Nearly 20 Years Since Major Blizzard of ’97

April 1997 began with temperatures in the 60s, giving people hope for spring after 10 blizzards that winter

NORTH DAKOTA — It’s been nearly 20 years since a devastating April blizzard struck North Dakota.

It began as freezing rain or sleet on April 4th.

By the time it was done on the 7th, it dumped as much as 2 feet of snow in some areas.

April 1997 began with temperatures in the 60s, giving people hope for spring after 10 blizzards that winter.

But by the afternoon of April 5, heavy snow was falling across the state, with accumulations on average of 1.5 to 2 inches an hour.

The storm killed about 100,000 cattle, knocked out power to tens of thousands of people and led to massive spring flooding in eastern North Dakota.