Strong low pressure pushed across the Rockies April 13th, slowed down over the Dakotas April 14th, then moved east on April 15th. The peak of the storm occurred on Sunday when much of west and central North Dakota received heavy amounts of snow, with portions of the south central and southeast having a blizzard.
Every event with a place to put it; 38 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS BIS wrote it up.
Strong low pressure pushed across the Rockies April 13th, slowed down over the Dakotas April 14th, then moved east on April 15th. The peak of the storm occurred on Sunday when much of west and central North Dakota received heavy amounts of snow, with portions of the south central and southeast having a blizzard.
A combination of favorable moisture feed and strong surface and mid level dynamics brought historic snowfall to parts of west and central North Dakota. A moist conveyer belt extended from the eastern portions of Iowa and Illinois back northwest into North Dakota, situated along and north of an inverted surface trough stretched from southeast to northwest across South Dakota. Combined with strong diffluent flow aloft associated with the upper level low, snowfall rates approached two inches per hour across south central North Dakota on Sunday.
In addition to the heavy snow, strong surface winds developed across south central North Dakota west of the Missouri River and into the James River Valley. Wind gusts to 40 miles per hour combined with the heavy snow resulting in a blizzard.
Storm total snowfall amounts ranged from 15 to 22 inches from the James River Valley into the Missouri River Valley. Lesser amounts were reported across the far west and north, with up to eight inches at Watford City, and around an inch near the Canadian border. The highest snowfall amounts were reported at Center and Flasher with 22 inches. A record snowfall for any calendar day of the year was set at Bismarck, with 15.5 inches falling on April 14th. The storm total in Bismarck was 17.7 inches. This also resulted in setting a new record April snowfall of 21.5 inches.
Impacts from this storm were numerous. All roads across the southwest, south central, and southeast were under no travel advisories due to the heavy snow. Interstate 94 was closed from the Montana border to Jamestown, and Highway 83 was closed from Bismarck to Underwood. In addition, multiple school closings occurred on the 15th due to the heavy snow.
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 13, 11:51 PM CST, 3 hours 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 1251 AM CDT SUN APR 14 2013 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1245 AM CDT SUN APR 14 2013 UPDATE MAINLY FOR MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO OVERNIGHT POPS TO DELAY THE NORTHWARD PROGRESSION SLIGHTLY. ALSO TONED DOWN THE LATE EVENING SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST A BIT MORE. PER LATEST SPC SWOMCD DISCUSSION...INGREDIENTS ARE IN PLACE FOR HEAVY SNOW TO DEVELOP SOUTH OVERNIGHT WITH 1 TO 2 INCH PER HOUR SNOWFALL RATES POSSIBLE. CURRENT HEADLINES ARE IN GOOD SHAPE. EARLY LOOK AT EVENING MODEL TRENDS SUGGESTS POTENTIAL FOR MORE SNOW IN THE SOUTHERN JAMES RIVER VALLEY. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 340 PM CDT SAT APR 13 2013 MAJOR WINTER STORM SET TO IMPACT THE NORTHERN PLAINS TONIGHT...SUNDAY...SUNDAY NIGHT...AND THROUGH AT LEAST MONDAY MORNING. MODELS HAVE COME INTO GREAT AGREEMENT FOR QPF AND SNOW RATIOS ACROSS WEST AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA FOR THIS EVENT...WITH CONFIDENCE HIGH ON THE CURRENT FORECAST. CURRENTLY...LONG WAVE UPPER TROUGH/CLOSED MID LEVEL LOW OVER THE ROCKIES THIS AFTERNOON...WITH LEE SIDE CYCLOGENESIS UNDERWAY OVER CENTRAL/EASTERN WYOMING. STRONG SOUTHERLY MID LEVEL MOISTURE ADVECTION DRAWING GULF OF MEXICO MOISTURE NORTH ACROSS THE DAKOTAS WITH LOW TO MID LEVEL CLOUDS