North Dakota, 2013

Extreme Cold in North Dakota, February 1, 2013

February 1, 2013 · NWS BIS · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

Arctic high pressure building into the Northern Plains brought a prolonged period of dangerous wind chill temperatures to the area. Wind chills as low as 55 below zero were recorded.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 12 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
13

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.

Arctic high pressure building into the Northern Plains brought a prolonged period of dangerous wind chill temperatures to the area. Wind chills as low as 55 below zero were recorded.

This extreme cold event started January 30. Please see January's Storm Data.

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 Jan 31, 10:00 PM CST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 31, 10:00 PM CST, 2 hours before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 31, 7:28 PM CST, 4 hours 32 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

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

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Ward

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 3:00 AM CST
Where
Ward forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet

Wind Chill temperatures around fifty below zero were recorded. The extreme cold started January 30th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Renville

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 3:00 AM CST
Where
Renville forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
48.719, -101.658 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind Chill temperatures around fifty below zero were recorded. The extreme cold started January 30th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Burke

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 3:00 AM CST
Where
Burke forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
48.791, -102.518 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind Chill temperatures around fifty below zero were recorded. The extreme cold started January 30th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Sheridan

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 3:00 AM CST
Where
Sheridan forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
47.575, -100.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind Chill temperatures around fifty below zero were recorded. The extreme cold started January 30th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Wells

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 3:00 AM CST
Where
Wells forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
47.588, -99.661 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind Chill temperatures around fifty below zero were recorded. The extreme cold started January 30th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Foster

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 3:00 AM CST
Where
Foster forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
47.457, -98.883 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind Chill temperatures around fifty below zero were recorded. The extreme cold started January 30th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Stutsman

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 3:00 AM CST
Where
Stutsman forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.979, -98.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind Chill temperatures around fifty below zero were recorded. The extreme cold started January 30th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, La Moure

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 3:00 AM CST
Where
La Moure forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.457, -98.535 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind Chill temperatures around fifty below zero were recorded. The extreme cold started January 30th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Dickey

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 3:00 AM CST
Where
Dickey forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.110, -98.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind Chill temperatures around fifty below zero were recorded. The extreme cold started January 30th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Bottineau

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 7:00 AM CST
Where
Bottineau forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
48.792, -100.833 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind Chill temperatures around fifty below zero were recorded. The extreme cold started January 30th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Rolette

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 7:00 AM CST
Where
Rolette forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
48.772, -99.841 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind Chill temperatures around fifty below zero were recorded. The extreme cold started January 30th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, McHenry

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 7:00 AM CST
Where
McHenry forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
48.235, -100.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind Chill temperatures around fifty below zero were recorded. The extreme cold started January 30th.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Pierce

When
February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 7:00 AM CST
Where
Pierce forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
48.250, -99.972 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind Chill temperatures around fifty below zero were recorded. The extreme cold started January 30th.

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

More

Every storm in North Dakota in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, February 2013

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: 424369, 424370, 424371, 424372, 424373, 424374, 424375, 424376, 424377, 424378, 424379, 424380, 424381.