Blizzard, Le Sueur
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Le Sueur forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.371, -93.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in Minnesota, January 28 to 29, 1996
Strong northwest winds with gusts over 40 mph at times along with 2 to 5 inch snowfalls resulted in blizzard conditions over much of western and southern Minnesota. Visibilities were frequently near zero in the open country due to blowing snow.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 28 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
- 28
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.
Strong northwest winds with gusts over 40 mph at times along with 2 to 5 inch snowfalls resulted in blizzard conditions over much of western and southern Minnesota. Visibilities were frequently near zero in the open country due to blowing snow. Interstate 90 closed near Austin for a time. Several school districts closed. Snowfall of 2 inches in Rochester resulted in setting new January snowfall record.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
28 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Rice
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Rice forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.354, -93.297 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Goodhue
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Goodhue forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.410, -92.723 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Watonwan
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Watonwan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.978, -94.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Blue Earth
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Blue Earth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.035, -94.067 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Waseca
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Waseca forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.022, -93.587 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Steele
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Steele forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.022, -93.226 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Dodge
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Dodge forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.023, -92.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Olmsted
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Olmsted forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.004, -92.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Winona
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Winona forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.987, -91.779 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Martin
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Martin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.674, -94.551 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Faribault
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Faribault forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.674, -93.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Freeborn
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Freeborn forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.674, -93.349 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Mower
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Mower forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.672, -92.752 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Fillmore
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Fillmore forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.674, -92.090 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Houston
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Houston forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.671, -91.493 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Douglas
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Douglas forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.934, -95.453 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Stevens
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Stevens forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.586, -96.000 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Pope
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Pope forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.586, -95.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Lac Qui Parle
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM 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 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Swift forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.283, -95.681 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Chippewa
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Chippewa forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.022, -95.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Kandiyohi
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Kandiyohi forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.152, -95.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Yellow Medicine
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Yellow Medicine forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.716, -95.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Renville
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Renville forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.727, -94.947 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Redwood
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Redwood forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.404, -95.254 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Brown
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Brown forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.242, -94.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Nicollet
- When
- January 28, 11:00 PM CST to January 29, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Nicollet forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.350, -94.247 (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
- Cold in Washington, January 28, 1996
- Cold in Montana, January 28 to 29, 1996
- Blizzard in Iowa, January 28 to 29, 1996
- High Wind in New Mexico, January 28, 1996
- Cold in South Dakota, January 28 to 29, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, January 28 to 30, 1996
- Blizzard in Wyoming, January 28, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, January 28 to 30, 1996
- Cold in Wyoming, January 28, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, January 28 to 29, 1996
- Cold in South Dakota, January 28 to 29, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, January 28 to 29, 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: 5535359, 5535360, 5535361, 5535362, 5535363, 5535364, 5535365, 5535366, 5535367, 5535368, 5535369, 5535370, 5535371, 5535372, 5535373, 5535374, 5538901, 5538902, 5538903, 5538904, 5538905, 5538906, 5538907, 5538908, 5538909, 5538910, 5538911, 5538912.