GRAND FORKS-GRIGGS-STEELE-TRAILL-BARNES-CASS-RANSOM-SARGENT-
RICHLAND-
600 AM CDT TUE MAR 10 2009

...BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM CDT WEDNESDAY...

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE FROM WEST TO EAST DURING THE MORNING.
WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE WITH NORTH WINDS UP TO 35 MPH
EXPECTED BY THE AFTERNOON HOURS. HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL
RESULT IN BLIZZARD CONDITIONS TODAY INTO TONIGHT. TOTAL SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS WILL RANGE FROM 6 TO 10 INCHES. WIND CHILLS WILL
FALL TO BETWEEN 25 AND 35 BELOW THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE INTO
TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

HAZARDOUS WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

REPORTS OF SNOW ACCUMULATION AND VISIBILITY WILL BE HELPFUL.

MNZ006-009-016-017-023-024-028-032-111100-
LAKE OF THE WOODS-NORTH BELTRAMI-NORTH CLEARWATER-SOUTH BELTRAMI-
SOUTH CLEARWATER-HUBBARD-EAST BECKER-WADENA-
600 AM CDT TUE MAR 10 2009

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM CDT WEDNESDAY...

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH 6 TO 12 INCHES OF
ACCUMULATION. NORTH WINDS TO 30 MPH WILL CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW. WIND CHILLS WILL ALSO FALL TO BETWEEN 25 AND 35
BELOW TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

HAZARDOUS WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

REPORTS OF SNOW ACCUMULATION AND VISIBILITY WILL BE HELPFUL.

MNZ004-005-007-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-026-054-111100-
KITTSON-ROSEAU-WEST MARSHALL-TOWNER-CAVALIER-PEMBINA-BENSON-
RAMSEY-EASTERN WALSH COUNTY-EDDY-NELSON-WESTERN WALSH COUNTY-
600 AM CDT TUE MAR 10 2009

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM CDT WEDNESDAY...

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

ONE TO FOUR INCHES OF SNOW ACCUMULATION ARE EXPECTED TODAY. NORTH
WINDS OF 20 TO 35 MPH WILL CAUSE REDUCED VISIBILITY IN BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW...ESPECIALLY IN OPEN COUNTRY. WIND CHILLS WILL
REMAIN BETWEEN 25 AND 40 BELOW.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

HAZARDOUS WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

REPORTS OF SNOW ACCUMULATION AND VISIBILITY WILL BE HELPFUL.

TG

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 10, 10:17 PM CST, 1 hour 43 minutes before

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Local storm report, Mar 10, 10:19 PM CST, 1 hour 41 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

5 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Towner

When: March 11, 12:00 AM CST to 10:56 AM CST
Where: Towner forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.686, -99.246 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Cavalier

When: March 11, 12:00 AM CST to 10:56 AM CST
Where: Cavalier forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.772, -98.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Benson

When: March 11, 12:00 AM CST to 10:56 AM CST
Where: Benson forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.069, -99.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Ramsey

When: March 11, 12:00 AM CST to 10:56 AM CST
Where: Ramsey forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.269, -98.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Eddy

When: March 11, 12:00 AM CST to 10:56 AM CST
Where: Eddy forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.718, -98.902 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill: Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Dakota in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in North Dakota, March 2009

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: 150045, 150046, 150047, 150048, 150049.