Blizzard, Douglas
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Douglas forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.934, -95.453 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 1996
A major winter storm brought blizzard conditions with significant snowfall to western and central Minnesota. Snowfall reached a foot or more in Little Falls, Melrose, Alexandria and Staples with 6 to 11 inches in St.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 23 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
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 23
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 MPX wrote it up.
A major winter storm brought blizzard conditions with significant snowfall to western and central Minnesota. Snowfall reached a foot or more in Little Falls, Melrose, Alexandria and Staples with 6 to 11 inches in St. Cloud, Benson and Canby. Wind gusts to 60 mph on the 18th also resulted in dangerous wind chills of 70 below to western Minnesota. Many schools and businesses were closed on the 18th. Near Blizzard conditions were found as far south as Fairmont despite significantly less snowfall. Highway 14 from New Ulm to Sleepy Eye was closed for a time due to drifting snow. One man left his car after hitting a snowbank, and became lost in the whiteout conditions. His body was found a week later about 3/4 mile away from his vehicle and about 2 miles north of the town of Foley.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
23 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Todd
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Todd forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.071, -94.898 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Morrison
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Morrison forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.013, -94.268 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Mille Lacs
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Mille Lacs forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.938, -93.630 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Kanabec
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Kanabec forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.945, -93.293 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Stevens
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Stevens forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.586, -96.000 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Pope
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pope forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.586, -95.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Stearns
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Stearns forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.552, -94.613 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Benton
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Benton forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 45.699, -93.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Sherburne
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Sherburne forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.444, -93.775 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Isanti
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Isanti forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.562, -93.295 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Chisago
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Chisago forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.503, -92.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Lac Qui Parle
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Lac Qui Parle forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.996, -96.173 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Swift
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Swift forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.283, -95.681 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Chippewa
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Chippewa forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.022, -95.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Kandiyohi
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Kandiyohi forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.152, -95.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Meeker
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Meeker forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.123, -94.527 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Wright
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wright forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.174, -93.963 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Yellow Medicine
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Yellow Medicine forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.716, -95.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Renville
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Renville forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.727, -94.947 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, McLeod
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- McLeod forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.824, -94.272 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Redwood
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Redwood forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.404, -95.254 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Brown
- When
- January 17, 9:00 AM CST to January 18, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Brown forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.242, -94.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blizzard, Benton | 1996-01-18 | 56 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
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
- High Wind in Texas, January 17, 1996
- Blizzard in South Dakota, January 17 to 18, 1996
- High Wind in Kansas, January 17 to 18, 1996
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, January 17 to 18, 1996
- Tornado in Texas, January 17, 1996
- Tornado in Texas, January 17, 1996
- Dust Storm in Arizona, January 17, 1996
- High Wind in Iowa, January 17 to 19, 1996
- Tornado in Texas, January 17, 1996
- High Wind in Texas, January 17 to 18, 1996
- Ice Storm in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 1996
- Flooding in Ohio, January 17 to 23, 1996
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: 5538395, 5538396, 5538397, 5538398, 5538399, 5538400, 5538401, 5538402, 5538403, 5538404, 5538405, 5538406, 5538407, 5538408, 5538409, 5538410, 5538411, 5538412, 5538413, 5538414, 5538415, 5538416, 5538417.