On Jan. 12, 1888, after days of brutally cold weather, temperatures moderated enough to allow the kids to go to school again and for others to go into town for supplies. But by the end of the day, the region was struck by a fierce blast of arctic air behind an Alberta Clipper that brought winds of up to 70 mph, 3 to 6 inches of snow and zero visibility.
It struck at the worst possible time, when children were in school or heading home. Teachers faced with the choice of sending the youngsters home or keeping them in school without enough heat for the night often opted to send them home.
By the next morning, more than 200 people had died in the blizzard, most of them schoolchildren. This storm is often referred to as "The Children's Blizzard" because of the high death toll among schoolchildren.
The record low for today is minus 36 degrees, set after that horrible blizzard in 1888.
Have a weather question you'd like answered? E-mail weather@wday.com , or write to WDAY Stormtracker, WDAY-TV, Box 2466, Fargo, ND 58108
