Blizzard, West Polk
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- West Polk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in Minnesota, November 16 to 17, 1996
Heavy snow, strong winds, and cold temperatures gripped the area during the first blizzard of the season. Northwest winds gusted from 25 to 45 mph, with the station at Fargo, ND reporting numerous gusts to 42 knots.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 24 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
- 24
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 FGF wrote it up.
Heavy snow, strong winds, and cold temperatures gripped the area during the first blizzard of the season. Northwest winds gusted from 25 to 45 mph, with the station at Fargo, ND reporting numerous gusts to 42 knots. 8 to 13 inches of snow fell across the entire area, with 13.5 inches of snow reported in Fargo and 11 inches of snow in Grand Forks. US Highway 2 was closed from East Grand Forks to Crookston.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
24 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Norman
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Norman forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.327, -96.455 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Clay
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.892, -96.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Kittson
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Kittson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.777, -96.783 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Roseau
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Roseau forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.775, -95.811 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Lake of the Woods
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Lake of the Woods forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.771, -94.905 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, West Marshall
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- West Marshall forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, East Marshall
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- East Marshall forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, North Beltrami
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- North Beltrami forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.974, -94.938 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Pennington
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pennington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.066, -96.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Red Lake
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Red Lake forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.872, -96.095 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, East Polk
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- East Polk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, North Clearwater
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- North Clearwater forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.578, -95.379 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, South Beltrami
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- South Beltrami forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.974, -94.938 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Mahnomen
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Mahnomen forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.325, -95.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, South Clearwater
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- South Clearwater forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.578, -95.379 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Hubbard
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hubbard forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.109, -94.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, West Becker
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- West Becker forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, East Becker
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- East Becker forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Wilkin
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wilkin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.357, -96.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, West Otter Tail
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- West Otter Tail forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, East Otter Tail
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- East Otter Tail forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Wadena
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wadena forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.586, -94.969 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Grant
- When
- November 16, 4:00 PM CST to November 17, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Grant forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.934, -96.012 (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
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, November 16 to 21, 1996
- Coastal Flood in Texas, November 16 to 17, 1996
- Coastal Flood in Louisiana, November 16 to 17, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Kansas, November 16, 1996
- Winter Storm in South Dakota, November 16 to 17, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Oklahoma, November 16, 1996
- Blizzard in North Dakota, November 16 to 17, 1996
- Heavy Snow in South Dakota, November 16, 1996
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, November 16 to 17, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Oklahoma, November 16, 1996
- Flooding in Kansas, November 16 to 19, 1996
- Heavy Snow in South Dakota, November 16, 1996
More
Every storm in Minnesota in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, November 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: 5575456, 5575457, 5575458, 5575459, 5575460, 5575461, 5575462, 5575463, 5575464, 5575465, 5575466, 5575467, 5575468, 5575469, 5575470, 5575471, 5575472, 5575473, 5575474, 5575475, 5575476, 5575477, 5575478, 5575479.