Minnesota, 1996

Blizzard in Minnesota, February 10, 1996

February 10, 1996 · NWS ABR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

An intense area of low pressure and an Arctic high created high winds of 35 to 50 mph with gusts to around 65 mph. The high winds combined with the falling snow and the snow on the ground to create blizzard conditions in the afternoon and evening.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
2

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 ABR wrote it up.

An intense area of low pressure and an Arctic high created high winds of 35 to 50 mph with gusts to around 65 mph. The high winds combined with the falling snow and the snow on the ground to create blizzard conditions in the afternoon and evening.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Traverse

When
February 10, 1:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Traverse forecast zone
Coordinates
45.772, -96.472 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Big Stone

When
February 10, 1:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Big Stone forecast zone
Coordinates
45.426, -96.411 (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

More

Every storm in Minnesota in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, February 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: 5542116, 5542117.