A deep upper level trough approached the Northern Plains and combined with a surface low lifting through eastern South Dakota to produce up to eight inches of snow over parts of south central North Dakota into the James River Valley.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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 deep upper level trough approached the Northern Plains and combined with a surface low lifting through eastern South Dakota to produce up to eight inches of snow over parts of south central North Dakota into the 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 Dec 15, 6:42 PM CST, 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 642 PM CST TUE DEC 15 2015 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 642 PM CST TUE DEC 15 2015 WE MADE ANOTHER MINOR UPDATE TO FURTHER REFINE/SLIGHTLY SLOW DOWN THE RAMP-UP IN THE HOURLY CHANCE OF SNOW ACROSS THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY IN A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT WITH THE NWS OFFICE IN GRAND FORKS. UPDATE ISSUED AT 549 PM CST TUE DEC 15 2015 NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WITH THIS UPDATE CYCLE OTHER THAN TO USE A TIME-LAGGED ENSEMBLE OF RECENT HRRR AND WRF-ARW/WRF-NMM MODEL RUNS TO SLOW THE ADVANCE OF SNOW INTO THE AREA SLIGHTLY. REGARDLESS...A LARGE AREA OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW IN SD IS LIFTING NORTH AND IS ON TRACK TO ENTER SOUTHERN ND BY MID TO LATE EVENING. WE DO SEE A SUBTLE TREND WESTWARD IN THE MOST RECENT HRRR/RAP SIMULATIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE POSITION OF THE DEFORMATION BAND AND THUS HEAVIEST SNOW WITH THE INCOMING SYSTEM...WHICH WILL REQUIRE MONITORING. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 220 PM CST TUE DEC 15 2015 MAIN ISSUE IN THE SHORT TERM IS THE WINTER STORM. LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE NOW PLACES THE HEAVIEST SNOW THROUGH THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY BEGINNING THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY. MODEL SOUNDINGS SUGGEST THIS AREA WILL HAVE A DEEP DENDRITIC GROWTH ZONE OF -10 TO -20C WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOW IS EXPECTED ROUGHLY BETWEEN MIDNIGHT NOON WEDNESDAY. MODELS ALSO SHOW A DEFORMATION ZONE SHOULD FOCUS DEEP LIFT AND FOCUS THE HEAVIEST SNOW IN THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY. WINDS WILL NOT BE SUFFICIENT TO CREATE BLOWING/DRIFTING SNOW AS EXPECT THE CHARACTER OF THE SNOW TO BE A BIT WETTISH. LIGHT SNOW WITH LITTLE ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST WITH THE SOUTHWEST IN A LOW END ADVISORY AROUND 3 OR 4 INCHES. .LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY) ISSUED AT 220 PM CST TUE DEC 15 2015 SOME SCATTERED LIGHT SNOW WILL LINGER WEDNESDAY NIGHT...THEN COLD AIR ARRIVES THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. HIGH PRESSURE AND COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL PUSH INTO NORTH DAKOTA THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES AROUND ZERO ARE EXPECTED FOR OVERNIGHT LOWS FRIDAY WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE TEENS FOR HIGHS. WARM AIR ADVECTION KICKS IN THIS WEEKEND AS LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS IN MONTANA AND WINDS SHIFT OUT OF THE SOUTH. TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY REBOUND INTO THE 30S ACROSS LOCATIONS WITH MINOR SNOWPACK. MORE ACTIVE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE NEXT WEEK WITH SEVERAL WAVES INDICATED BY THE LONG TERM MODELS. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 549 PM CST TUE DEC 15 2015 WIDESPREAD IFR TO LIFR CONDITIONS WITH LOW CEILINGS AND/OR REDUCED VISIBILITY IN SNOW ARE EXPECTED AT MOST LOCATIONS ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL ND TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. SNOW WILL BE HEAVIEST OVER PARTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL ND INTO THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE BY WEDNESDAY TOO WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 KT. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY FOR NDZ023-025-036- 037-045>048-050-051. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST /5 PM MST/ WEDNESDAY FOR NDZ005-013-022-034-035-040>044. && UPDATE...CJS SHORT TERM...WAA LONG TERM...AJ AVIATION...CJS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 606 PM CST TUE DEC 15 2015 NDZ023-025-036-037-045>048-050-051-170015- WELLS-FOSTER-KIDDER-STUTSMAN-SIOUX-EMMONS-LOGAN-LA MOURE-MCINTOSH- DICKEY- 606 PM CST TUE DEC 15 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES ARE EXPECTED. PLEASE SEE WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BIS FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE WINTER STORM WARNING CONTINUES INTO WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. SEE WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BIS FOR DETAILS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. NDZ005-013-022-034-035-040>044-170015- ROLETTE-PIERCE-SHERIDAN-MORTON-BURLEIGH-SLOPE-HETTINGER-GRANT- BOWMAN-ADAMS- 606 PM CST TUE DEC 15 2015 /506 PM MST TUE DEC 15 2015/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES ARE EXPECTED. PLEASE SEE WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BIS FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY CONTINUES INTO WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. SEE WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BIS FOR DETAILS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. NDZ001>004-009>012-017>021-031>033-170015- DIVIDE-BURKE-RENVILLE-BOTTINEAU-WILLIAMS-MOUNTRAIL-WARD-MCHENRY- MCKENZIE-DUNN-MERCER-OLIVER-MCLEAN-GOLDEN VALLEY-BILLINGS-STARK- 606 PM CST TUE DEC 15 2015 /506 PM MST TUE DEC 15 2015/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...NORTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA...SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. CJS/WAA
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Locations near Ashley and Zeeland received eight inches of snow.
Selfridge received seven inches of snow.
Linton received seven inches of snow.
Western Dickey County received an estimated seven inches of snow. Visibility was briefly reduced to under one-quarter mile due to snow and blowing snow in Ellendale during the early morning hours of December 16.
Western LaMoure County received an estimated seven inches of snow.
Southern Logan County received an estimated seven inches of snow.
Streeter received six inches of snow.
Eastern Kidder County received an estimated six inches of snow.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Dakota in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, December 2015
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: 606649, 606652, 606653, 606682, 606690, 606691, 606661, 606700.