North Dakota, 2026

Blizzard in North Dakota, January 16, 2026

January 16, 2026 · NWS FGF · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A clipper-type system brought a period of strong winds and light to locally moderate snow accumulations that resulted in localized blizzard conditions within the Red River Valley of eastern North Dakota. 1 inches.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 FGF wrote it up.

A clipper-type system brought a period of strong winds and light to locally moderate snow accumulations that resulted in localized blizzard conditions within the Red River Valley of eastern North Dakota. Snow totals ranged from around inch to 3.1 inches. The highest wind gusts ranged from 45mph to 49 mph for most of eastern North Dakota, with one gust to 58 mph at Grand Forks International Airport.

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 Grand Forks, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 16, 6:51 AM CST, 6 hours 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 16, 6:51 AM CST, 6 hours 39 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 16, 6:27 AM CST, 7 hours 3 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 16, 8:56 AM CST, 4 hours 34 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

1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Grand Forks

When
January 16, 1:30 PM CST to 6:02 PM CST
Where
Grand Forks forecast zone
Reported by
NWS Employee
Coordinates
47.922, -97.457 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Off duty NWS employee reported blizzard conditions ongoing in Grand Forks County.

What these are

Blizzard
Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Dakota in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, January 2026

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1316461.