OVER MOST LOCATIONS. WE DID PARTIALLY CLEAR THIS AFTERNOON WEST ALLOWING FOR TEMPERATURES TO CLIMB INTO THE MID 40S. MID 20S TO LOW 30S TO THE EAST WHERE CLOUDY SKIES HAVE PERSISTED SINCE LAST NIGHT. REGIONAL RADAR SHOWING THE INITIAL PRECIPITATION WITH OUR IMPENDING STORM STRETCHED OUT ALONG A SFC TROUGH OVER EASTERN MONTANA AND AHEAD OF THE MID LEVEL LOW. WHILE IT APPEARS WE WILL BE DRY FOR THIS AFTERNOON...OPTED TO KEEP A CHANCE OF RAIN/SNOW/SLEET WEST FOR THE LATER PORTIONS OF THIS AFTERNOON AS SOME ECHOS ARE APPROACHING THE WESTERN ND BORDER. THE MID LEVEL LOW CROSSES THE ROCKIES THIS EVENING...THEN MOVES INTO WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA OVERNIGHT. SURFACE LOW PRESSURE ADVECTS EAST IN RESPONSE INTO WESTERN SD THIS EVENING...THEN INTO CENTRAL SD OVERNIGHT...MAINTAINING AN INVERTED TROUGH STRETCHING BACK NORTHWEST INTO EASTERN MONTANA. WILL START TO SEE PRECIPITATION DEVELOPMENT IN EARNEST WITH FRONTOGENESIS AND STRONG LIFTING (OMEGA) IN THE FAVORED DENDRITIC GROWTH ZONE LIFTING SLOWLY NORTH FROM NORTHERN SD TO ALONG AND SOUTH OF I94 THIS EVENING...TO THEN SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 2 OVERNIGHT. WE CAN ALREADY SEE THE ONSET OF THIS NOW WITH LIGHT RADAR ECHOS DEVELOPING NORTH AND EAST OF THE BLACK HILLS AREA. THE ENTIRE SYSTEM SLOWS DOWN ON SUNDAY WITH THE MID/UPPER LEVEL LOW BECOMING NEGATIVELY TILTED...CAUSING THE SFC LOW (DEPICTED BY BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF) TO TRACK VERY SLOWLY EAST ACROSS NORTHERN SOUTH DAKOTA...MAINTAINING STRONG DYNAMICS AND PRECIPITATION ACROSS MUCH OF WEST AND CENTRAL ND THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON. SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY...DO NOT SEE AN END TO PRECIPITATION THROUGH 12Z MONDAY. SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SLOWLY TRACKS NORTHEAST INTO NORTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA BY 06-12Z MONDAY MORNING...WITH WRAP AROUND PRECIPITATION CONTINUING OVER NORTH DAKOTA UNDERNEATH THE SYSTEMS TROWAL...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTH. DO EXPECT THINGS TO WIND DOWN ACROSS THE SOUTH AFTER MIDNIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT AS THE NOSE OF THE TROWAL MOVES MORE INTO CANADA. WHILE A MIX OF PRECIPITATION IS CURRENTLY FORECAST WEST LATE TODAY...AND EARLY THIS EVENING MAINLY SOUTHWEST...TEMPERATURE PROFILES SUGGEST THE MAIN PRECIP TYPE WITH THIS STORM TO BE ALL SNOW. GIVEN GREAT MODEL AGREEMENT ON QPF AND GREAT RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY...VERY HEAVY SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED. STORM TOTAL QPF RANGES FROM AROUND 1-1.3 INCHES FROM DICKINSON EAST THROUGH BISMARCK AND JAMESTOWN...NEAR AN INCH ALONG THE ND/SD BORDER...AND 0.5-0.75 FAR NORTH. THIS USES A BLEND OF THE LAST TWO WPC (WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER) FORECASTS...AND THE LATEST 12Z GFS/ECMWF. GRANTED WE SHOULD SEE THE EARLY ONSET OF PRECIPITATION AS A MIX ACROSS THE SOUTH...ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING TEMPERATURES RIGHT NOW ARE IN THE 40S. HOWEVER...NEAR TERM HR MODELS INDICATE WE QUICKLY COOL THIS EVENING...WITH LOCATIONS ALONG I94 AND NORTH LIKELY SEEING ALL SNOW AS I DO NOT EXPECT THE I94 CORRIDOR TO PRECIPITATE UNTIL MID EVENING ALLOWING THESE AREAS AND NORTH PLENTY OF TIME TO COOL. ALSO...BY 03Z AT THE LATEST ALL MODELS HAVE THE MAX TEMPERATURE ALOFT SUBFREEZING...RESULTING IN ALL SNOW AND MAYBE SOME SLEET ACROSS THE SOUTH. SNOW RATIOS THROUGHOUT THIS EVENT ARE DEPICTED IN THE RANGE OF 10/15:1. THIS YIELDS A LARGE AREA OF SNOWFALL IN EXCESS OF A FOOT FOR THE COUNTIES ALONG THE INTERSTATE 94 CORRIDOR NORTH TO JUST SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 2. EXPECT A HEAVY BAND AROUND 16 INCHES RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS AREA...INCLUDING HAZEN...STANTON...BISMARCK/MANDAN...STEELE...AND