A strong Alberta Clipper brought strong winds, mixed precipitation, and colder air to the Northern Plains January 3rd and 4th. Warm air spreading east ahead of the storm during the morning of the 3rd brought mainly freezing rain across much of western and central North Dakota.
Every event with a place to put it; 17 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.
A strong Alberta Clipper brought strong winds, mixed precipitation, and colder air to the Northern Plains January 3rd and 4th.
Warm air spreading east ahead of the storm during the morning of the 3rd brought mainly freezing rain across much of western and central North Dakota. The freezing rain acted to harden the existing loose snow cover, and prevented blizzard conditions from occurring over a much larger area than what actually took place. Once colder air was pulled into the region precipitation changed to all snow.
While snow was limited to no more than two inches, where the snow did fall it combined with winds in excess of 40 miles per hour to result in blizzard conditions. Locations impacted included southwestern North Dakota, north central North Dakota along and north of Highway 2, and the northern James River Valley.
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 3, 12:59 PM CST, 2 hours 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 1259 PM CST FRI JAN 3 2014 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1259 PM CST FRI JAN 3 2014 AN AREA OF LIGHT RAIN CONTINUES TO MOVE ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON. EVEN THOUGH SURFACE TEMPERATURES ARE ABOVE FREEZING...MOST ROAD TEMPERATURES ARE BELOW FREEZING CREATING HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. WILL CONTINUE TO HANDLE THIS UNIQUE SITUATION WITH A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT. ALSO DECIDED TO KEEP THE BLIZZARD HEADLINES AS IS FOR THIS UPDATE. THE COLD FRONT IS CURRENTLY ALONG THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER WITH 36-KNOT WIND GUSTS ALREADY BEING REPORTED OVER SOUTHWESTERN SASKATCHEWAN. THE LATEST GFS/ECMWF PROG THE FRONT TO MOVE THROUGH THE AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING...WITH THE LATEST NAM BEING THE SLOWER OUTLIER. ONLY FRESHENED UP THE GRIDS BASED ON CURRENT OBS/TRENDS. THE UPDATED PRODUCTS HAVE BEEN SENT. UPDATE ISSUED AT 1028 AM CST FRI JAN 3 2014 AN INTERESTING SCENARIO HAS SET UP ACROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING. SURFACE TEMPERATURES OVER WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA ARE IN THE MID TO UPPER 30S AND PRECIPITATION IS FALLING AS RAIN. HOWEVER...DESPITE AIR TEMPERATURES INTO THE LOWER AND MID 30S...ROADS AND SIDEWALKS WILL BE SLICK DUE TO THOSE SURFACES REMAINING BELOW FREEZING. DECIDED TO HANDLE THIS SCENARIO WITH AN SPS FOR NOW AND WILL RE- EVALUATE THE CONDITIONS FOR THE 1 PM CST UPDATE. OTHERWISE...THE LATEST SHORT-RANGE GUIDANCE HAS SLOWED THE PROGRESSION OF THE COLD FRONT/BLIZZARD CONDITIONS THROUGH THE AREA BY ABOUT THREE HOURS TONIGHT. ADJUSTED THE HOURLY POPS/WX ACCORDINGLY AND KEPT THE HEADLINES THE SAME FOR THIS UPDATE. THE UPDATED GRIDDED AND TEXT PRODUCTS HAVE BEEN SENT. UPDATE ISSUED AT 631 AM CST FRI JAN 3 2014 MINOR ADJUSTMENTS WERE MADE TO PRECIPITATION CHANCES THIS MORNING AS RADAR IMAGERY INDICATES A FEW ECHOES ARE FURTHER ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA THAN EXPECTED. THE MAIN PROBLEM TODAY WILL BE THE DEVELOPMENT OF BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AS WINDS INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 343 AM CST FRI JAN 3 2014 THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE SHORT TERM IS EXPECTED THE BLIZZARD ACROSS ALL OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON INTO SATURDAY MORNING. THE 00 UTC DETERMINISTIC SUITE IS IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON WHAT APPEARS TO BE A VERY SIMILAR BLIZZARD SETUP TO WHAT OCCURRED LAST WEEKEND. TWO POTENT COLD FRONTS ACROSS ALBERTA AND SASKATCHEWAN THIS MORNING WILL RAPIDLY PROPAGATE SOUTHEAST ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. IMPRESSIVE NEAR 25 MB/6 HR PRESSURE RISES ARE FORECAST IN THE WAKE OF THE LEADING FRONT...WITH THE SECONDARY FRONT ABOUT 100 MILES IN TRAIL. 