Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 23 to 25, 1996

Name: Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 23 to 25, 1996
Start: 1996-03-23T21:00
End: 1996-03-25T10:00
Location: Minnesota

March 23 to 25, 1996 · NWS MPX · 41 events in 41 counties and zones

A major winter storm moved from Kansas to southeast Wisconsin during the period. Thunderstorms deposited bursts of heavy snow across the area late 3/23 into the morning of 3/24.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 41 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: 41

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 moved from Kansas to southeast Wisconsin during the period. Thunderstorms deposited bursts of heavy snow across the area late 3/23 into the morning of 3/24. Heavy snow redeveloped during the early afternoon of 3/24 across the area along with strong winds. The wind along with falling snow produced blizzard conditions across parts of southwest Minnesota with near blizzard conditions for a time across the south during the morning of 3/25. Snowfall of 6 to 10 inches was common with about 10 inches at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. 15 inches was reported at Cedar and St. Francis in Anoka county with 13 inches at Forest Lake in Chisago county. More than 400 schools closed on 3/25. Heavy rain preceded the snow across southeast Minnesota resulting in minor flooding in the St. Charles area along the south fork of the Whitewater River.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

41 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Todd

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Todd forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.071, -94.898 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Morrison

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Morrison forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.013, -94.268 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Mille Lacs

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Mille Lacs forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.938, -93.630 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Kanabec

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Kanabec forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.945, -93.293 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Stearns

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Stearns forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.552, -94.613 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Benton

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Benton forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.699, -93.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Sherburne

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Sherburne forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.444, -93.775 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Isanti

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Isanti forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.562, -93.295 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Chisago

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Chisago forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.503, -92.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lac Qui Parle

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Lac Qui Parle forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.996, -96.173 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Chippewa

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Chippewa forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.022, -95.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Kandiyohi

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Kandiyohi forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.152, -95.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Meeker

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Meeker forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.123, -94.527 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wright

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Wright forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.174, -93.963 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Hennepin

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Hennepin forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.005, -93.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Anoka

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Anoka forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.273, -93.246 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ramsey

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Ramsey forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.017, -93.100 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Washington

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.039, -92.884 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Yellow Medicine

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Yellow Medicine forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.716, -95.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Renville

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Renville forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.727, -94.947 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, McLeod

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: McLeod forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.824, -94.272 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Sibley

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Sibley forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.580, -94.232 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Carver

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Carver forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.821, -93.803 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Scott

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Scott forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.649, -93.536 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Dakota

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Dakota forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.672, -93.065 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Redwood

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Redwood forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.404, -95.254 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Brown

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.242, -94.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Nicollet

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Nicollet forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.350, -94.247 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Le Sueur

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Le Sueur forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.371, -93.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Rice

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Rice forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.354, -93.297 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Goodhue

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Goodhue forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.410, -92.723 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wabasha

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Wabasha forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.284, -92.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Watonwan

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Watonwan forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.978, -94.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Blue Earth

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Blue Earth forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.035, -94.067 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Waseca

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Waseca forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.022, -93.587 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Steele

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Steele forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.022, -93.226 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Dodge

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Dodge forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.023, -92.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Olmsted

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Olmsted forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.004, -92.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Martin

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Martin forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.674, -94.551 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Faribault

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Faribault forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.674, -93.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Freeborn

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST to March 25, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Freeborn forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.674, -93.349 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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, March 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: 5540176, 5540177, 5540178, 5540179, 5540180, 5540181, 5540182, 5540183, 5540184, 5540185, 5540186, 5540187, 5540188, 5540189, 5540190, 5540191, 5540192, 5540193, 5540194, 5540195, 5540196, 5540197, 5540198, 5540199, 5540200, 5540201, 5540202, 5540203, 5540204, 5540205, 5540206, 5540207, 5540208, 5540209, 5540210, 5540211, 5540212, 5540213, 5540214, 5540215, and more.