Falling snow combined with northwest winds gusting to 45 miles per hour to create a blizzard during the late afternoon and evening of the 9th across southwest and into far south central North Dakota. No travel was advised by local and state officials across much of the warned area.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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.
Falling snow combined with northwest winds gusting to 45 miles per hour to create a blizzard during the late afternoon and evening of the 9th across southwest and into far south central North Dakota. No travel was advised by local and state officials across much of the warned area. Conditions quickly improved throughout the evening as winds subsided.
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 Dec 9, 3:07 PM CST, 53 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 307 PM CST MON DEC 9 2013 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY) ISSUED AT 255 PM CST MON DEC 9 2013 BLIZZARD WARNING SOUTHWEST BEGINS AT 3 PM CST. NAM FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW A GOOD AREA OF SUPER SATURATION W/R TO ICE FROM NEAR THE SURFACE TO 700 MB ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST ND. ALREADY SEEING 1/4 MILE IN HEAVY SNOW WITHOUT TOO MUCH WIND WIND AT BAKER MONTANA WITH 1/2 MILE IN SNOW ACROSS PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. THIS WILL LAY DOWN AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW IN RATHER EFFICIENT SNOW PRODUCING CONDITIONS. THEN EXPECT 35 TO 45 MPH WINDS TO PUNCH THROUGH THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE STATE BETWEEN 4 AND 6 PM CST. EXPECT 3 TO 5 HOURS OF BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST. LESSER SNOW RATES AND WINDS ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND NORTH. SO KEPT THE ADVISORY THERE. FINALLY...ITS STILL LOOKS LIKE SOME WIND CHILLS WILL BE PROBLEMATIC BETWEEN -25 AND 30 FROM THE NORTH CENTRAL TO THE SOUTHERN JAMES RIVER VALLEY. ADDED ANOTHER WIND CHILL ADVISORY BEGINNING AT 9 PM CST THROUGH NOON TUESDAY. .LONG TERM...(TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 255 PM CST MON DEC 9 2013 A PROGRESSIVE BUT UNSETTLED WEATHER THROUGHOUT THE LONG TERM PERIOD. A MEANDERING BAROCLINIC ZONE/ALTERNATING WARM AIR AND COLD AIR ADVECTION WITH MULTIPLE SHORTWAVES INTERACTING WITH THIS BOUNDARY WILL CREATE PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOW. BY THE END OF THE EXTENDED...THE WARM AIR ADVECTION WILL HAVE SOURED OUT THE COLD AIR WITH MODERATING TEMPERATURES SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. UNTIL THEN...EXPECTING SOME MENTION OF LIGHT SNOW JUST ABOUT EVERYDAY ACROSS PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. A WIND CHILL ADVISORY WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED FOR ALL BUT THE FAR SOUTHWEST AND FAR SOUTH CENTRAL TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES TO 35 BELOW. AFTER WEDNESDAY...NOT EXPECTING ANY FURTHER WIND CHILL CRITERIA BEING MET. FOR TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...DRY AND VERY COLD TUESDAY NIGHT AS A 1039MB SURFACE HIGH SLIDES ACROSS WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA. AS MENTIONED ABOVE...WIND CHILL HEADLINES WILL BE THE MAIN THEME DURING THIS TIME. AN AREA OF WARM AIR ADVECTION SNOWS ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP IN SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN WEDNESDAY MORNING AND SLIDE SOUTHEAST DURING THE DAY. HAVE A CHC OF LIGHT SNOW FOR THE NORTH AND EAST CENTRAL DURING THIS TIME. AMOUNTS WILL REMAIN LIGHT WITH AROUND A HALF INCH IN THE AFOREMENTIONED AREAS. THE LIGHT SNOW CHANCES EXIT THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY BY 06Z THURSDAY. FOR THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...THIS TIME PERIOD WILL FEATURE PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOW AS THE BAROCLINIC ZONE TIGHTENS UP SEVERAL TIMES. NEW SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS FROM THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY WILL RANGE FROM 1 TO 2 INCHES ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. THE POSITIVE NEWS IS THAT WARM AIR ADVECTION EVENTUALLY SCOURS OUT THE COLD AIR BY MONDAY WITH HIGHS RANGING BETWEEN 25 AND 35 ABOVE. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 255 PM CST MON DEC 9 2013 MAIN HAZARD TO AVIATION WILL BE STRONG WINDS...AND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL...IMPACTING PRIMARILY KDIK...BUT KISN-KBIS WILL BE IN THE PERIPHERY. MAIN TIMING WILL BE LATE AFTERNOON MONDAY AND MIDNIGHT. OUTSIDE OF THIS AREA...MVFR TO OCNLY IFR CONDITIONS WILL BE FOUND IN AREAS OF SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT FOR NDZ001>004-009>012-019>022-034-035-046. BLIZZARD WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST /11 PM MST/ TONIGHT FOR NDZ017-018-031>033-040>045. WIND CHILL ADVISORY FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON CST TUESDAY FOR NDZ005-013-023-025-036-037-047-048-050-051. && SHORT TERM...WAA LONG TERM...KS AVIATION...WAA