0.5 KM WINDS OF 40 TO 50 KTS WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY ALIGNED WITH THE STRONG ISALLOBARIC COMPONENT OF THE WIND TO PRODUCE WIDESPREAD GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 KTS IN THE WAKE OF THE COLD FRONTS. THIS IS ABOVE ALL GUIDANCE WHICH FELL WELL SHORT ON WINDS DURING THE LAST BLIZZARD. WHILE TEMPERATURES WILL WARM ABOVE FREEZING TODAY IN THE WARM SECTOR OF THE SURFACE LOW...AS WAS SEEN LAST WEEKEND...THE CRUST THAT MAY DEVELOP WILL NOT BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND THESE STRONG WINDS. FURTHERMORE...ONE TO TWO INCHES OF FRESH SNOW IS EXPECTED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BEGINNING OF THE STRONG WINDS. THUS...WIDESPREAD NEAR ZERO VISIBILITIES ARE EXPECTED...AND THE BLIZZARD WATCH HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO A BLIZZARD WARNING. THE WARNING GOES INTO EFFECT AT 21 UTC ACROSS THE US HIGHWAY 2 AND 85 CORRIDORS WHERE THE FRONTS WILL FIRST ARRIVE...AND ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA AT 00 UTC. THE WARNINGS WILL BE IN EFFECT UNTIL 18 UTC SATURDAY. IN REGARDS TO PRECIPITATION THIS MORNING...FOLLOWED WET BULB TEMPERATURES TO GAGE THE STRENGTH OF THE WARM LAYER ALOFT. DRY AIR IN THE 925 TO 850 MB LAYER SHOULD CAUSE THE WARM LAYER ALOFT TO COOL FROM +4 TO +6 C...TO +1 TO +3 C. THIS SHOULD LIMIT THE PRECIPITATION TYPES ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW PRECIPITATION CHANCES THIS MORNING SOUTH TO A SNOW AND SLEET MIX BEFORE TEMPERATURES WARM ENOUGH AT THE SURFACE TO SUPPORT ALL RAIN BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF THE ARCTIC AIR. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 343 AM CST FRI JAN 3 2014 BLIZZARD CONDITIONS SHOULD BE OUT OF THE AREA BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON BASED ON THE 00 UTC NAM/ECMWF/GFS/GEM GLOBAL AND 03 UTC SREF MEAN. THE MAIN FORECAST PROBLEM QUICKLY BECOMES TEMPERATURES AFTER THAT. THE ECMWF CONTINUES TO ADVERTISE COLDER TEMPERATURES THAN CONSENSUS...BUT THERE IS MUCH UNCERTAINTY WITH HOW COLD IT WILL ACTUALLY GET. WINDS DO NOT GO CALM OVER THE AREA...SO MIXING WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES UP A BIT. CLOUDS COULD ALSO BE A PROBLEM...BUT PROBABLY NOT OVER THE CENTER OF THE SURFACE HIGH. BASED ON RESPECT FOR THE ECMWF-DERIVED TEMPERATURES AND GENERAL AGREEMENT ON THE TRACK OF THE SURFACE HIGH ACROSS THE MISSOURI SLOPE...TEMPERATURES WERE LOWERED SLIGHTLY FOR SUNDAY...MONDAY AND TUESDAY MORNINGS. THERE IS FAIR AGREEMENT THAT ARCTIC AIR WILL REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH MIDWEEK...THOUGH TEMPERATURES WILL GRADUALLY WARM BEYOND TUESDAY MORNING. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1259 PM CST FRI JAN 3 2014 VFR CONDITIONS IN LIGHT RAIN WILL CONTINUE OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WITH WIND GUSTS UP TO 45 KNOTS AND ASSOCIATED LIFR CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. LIFR CONDITIONS SHOULD GRADUALLY IMPROVE TO VFR NORTH AFTER 09Z...THEN ALONG THE I-94 CORRIDOR AFTER 12Z. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... BLIZZARD WARNING UNTIL NOON CST /11 AM MST/ SATURDAY FOR NDZ001>005-009>013-017>019-021-031>033-040-041-043-044. BLIZZARD WARNING FROM 6 PM CST /5 PM MST/ THIS EVENING TO NOON CST /11 AM MST/ SATURDAY FOR NDZ020-022-023-025-034>037-042- 045>048-050-051. && UPDATE...TM SHORT TERM...AYD LONG TERM...SCHECK AVIATION...TM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 431 AM CST FRI JAN 3 2014 NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-041045- DIVIDE-BURKE-RENVILLE-BOTTINEAU-ROLETTE-WILLIAMS-MOUNTRAIL-WARD- MCHENRY-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- 431 AM CST FRI JAN 3 2014 /331 AM MST FRI JAN 3 2014/ 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...TODAY AND TONIGHT A BLIZZARD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA BEGINNING THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...CONTINUING INTO SATURDAY MORNING. SEE WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BIS FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL GRADUALLY IMPROVE THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...AND BE OUT OF THE AREA BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. FOLLOWING THE BLIZZARD...LOW TEMPERATURES TO 30 BELOW WITH WIND CHILLS TO 60 BELOW ZERO ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT HAZARDOUS WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK. AYD/SCHECK
