Blizzard in Minnesota, December 16 to 19, 1996

A powerful Alberta Clipper and a slow moving deep Arctic high pressure brought widespread prolonged blizzard conditions to Big Stone and Traverse counties. The clipper dropped from 2 to 4 inches of snowfall on top of the already expansive and deep snow cover of 1 to 2 feet. Conditions deteriorated throughout the afternoon of the 16th, with a full fledged blizzard by the morning of the 17th. North winds of 30 to 40 mph gusting to 50 mph brought visibilities to near zero and caused heavy drifting, making travel impossible. All schools were closed for several days. Some people had to be rescued from their vehicles after getting stuck in big snowdrifts or going into the ditch because of poor visibilities. Farmers and ranchers had problems getting feed to their livestock. Mail was delayed for some people up to several days with a backup of Christmas packages. Most roads were closed or blocked from the huge snowdrifts, leaving some people stranded to wait out the storm. Snowplows had an extremely difficult time because they could not see the road or the roads would become drifted over a short time after they were plowed. There were some accidents with mainly minor injuries. Many emergency personnel and road crews were working extended hours to keep up with the storm. All sports and other activities were canceled or postponed.