Central ND News

The National Weather Service announced that the blizzard of March 2-5, 1966, was one of the most severe on record, with 38 inches of snow, 70 mph winds, and at least 18 fatalities across the Great Plains. Grand Forks recorded a record 27.8 inches of snow.

According to Only in North Dakota, during the March Blizzard of 1966, nearly 140,000 livestock perished, either trapped in the snow or in barns that collapsed under the weight of the snow. Tragically, the storm also claimed the lives of several people, including two young girls who became disoriented while tending to animals in the barn. The girls wandered into the blizzard's whiteout conditions and died from exposure.

North Dakota's highway department crews demonstrated bravery by risking their lives to rescue stranded motorists. According to Inforum, these rescue efforts included helping mothers in labor get to hospitals, retrieving trapped cattle trucks, and assisting stranded basketball coaches. One dramatic rescue involved a rotary plow towing a broken-down station wagon over six hours through snowdrifts.

Inforum reports that as one local recounts: "My dad, Duane Enkers, the fireman on that train, is the fourth person from the left," sharing a personal memory of the stranded Great Northern Railway crew in Pillsbury. The crew endured days of isolation with some sleeping on depot floors without running water and surviving only by food gathered from a local store.

The National Weather Service provides weather, water, and climate data to protect lives and property. With a century of service behind it, it aims to create a "Weather-Ready Nation" ensuring communities are prepared for weather-related events.