Blizzard in Minnesota, January 26 to 27, 1996

Name: Blizzard in Minnesota, January 26 to 27, 1996
Start: 1996-01-26T11:00
End: 1996-01-27T03:00
Location: Minnesota

January 26 to 27, 1996 · NWS MPX · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Heavy snow and strong winds brought blizzard conditions to a portion of the area. Caledonia reported 14 inches, 10 inches at Lanesboro and Winona, 8 inches at Rochester and Austin.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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.

Heavy snow and strong winds brought blizzard conditions to a portion of the area. Caledonia reported 14 inches, 10 inches at Lanesboro and Winona, 8 inches at Rochester and Austin. Many roads were closed in Southeast Minnesota due to blowing snow and drifts as high as 15 feet in Houston County. 200 cars were abandoned on Interstate 90.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Wabasha

When: January 26, 11:00 AM CST to January 27, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Wabasha forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.284, -92.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Dodge

When: January 26, 11:00 AM CST to January 27, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Dodge forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.023, -92.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Olmsted

When: January 26, 11:00 AM CST to January 27, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Olmsted forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.004, -92.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Winona

When: January 26, 11:00 AM CST to January 27, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Winona forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.987, -91.779 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Mower

When: January 26, 11:00 AM CST to January 27, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Mower forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.672, -92.752 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Fillmore

When: January 26, 11:00 AM CST to January 27, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Fillmore forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.674, -92.090 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Houston

When: January 26, 11:00 AM CST to January 27, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Houston forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.671, -91.493 (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

Every storm in Minnesota in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5538880, 5538881, 5538882, 5538883, 5538884, 5538885, 5538886.