Minnesota, 1997

Blizzard in Minnesota, April 5 to 6, 1997

April 5 to 6, 1997 · NWS FGF · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

With falling temperatures on the back side of the low, the freezing rain changed to snow. A strong pressure gradient created winds up to 65 mph, dropping visibilities down to near zero.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
3
Property damage
$25 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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.

With falling temperatures on the back side of the low, the freezing rain changed to snow. A strong pressure gradient created winds up to 65 mph, dropping visibilities down to near zero. The strong wind, on top of heavy ice accumulations, caused thousands of power poles to snap. This cut power to over 100,000 people in eastern North Dakota and northwest Minnesota and caused $30 million in damages to the power infrastructure. With no heat, many people had to seek shelters with generator power. Some smaller communities were without power for more than a week. Snowfall totals on the 6th ranged around 7 inches. Three men from China slid off a road 3 miles south of Borup into a water-filled ditch. Rescuers got stuck 4 times trying to reach the scene. The men were rescued just in time, suffering from hypothermia. The blizzard was especially tough on livestock, with hundreds killed. Interstate 94 was closed from Moorhead to Fergus Falls and US Highway 2 was closed from East Grand Forks to Crookston.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, West Polk

When
April 5, 2:30 PM CST to April 6, 8:00 PM CST
Where
West Polk forecast zone
Property damage
$5.0 million
Coordinates
47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Norman

When
April 5, 2:30 PM CST to April 6, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Norman forecast zone
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$5.0 million
Coordinates
47.327, -96.455 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Clay

When
April 5, 2:30 PM CST to April 6, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Clay forecast zone
Property damage
$5.0 million
Coordinates
46.892, -96.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Kittson

When
April 5, 2:30 PM CST to April 6, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Kittson forecast zone
Property damage
$5.0 million
Coordinates
48.777, -96.783 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, West Marshall

When
April 5, 2:30 PM CST to April 6, 8:00 PM CST
Where
West Marshall forecast zone
Property damage
$5.0 million
Coordinates
48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Wilkin

When
April 5, 2:30 PM CST to April 6, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Wilkin forecast zone
Coordinates
46.357, -96.468 (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 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: 5591900, 5591901, 5591902, 5591903, 5591904, 5591905.