Blizzard in Renville, North Dakota

Strong northwest winds with gusts in excess of 35 mph, reduced visibilities in blowing snow to 1/4 mile or less, and created treacherous road conditions with ice and snow cover. Two (2) indirect fatalities and three (3) indirect injuries in a car accident due to icy roads near the Glenburn/Lansford area.

The winter storm system that brought heavy snow to West and Central North Dakota Wednesday February 28th (See Storm Data entries for February) through early Thursday March 1st, intensified as it moved towards and into Wisconsin later Thursday and Friday March 2nd. In addition to additional light snow accumulations (1 to 3 inches), strong northwest winds developed early Friday morning, and continued into Friday evening.

Winds of 30 to 45 mph were recorded across central North Dakota for much of Friday. These winds, in combination with recent snowfall of 5 to 12 inches, created widespread areas of significant blowing and drifting snow with near zero visibilities. Conditions were much worse in the open country than they were within urban areas, as numerous rural roadways became impassable due to large snow drifts. As a result, no travel was advised for much of central North Dakota, along with several highways being closed including Interstate 94 from Bismarck to Fargo.