The Tragic Blizzard of March 2–5, 1966 Storm

The blizzard of 1966 in North Dakota was one of the most severe in the state’s history. It began on March 2nd, covering the southern half of the state and spreading northward by the next day.

By Friday, the entire state was affected by the blizzard, with the exception of three extreme northwestern counties, which experienced high winds and dust storms but no snowfall.

The winds during the storm were reported to be over 70 mph and continued for up to four days in some areas. Snowfall reached as much as 38 inches in the northeastern part of the state and was piled into mountainous drifts that were 30 to 40 feet high in many places. This caused widespread disruption and closures, with schools, businesses, newspapers, and all forms of transportation shutting down. It was the first time in the history of many towns that such measures had to be taken.

During the blizzard, temperatures were generally in the teens, with below-zero temperatures not being reported until the weekend after the blizzard had passed. This lack of extremely cold temperatures, which are typically associated with severe North Dakota blizzards, likely contributed to the relatively low number of deaths caused directly by the storm. The timely issuance of warnings, along with effective communication and dissemination, likely helped to minimize deaths. None of the deaths were attributed to a lack of warnings or forecasts, which have been a factor in past blizzard-related deaths.

Five people in North Dakota lost their lives due to the effects related to the storm. A six-year-old girl from Strasburg, fully dressed for the outdoors, became separated from her two brothers when the children went from their home to a nearby barn. She was found two days later, a quarter of a mile away from home, deceased from hypothermia.

Another girl, aged 12, from Woodworth, ventured out of her house to close the door of a chicken coop. She was never seen alive again after she started to return to the house, located around 100 feet away. Her frozen body was discovered the following day, a half-mile away from home.

Three elderly men passed away due to heart attacks, likely caused by over-exertion. A 60-year-old man in Linton died in his car after attempting to free it from a ditch it had skidded into. A janitor was found inside a school building where he had collapsed while shoveling snow from the sidewalks. The third man, aged 73, a farmer from Driscoll, was found frozen to death in his farm yard, just a few yards from his home. Many minor injuries related to the storm occurred, but none proved fatal.

The damage to livestock was significant, with an estimated loss of 18,500 cattle, 7,500 sheep, and 600 hogs. On a farm in eastern North Dakota, 7,000 turkeys perished. Many cattle suffocated in barns that were completely sealed by massive snow drifts. Pole barns, where the stock was herded before the storm, collapsed resulting in many dead and injured animals. The total loss of livestock was estimated at close to 4 million dollars.

The relentless high winds piled snow in corrals and feedlots. Cattle, in their movements, trampled and compacted the snow until the level of the snow became higher than the fence. The cattle then wandered off and died in open fields.

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