Heavy Snow in North Dakota, January 2 to 3, 2017

Name: Heavy Snow in North Dakota, January 2 to 3, 2017
Start: 2017-01-02T06:00
End: 2017-01-03T05:00
Location: North Dakota

January 2 to 3, 2017 · NWS BIS · 30 events in 30 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 26 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
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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: 30

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.

Light snow developed during the evening into the overnight hours of January 1 as an upper level wave moved through ahead of an upper level low pressure system that was moving over the Rockies. The snow briefly tapered before the low strengthened over southeast Montana. Heavier snow then developed during the morning of January 2 while the low moved into the Dakotas. The snow then tapered off from west to east late in the evening of January 2 into the early morning hours of January 3. Snow amounts were generally seven to 14 inches.

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 2, 4:37 AM CST, 1 hour 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 2, 4:37 AM CST, 1 hour 23 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 2, 3:15 AM CST, 2 hours 45 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 2, 3:23 AM CST, 2 hours 37 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 2, 3:55 AM CST, 2 hours 5 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 2, 5:58 AM CST, 2 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 2, 6:00 AM CST, 0 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

30 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Stark

When: January 2, 6:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Stark forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.811, -102.655 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Gladstone received 8.5 inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Bowman

When: January 2, 6:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Bowman forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.113, -103.521 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Bowman received seven inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Hettinger

When: January 2, 6:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Hettinger forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.433, -102.460 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

New England received seven inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Slope

When: January 2, 6:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Slope forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.447, -103.460 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Locations southwest of New England received seven inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Dunn

When: January 2, 6:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Dunn forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 47.357, -102.618 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Marshall received eight inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Mountrail

When: January 2, 6:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Mountrail forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 48.201, -102.356 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Southern Mountrail County received eight inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Adams

When: January 2, 6:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Adams forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.097, -102.528 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Adams County received seven inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Morton

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Morton forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Locations near Crown Butte Reservoir received 14 inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Burleigh

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Burleigh forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.977, -100.469 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wilton received 14 inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Sheridan

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Sheridan forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 47.575, -100.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Goodrich received 11 inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, McLean

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 12:00 AM CST
Where: McLean forecast zone
Reported by: Public

Underwood received 11.5 inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Stutsman

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Stutsman forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.979, -98.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Jamestown received 10 inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Emmons

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Emmons forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.285, -100.239 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Linton received 10 inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, La Moure

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 5:00 AM CST
Where: La Moure forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.457, -98.535 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Locations near Edgeley received 10 inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Mercer

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Mercer forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 47.309, -101.831 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hazen received 10 inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Oliver

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Oliver forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 47.115, -101.340 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Center received 10 inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Foster

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Foster forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 47.457, -98.883 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Carrington received nine inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Wells

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Wells forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 47.588, -99.661 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Harvey received eight inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Bottineau

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Bottineau forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 48.792, -100.833 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Bottineau received six inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Grant

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Grant forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 46.358, -101.640 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Pretty Rock received 10 inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Logan

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Logan forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 46.457, -99.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Napoleon received 7.5 inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Dickey

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Dickey forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 46.110, -98.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Oakes received seven inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Kidder

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Kidder forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 46.980, -99.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Steele received 9.6 inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, McHenry

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 12:00 AM CST
Where: McHenry forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 48.235, -100.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Locations near Upham received eight inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Pierce

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Pierce forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 48.250, -99.972 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Locations near Rugby received six inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Renville

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Renville forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 48.719, -101.658 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Eastern Renville County received six inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Rolette

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Rolette forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 48.772, -99.841 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Southeastern Rolette County received six inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Ward

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Ward forecast zone
Reported by: Public

Southern Ward County received eight inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, Sioux

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Sioux forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Sioux County received eight inches of snow.

Heavy Snow, McIntosh

When: January 2, 9:00 AM CST to January 3, 5:00 AM CST
Where: McIntosh forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 46.112, -99.441 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

McIntosh County received seven inches of snow.

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Dakota in 2017 Every state in 2017 This day in weather history Warnings in North Dakota, January 2017

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: 674687, 674689, 674690, 674691, 674864, 675263, 675264, 674677, 674678, 674679, 674680, 674681, 674682, 674683, 674684, 674685, 674686, 674688, 674862, 674863, 674865, 674866, 674867, 674868, 674869, 675260, 675261, 675262, 675265, 675266.