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 343 PM CST MON DEC 9 2013 NDZ017-018-031>033-040>045-102145- MCKENZIE-DUNN-GOLDEN VALLEY-BILLINGS-STARK-SLOPE-HETTINGER-GRANT- BOWMAN-ADAMS-SIOUX- 343 PM CST MON DEC 9 2013 /243 PM MST MON DEC 9 2013/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA...SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A BLIZZARD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR GROUND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. PLEASE SEE WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BIS FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES TO 35 BELOW ZERO ARE POSSIBLE IN PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA. THERE IS A CHANCE OF SNOW TUESDAY...THEN AGAIN THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. NDZ001>004-009>012-019>022-034-035-046-102145- DIVIDE-BURKE-RENVILLE-BOTTINEAU-WILLIAMS-MOUNTRAIL-WARD-MCHENRY- MERCER-OLIVER-MCLEAN-SHERIDAN-MORTON-BURLEIGH-EMMONS- 343 PM CST MON DEC 9 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...NORTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA AND SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW CONTINUES FOR NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. PLEASE SEE WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BIS FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES TO 35 BELOW ZERO ARE LIKELY TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW TUESDAY...FOLLOWED BY A CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. MINOR SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. NDZ005-013-023-025-036-037-047-048-050-051-102145- ROLETTE-PIERCE-WELLS-FOSTER-KIDDER-STUTSMAN-LOGAN-LA MOURE- MCINTOSH-DICKEY- 343 PM CST MON DEC 9 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WIND CHILL ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING. PLEASE SEE WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BIS FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES TO 35 BELOW ZERO ARE LIKELY TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE SOUTHERN JAMES RIVER VALLEY TUESDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE OF CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. MINOR SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. WAA/KS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow combined with northwest winds gusting to 45 miles per hour resulted in a blizzard during the late afternoon and early evening.
Snow combined with northwest winds gusting to 45 miles per hour resulted in a blizzard during the late afternoon and early evening.
Snow combined with northwest winds gusting to 45 miles per hour resulted in a blizzard during the late afternoon and early evening. No travel was advised.
Snow combined with northwest winds gusting to 45 miles per hour resulted in a blizzard during the late afternoon and early evening. No travel was advised.
Snow combined with northwest winds gusting to 45 miles per hour resulted in a blizzard during the late afternoon and evening. No travel was advised.
Snow combined with northwest winds gusting to 45 miles per hour resulted in a blizzard during the late afternoon and evening. No travel was advised.
Snow combined with northwest winds gusting to 45 miles per hour resulted in a blizzard during the late afternoon and evening. No travel was advised.
Snow combined with northwest winds gusting to 45 miles per hour resulted in a blizzard during the late afternoon and evening. No travel was advised.
Snow combined with northwest winds gusting to 45 miles per hour resulted in a blizzard during the late afternoon and evening. No travel was advised.
Snow combined with northwest winds gusting to 45 miles per hour resulted in a blizzard during the late afternoon and evening.
Snow combined with northwest winds gusting to 45 miles per hour resulted in a blizzard during the late afternoon and evening.
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, December 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: 484375, 484376, 484377, 484378, 484380, 484381, 484382, 484383, 484384, 484385, 484386.