Blizzard, West Polk
- When
- December 20, 10:00 PM CST to December 21, 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- West Polk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in Minnesota, December 20 to 21, 1996
An arctic front moved southeast across the area, bringing in bitterly cold temperatures and strong winds. Whiteout conditions were common across extreme northwest Minnesota.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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 FGF wrote it up.
An arctic front moved southeast across the area, bringing in bitterly cold temperatures and strong winds. Whiteout conditions were common across extreme northwest Minnesota.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Kittson
- When
- December 20, 10:00 PM CST to December 21, 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Kittson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.777, -96.783 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, West Marshall
- When
- December 20, 10:00 PM CST to December 21, 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- West Marshall forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Blizzard
- Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Storm in California, December 20 to 23, 1996
- Heavy Snow in California, December 20 to 22, 1996
- Winter Storm in Montana, December 20 to 30, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Utah, December 20 to 24, 1996
- High Wind in Colorado, December 20, 1996
- Winter Storm in Nevada, December 20 to 23, 1996
- Blizzard in North Dakota, December 20 to 21, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, December 20 to 21, 1996
- Winter Storm in Colorado, December 20 to 21, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, December 20, 1996
- High Wind in Montana, December 20, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 20, 1996
More
Every storm in Minnesota in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, December 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5575966, 5575967, 5576140.