Blizzard, West Polk
- When
- February 27, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- West Polk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in Minnesota, February 27, 1996
Large snowfall amounts, compounded by increasing wind speeds, brought near zero visibility to the area. Most snowfall reports were in the 6 to 10 inch range.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 14 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
- 14
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.
Large snowfall amounts, compounded by increasing wind speeds, brought near zero visibility to the area. Most snowfall reports were in the 6 to 10 inch range. The weather forced many schools to close, pushing the number of winter weather closures to significant numbers.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
14 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Norman
- When
- February 27, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Norman forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.327, -96.455 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Clay
- When
- February 27, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.892, -96.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Kittson
- When
- February 27, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Kittson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.777, -96.783 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Roseau
- When
- February 27, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Roseau forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.775, -95.811 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, West Marshall
- When
- February 27, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- West Marshall forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, East Marshall
- When
- February 27, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- East Marshall forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Pennington
- When
- February 27, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pennington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.066, -96.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Red Lake
- When
- February 27, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Red Lake forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.872, -96.095 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, East Polk
- When
- February 27, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- East Polk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Mahnomen
- When
- February 27, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Mahnomen forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.325, -95.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, West Becker
- When
- February 27, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- West Becker forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Wilkin
- When
- February 27, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wilkin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.357, -96.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, West Otter Tail
- When
- February 27, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- West Otter Tail forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.409, -95.708 (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
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, February 27 to 28, 1996
- Cold in New Hampshire, February 27, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, February 27, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Ohio, February 27, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Illinois, February 27, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Mississippi, February 27, 1996
- Heat in West Virginia, February 27, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Arkansas, February 27, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Alabama, February 27, 1996
- Blizzard in North Dakota, February 27, 1996
- Hail in West Virginia, February 27, 1996
- Tornado in Texas, February 27, 1996
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: 5576646, 5576647, 5576648, 5576649, 5576650, 5576651, 5576652, 5576819, 5576820, 5576821, 5576822, 5576823, 5576824, 5576825.