Minnesota, 1996

Winter Weather in Minnesota, April 12, 1996

April 12, 1996 · NWS DLH · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A low pressure system moving across Iowa and northern Illinois brought a late-season mix of snow, sleet, rain, and freezing rain to northeast Minnesota, mainly south of Duluth, from Brainerd to Hinckley. Two to three inches of snow fell on roads glazed by sleet and freezing rain, resulting in numerous traffic accidents.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS DLH wrote it up.

A low pressure system moving across Iowa and northern Illinois brought a late-season mix of snow, sleet, rain, and freezing rain to northeast Minnesota, mainly south of Duluth, from Brainerd to Hinckley. Two to three inches of snow fell on roads glazed by sleet and freezing rain, resulting in numerous traffic accidents. The 1.5 inches of snow that fell in Duluth pushed that city's total seasonal snowfall to a new record.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Northern Cass

When
April 12, 2:30 PM CST to 8:30 PM CST
Where
Northern Cass forecast zone
Coordinates
46.950, -94.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Southern Itasca

When
April 12, 2:30 PM CST to 8:30 PM CST
Where
Southern Itasca forecast zone
Coordinates
47.510, -93.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Southern Cass

When
April 12, 2:30 PM CST to 8:30 PM CST
Where
Southern Cass forecast zone
Coordinates
46.950, -94.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Crow Wing

When
April 12, 2:30 PM CST to 8:30 PM CST
Where
Crow Wing forecast zone
Coordinates
46.482, -94.071 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Northern Aitkin

When
April 12, 2:30 PM CST to 8:30 PM CST
Where
Northern Aitkin forecast zone
Coordinates
46.608, -93.415 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Southern Aitkin

When
April 12, 2:30 PM CST to 8:30 PM CST
Where
Southern Aitkin forecast zone
Coordinates
46.608, -93.415 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Southern St. Louis / Carlton

When
April 12, 2:30 PM CST to 8:30 PM CST
Where
Southern St. Louis / Carlton forecast zone
Coordinates
47.091, -92.569 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Pine

When
April 12, 2:30 PM CST to 8:30 PM CST
Where
Pine forecast zone
Coordinates
46.121, -92.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Minnesota in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, April 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5583276, 5583277, 5583278, 5583279, 5583280, 5583281, 5583282, 5583283.