EAST INTO JAMESTOWN. SNOW AMOUNTS MAY BE MORE IF THE SYSTEM SLOWS DOWN OR IF MORE MOISTURE FALLS THAN IS EXPECTED. THE REVERSE IS TRUE IF THINGS TREND DRYER OR BECOME MORE PROGRESSIVE. DO NOT THINK THE LATER WILL COME TRUE GIVEN THE CURRENT GREAT MODEL AGREEMENT. AS IF THIS WAS NOT ENOUGH...STRONG WINDS ARE EXPECTED AS WELL WITH POTENTIAL GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH POSSIBLE...AND WILL LIKELY SEE NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS IN OPEN AREAS IF NOT EVEN WITHIN CITIES. AN UPGRADE TO A BLIZZARD WARNING IS VERY POSSIBLE EITHER LATER TONIGHT OR TOMORROW. OPTED TO KEEP THE WINTER STORM WARNING FOR NOW WITH SOME UNCERTAINTY ON WIND MAGNITUDES TOMORROW. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 340 PM CDT SAT APR 13 2013 THE WEEKEND WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE TO INFLUENCE THE REGION MONDAY AND TUESDAY WITH LINGERING LIGHT SNOW AND FLURRIES. FOR THIS FORECAST ISSUANCE POPS WERE INCREASED SLIGHTLY MONDAY AND TUESDAY AND HIGH AND LOW TEMPERATURES WERE SLIGHTLY DECREASED. LATEST 12 AND 18 UTC RUNS OF THE NAM...GFS...EURO SUGGEST THE SURFACE LOW REMAINS NEARBY MONDAY AND AT LEAST THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE STATE WILL BE UNDER THE INFLUENCE LOW/MID LEVEL CONVERGENCE AND UPPER LEVEL DIFFLUENCE THROUGH TUESDAY. THIS COMBINED WITH REMAINING WRAPAROUND MOISTURE FROM THE DEPARTING LOW SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO KEEP SOME LIGHT SNOW OR FLURRIES GOING THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING. WITH CONTINUED COLDER ADVECTION AND AN EXPANDING SNOWPACK...NEW GUIDANCE COMES IN SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN PREVIOUSLY FORECAST. THEREFORE...ADJUSTED MAX/MIN TEMPS ACCORDINGLY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1245 AM CDT SUN APR 14 2013 AREAS OF MVFR CONDITIONS AT KMOT AND KISN. SNOW HAD BEGUN AT KBIS AND KDIK. KJMS HAD BECOME VFR. SNOW EXPECTED TO BEGIN AT KISN NEAR 09Z AND KJMS AROUND 08Z. EXPECT LIFR CONDITIONS WITH HEAVY SNOW AND 1/4SM VSBYS AT KBIS BEGINNING AROUND 10Z AND KJMS AROUND 12Z...LASTING 4-6 HOURS BEFORE VSBYS IMPROVE TO ONLY 1/2SM TO 1SM. SIGNIFICANT BLOWING SNOW EXPECTED STATEWIDE. IFR CIGS ALL TERMINALS SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT WITH PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW AND LOW CIGS. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 7 AM CDT /6 AM MDT/ MONDAY FOR NDZ001- 009>011-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 1 PM CDT MONDAY FOR NDZ002>005-012-013. && UPDATE...RK SHORT TERM...NH LONG TERM...AJ AVIATION...JV
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 700 PM CDT SAT APR 13 2013 NDZ003-004-011-012-150000- RENVILLE-BOTTINEAU-WARD-MCHENRY- 700 PM CDT SAT APR 13 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT FLOOD WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT AT VARIOUS POINTS ALONG THE SOURIS RIVER UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. FOR DETAILS PLEASE REFER TO WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BIS. A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT. SEE WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BIS FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. SEE WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BIS FOR DETAILS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AND MIXED PRECIPITATION TO THE BISMARCK NATIONAL WEATHER THIS WEEKEND. NDZ001-002-005-009-010-013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051- 150000- DIVIDE-BURKE-ROLETTE-WILLIAMS-MOUNTRAIL-PIERCE-MCKENZIE-DUNN- MERCER-OLIVER-MCLEAN-SHERIDAN-WELLS-FOSTER-GOLDEN VALLEY-BILLINGS- STARK-MORTON-BURLEIGH-KIDDER-STUTSMAN-SLOPE-HETTINGER-GRANT- BOWMAN-ADAMS-SIOUX-EMMONS-LOGAN-LA MOURE-MCINTOSH-DICKEY- 700 PM CDT SAT APR 13 2013 /600 PM MDT SAT APR 13 2013/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...NORTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA...SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT. SEE WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BIS FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. SEE WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BIS FOR DETAILS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AND MIXED PRECIPITATION TO THE BISMARCK NATIONAL WEATHER THIS WEEKEND. TWH
