Blizzard, Pipestone
- When
- March 24, 12:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pipestone forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 44.023, -96.259 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in Minnesota, March 24 to 25, 1996
3 to 6 inches of snow combined with winds gusting over 50 mph to produce widespread whiteout conditions. and low visibility contributed to people stranded in vehicles and several accidents.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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
- $120,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 8
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 FSD wrote it up.
3 to 6 inches of snow combined with winds gusting over 50 mph to produce widespread whiteout conditions. The drifting...slippery conditions...and low visibility contributed to people stranded in vehicles and several accidents. A fatality occurred near Heron Lake in Jackson County when a man left his car and died of exposure. The snow, wind, and some freezing rain which preceeded the snow caused the downing of at least 27 power poles in Lincoln County, and the downing of other power lines, resulting in power outages. Wind chills were as low as 40 below zero. Businesses and schools were closed or forced to delay opening.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
8 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Rock
- When
- March 24, 12:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Rock forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 43.675, -96.253 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Lincoln
- When
- March 24, 12:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Lincoln forecast zone
- Property damage
- $40,000
- Coordinates
- 44.413, -96.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Lyon
- When
- March 24, 12:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Lyon forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 44.414, -95.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Murray
- When
- March 24, 12:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Murray forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 44.022, -95.763 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Cottonwood
- When
- March 24, 12:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cottonwood forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 44.007, -95.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Nobles
- When
- March 24, 12:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Nobles forecast zone
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Coordinates
- 43.674, -95.753 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Jackson
- When
- March 24, 12:00 PM CST to March 25, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 43.674, -95.154 (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, Jackson | 1996-03-25 | 24 | 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
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, March 24 to 25, 1996
- Blizzard in South Dakota, March 24 to 25, 1996
- Avalanche in New Hampshire, March 24, 1996
- Winter Storm in Michigan, March 24 to 25, 1996
- Hail in Texas, March 24, 1996
- Tornado in Arkansas, March 24, 1996
- Hail in Texas, March 24, 1996
- Hail in Texas, March 24, 1996
- Hail in Texas, March 24, 1996
- High Wind in Iowa, March 24 to 25, 1996
- Blizzard in Iowa, March 24 to 25, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, March 24, 1996
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: 5546505, 5546506, 5549792, 5549793, 5549794, 5549795, 5549796, 5549797.