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 951 AM CST FRI JAN 3 2014 NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-031900- DIVIDE-BURKE-RENVILLE-BOTTINEAU-ROLETTE-WILLIAMS-MOUNTRAIL-WARD- MCHENRY-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- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CROSBY...BOWBELLS...MOHALL... BOTTINEAU...ROLLA...WILLISTON...NEW TOWN...MINOT...TOWNER... RUGBY...WATFORD CITY...KILLDEER...BEULAH...HAZEN...CENTER... GARRISON...MCCLUSKY...HARVEY...CARRINGTON...BEACH...MEDORA... DICKINSON...MANDAN...BISMARCK...STEELE...JAMESTOWN...MARMARTH... MOTT...ELGIN...BOWMAN...HETTINGER...FORT YATES...LINTON... NAPOLEON...EDGELEY...ASHLEY...OAKES 951 AM CST FRI JAN 3 2014 /851 AM MST FRI JAN 3 2014/ ...LIGHT FREEZING RAIN THIS FRIDAY MORNING... LIGHT FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA THIS FRIDAY MORNING. DESPITE AIR TEMPERATURES RISING INTO THE LOWER AND MID 30S...ROADS AND SIDEWALKS WILL BE SLICK DUE TO THOSE SURFACES REMAINING BELOW FREEZING. BE PREPARED TO SLOW DOWN AND ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION. CK/KS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 1246 PM CST FRI JAN 3 2014 NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-040000- DIVIDE-BURKE-RENVILLE-BOTTINEAU-ROLETTE-WILLIAMS-MOUNTRAIL-WARD- MCHENRY-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- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CROSBY...BOWBELLS...MOHALL... BOTTINEAU...ROLLA...WILLISTON...NEW TOWN...MINOT...TOWNER... RUGBY...WATFORD CITY...KILLDEER...BEULAH...HAZEN...CENTER... GARRISON...MCCLUSKY...HARVEY...CARRINGTON...BEACH...MEDORA... DICKINSON...MANDAN...BISMARCK...STEELE...JAMESTOWN...MARMARTH... MOTT...ELGIN...BOWMAN...HETTINGER...FORT YATES...LINTON... NAPOLEON...EDGELEY...ASHLEY...OAKES 1246 PM CST FRI JAN 3 2014 /1146 AM MST FRI JAN 3 2014/ ...LIGHT FREEZING RAIN THIS AFTERNOON... LIGHT FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON. DESPITE AIR TEMPERATURES RISING INTO THE LOWER AND MID 30S...ROADS AND SIDEWALKS WILL BE SLICK DUE TO THOSE SURFACES REMAINING BELOW FREEZING. BE PREPARED TO SLOW DOWN AND ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION. TM
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
18 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Winds gusting to forty miles per hour combined with falling snow to produce a blizzard. There were numerous reports of zero visibility received through social media.
Winds gusting to forty miles per hour combined with falling snow to produce a blizzard. There were numerous reports of zero visibility received through social media.
Winds gusting to forty miles per hour combined with falling snow to produce a blizzard. There were numerous reports of zero visibility received through social media.
Winds gusting to forty miles per hour combined with falling snow to produce a blizzard. There were numerous reports of zero visibility received through social media.
Winds gusting to forty miles per hour combined with falling snow to produce a blizzard. There were numerous reports of zero visibility received through social media.
Winds gusting to forty miles per hour combined with falling snow to produce a blizzard. There were numerous reports of zero visibility received through social media.
Winds gusting to forty miles per hour combined with falling snow to produce a blizzard. There were numerous reports of zero visibility received through social media.
Winds gusting to forty miles per hour combined with falling snow to produce a blizzard. There were numerous reports of zero visibility received through social media.
Winds gusting to forty miles per hour combined with falling snow to produce a blizzard. Transportation officials advised no travel.
Winds gusting to forty miles per hour combined with falling snow to produce a blizzard. Transportation officials advised no travel.
Winds gusting to forty miles per hour combined with falling snow to produce a blizzard. Transportation officials advised no travel.
Winds gusting to forty miles per hour combined with falling snow to produce a blizzard. Transportation officials advised no travel.
Winds gusting to forty miles per hour combined with falling snow to produce a blizzard. Transportation officials advised no travel.
Winds gusting to forty miles per hour combined with falling snow to produce a blizzard. Transportation officials advised no travel.
Winds gusting to forty miles per hour combined with a period of falling snow to produce a blizzard.
Winds gusting to forty miles per hour combined with falling snow to produce a blizzard.
Winds gusting to forty miles per hour combined with falling snow to produce a blizzard.
Winds gusting to forty miles per hour combined with falling snow to produce a blizzard.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Dakota in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, January 2014
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: 487485, 487488, 487489, 487490, 487491, 487492, 487493, 487494, 487475, 487477, 487478, 487479, 487480, 487481, 487497, 487498, 487500, 487501.