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
31 winter storm, 11 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Burleigh County received up to twenty inches of snow.
Morton County received up to 22 inches of snow.
Oliver County received up to 22 inches of snow.
Mercer County received sixteen inches of snow.
Grant County received eighteen inches of snow.
Sioux County received up to twenty inches of snow.
Emmons County received nineteen inches of snow.
Logan County received up to seventeen inches of snow.
McIntosh County received up to seventeen inches of snow.
LaMoure County received twenty inches of snow.
Dickey County received twenty inches of snow.
Bowman County received eight inches of snow.
Slope County received up to ten inches of snow.
Adams County received up to ten inches of snow.
Hettinger County received ten inches of snow.
Stark County received sixteen inches of snow.
Dunn County received sixteen inches of snow.
Billings County received up to ten inches of snow.
Golden Valley County received six inches of snow.
McKenzie County received up to nine inches of snow.
Mountrail County received up to ten inches of snow.
Williams County received six inches of snow.
Very heavy snow combined with winds gusting to 40 miles per hour to create a blizzard for much of the day on the 14th.
Very heavy snow combined with winds gusting to 40 miles per hour to create a blizzard for much of the day on the 14th.
Very heavy snow combined with winds gusting to 40 miles per hour to create a blizzard for much of the day on the 14th.
Very heavy snow combined with winds gusting to 40 miles per hour to create a blizzard for much of the day on the 14th.
Very heavy snow combined with winds gusting to 40 miles per hour to create a blizzard for much of the day on the 14th.
Very heavy snow combined with winds gusting to 40 miles per hour to create a blizzard for much of the day on the 14th.
Very heavy snow combined with winds gusting to 40 miles per hour to create a blizzard for much of the day on the 14th.
Very heavy snow combined with winds gusting to 40 miles per hour to create a blizzard for much of the day on the 14th.
Kidder County received up to eighteen inches of snow.
Stutsman County received seventeen inches of snow.
Foster County received fifteen inches of snow.
Wells County received fifteen inches of snow.
Sheridan County received fifteen inches of snow.
McLean County received up to eighteen inches of snow.
Ward County received up to ten inches of snow.
McHenry County received up to twelve inches of snow.
Pierce County received up to ten inches of snow.
Very heavy snow combined with winds gusting to 40 miles per hour to create a blizzard for much of the day on the 14th.
Very heavy snow combined with winds gusting to 40 miles per hour to create a blizzard for much of the day on the 14th.
Very heavy snow combined with winds gusting to 40 miles per hour to create a blizzard for much of the day on the 14th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Dakota in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, April 2013
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: 443406, 443407, 443408, 443409, 443410, 443411, 443412, 443413, 443414, 443415, 443416, 443395, 443396, 443397, 443398, 443399, 443400, 443401, 443402, 443403, 443404, 443405, 443380, 443381, 443382, 443383, 443384, 443385, 443386, 443387, 443417, 443418, 443419, 443420, 443421, 443422, 443423, 443424, 443425, 443389, and more.