Posted in North Dakota January 20, 2018 by Leah

In 1983, North Dakota Plunged Into An Arctic Freeze That Makes This Year’s Winter Look Downright Mild

This year’s winter in North Dakota has been pretty harsh so far. It’s even broken records and surpassed Antarctica in temperature with numbers as low as -58 degrees. Throw in the wind and snow and we’ve had some pretty dangerous conditions so far. This hasn’t been the state’s worst winter by far, however. Some may and some may not remember the winter of 1983-84 here in the Peace Garden State. That winter makes this year’s look downright mild, and here’s why:

In late December of 1983, North Dakota plunged into an arctic freeze unlike any other.

December 22nd alone had most of North Dakota with windchills at 100 below zero — and that's not an exaggeration. It really was that outrageously cold.

Williston, ND had its record-breaking temp at -50, not including the windchill, and many parts of the rest of the state never saw temps above 0 for days.

Not only was there this extreme cold that winter, later in the season in February of 1984, there was a massive blizzard that went down in history. Driving during that blizzard was nearly impossible with pretty much no visibility.

Hundreds of cars became stuck in snow drifts, ditches, or otherwise abandoned during the blizzard. Unfortunately, it also caused multiple deaths due to exposure when people left their stuck vehicles and tried to walk through the storm.

With such frigid temperatures and a snowstorm that is known as one of North Dakota's worst, it makes this winter look like a warm walk in the park.

Do you remember that winter? It’s crazy how cold and snowy it was! It certainly puts other winters to shame. Check out more of North Dakota’s worst winters by clicking here — and yes, this one made the list of course!

In 1983, North Dakota Plunged Into An Arctic Freeze That Makes This Year’s Winter Look Downright Mild

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