Minnesota, 1996

Blizzard in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 1996

January 17 to 18, 1996 · NWS FSD · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A blizzard moved over the area from the northwest with snow and winds up to 45 mph. New snowfall was generally 2 to 4 inches, but schools, businesses, and other activities were brought to a halt and travel was impossible at times with zero visibility and blocked roads.

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
$90,000
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 FSD wrote it up.

A blizzard moved over the area from the northwest with snow and winds up to 45 mph. New snowfall was generally 2 to 4 inches, but schools, businesses, and other activities were brought to a halt and travel was impossible at times with zero visibility and blocked roads. Damage was mainly some downed power lines and broken pipes where furnaces failed.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Lincoln

When
January 17, 4:00 PM CST to January 18, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Lincoln forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Coordinates
44.413, -96.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Lyon

When
January 17, 4:00 PM CST to January 18, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Lyon forecast zone
Property damage
$50,000
Coordinates
44.414, -95.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Murray

When
January 17, 4:00 PM CST to January 18, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Murray forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Coordinates
44.022, -95.763 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Pipestone

When
January 17, 4:00 PM CST to January 18, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Pipestone forecast zone
Property damage
$20,000
Coordinates
44.023, -96.259 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Rock

When
January 17, 4:00 PM CST to January 18, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Rock forecast zone
Coordinates
43.675, -96.253 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Cottonwood

When
January 18, 3:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Cottonwood forecast zone
Coordinates
44.007, -95.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Nobles

When
January 18, 3:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Nobles forecast zone
Coordinates
43.674, -95.753 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Jackson

When
January 18, 3:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Jackson forecast zone
Coordinates
43.674, -95.154 (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, January 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: 5538511, 5538512, 5538513, 5538514, 5538515, 5538516, 5538517, 5538518.