Minnesota, 1996

Blizzard in Minnesota, March 24 to 25, 1996

March 24 to 25, 1996 · NWS MPX · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

Snowfall of 4 to 8 inches combined with frequent winds over 40 mph to produce frequent whiteout conditions for a prolonged period. Worthington reported a wind gust to 68 mph.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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
9

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.

Snowfall of 4 to 8 inches combined with frequent winds over 40 mph to produce frequent whiteout conditions for a prolonged period. Worthington reported a wind gust to 68 mph.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Chippewa

When
March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Chippewa forecast zone
Coordinates
45.022, -95.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Yellow Medicine

When
March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Yellow Medicine forecast zone
Coordinates
44.716, -95.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Renville

When
March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Renville forecast zone
Coordinates
44.727, -94.947 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Redwood

When
March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Redwood forecast zone
Coordinates
44.404, -95.254 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Brown

When
March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Brown forecast zone
Coordinates
44.242, -94.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Watonwan

When
March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Watonwan forecast zone
Coordinates
43.978, -94.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Martin

When
March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Martin forecast zone
Coordinates
43.674, -94.551 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Swift

When
March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Swift forecast zone
Coordinates
45.283, -95.681 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Lac Qui Parle

When
March 24, 1:00 PM CST to March 25, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Lac Qui Parle forecast zone
Coordinates
44.996, -96.173 (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, 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: 5540169, 5540170, 5540171, 5540172, 5540173, 5540174, 5540175, 5541449, 5541450.