North Dakota, 2020

Heavy Snow in North Dakota, April 1, 2020

April 1, 2020 · NWS BIS · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A potent short-wave trough passed through northwest North Dakota, resulting in heavy snow falling mainly during the morning hours. The highest snowfall report was ten inches at Bowbells in Burke County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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.

A potent short-wave trough passed through northwest North Dakota, resulting in heavy snow falling mainly during the morning hours. The highest snowfall report was ten inches at Bowbells in Burke County.

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 Apr 1, 3:11 AM CST, 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 1, 3:11 AM CST, 49 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 1, 3:18 AM CST, 42 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

3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Burke

When
April 1, 4:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where
Burke forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
48.791, -102.518 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ten inches of snow fell in Bowbells.

Heavy Snow, Divide

When
April 1, 4:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where
Divide forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
48.815, -103.487 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An estimated six inches of snow fell in eastern Divide County.

Heavy Snow, Williams

When
April 1, 4:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where
Williams forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
48.344, -103.480 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An estimated six inches of snow fell in northeastern Williams County.

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

More

Every storm in North Dakota in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, April 2020

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: 878295, 878296, 878297.