Ice Storm, West Polk
- When
- April 4, 12:00 PM CST to April 6, 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- West Polk forecast zone
- Property damage
- $2.0 million
- Coordinates
- 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm in Minnesota, April 4 to 6, 1997
8 inches, tracked from Fergus Falls to International Falls. The initial rain was accompanied by thunder and lightning in Polk county, and then changed to freezing rain as the temperature fell.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $18 million
- 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 FGF wrote it up.
An intense low pressure system, with center pressures around 28.8 inches, tracked from Fergus Falls to International Falls. The initial rain was accompanied by thunder and lightning in Polk county, and then changed to freezing rain as the temperature fell. One-half to one inch of ice built up on exposed surfaces. Hundreds of power poles and lines snapped due to the weight of the ice, cutting power to many homes and businesses, many of which were beginning to fight the spring flood. The wind equipment froze up on ASOS and AWOS units across northwest Minnesota, and remained frozen for 7 days. The 3 inches of liquid equivalent from the storm fell on top of a record snowpack.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
9 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Ice Storm, Norman
- When
- April 4, 12:00 PM CST to April 6, 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Norman forecast zone
- Property damage
- $2.0 million
- Coordinates
- 47.327, -96.455 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Clay
- When
- April 4, 12:00 PM CST to April 6, 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Property damage
- $2.0 million
- Coordinates
- 46.892, -96.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Kittson
- When
- April 4, 12:00 PM CST to April 6, 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Kittson forecast zone
- Property damage
- $2.0 million
- Coordinates
- 48.777, -96.783 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Roseau
- When
- April 4, 12:00 PM CST to April 6, 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Roseau forecast zone
- Property damage
- $2.0 million
- Coordinates
- 48.775, -95.811 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, West Marshall
- When
- April 4, 12:00 PM CST to April 6, 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- West Marshall forecast zone
- Property damage
- $2.0 million
- Coordinates
- 48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, East Marshall
- When
- April 4, 12:00 PM CST to April 6, 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- East Marshall forecast zone
- Property damage
- $2.0 million
- Coordinates
- 48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Pennington
- When
- April 4, 12:00 PM CST to April 6, 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Pennington forecast zone
- Property damage
- $2.0 million
- Coordinates
- 48.066, -96.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Red Lake
- When
- April 4, 12:00 PM CST to April 6, 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Red Lake forecast zone
- Property damage
- $2.0 million
- Coordinates
- 47.872, -96.095 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Ice Storm
- Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Blizzard in North Dakota, April 4 to 7, 1997
- Ice Storm in North Dakota, April 4 to 5, 1997
- Flash Flood in Arkansas, April 4, 1997
- Blizzard in Wyoming, April 4 to 6, 1997
- Blizzard in Nebraska, April 4 to 6, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, April 4, 1997
- Tornado in Louisiana, April 4, 1997
- Tornado in Arkansas, April 4, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, April 4, 1997
- Flash Flood in Louisiana, April 4 to 5, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, April 4, 1997
- Tornadoes in Texas, April 4, 1997
More
Every storm in Minnesota in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, April 1997
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: 5591890, 5591891, 5591892, 5591893, 5591894, 5591895, 5591896, 5591897, 5591898.