Minnesota, 1997

Cold in Minnesota, April 6 to 12, 1997

April 6 to 12, 1997 · NWS ABR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

After the blizzard, extremely cold air settled over the area for around a week with high and low temperatures averaging 25 to 30 degrees below normal. Highs were mainly in the 20s and lower 30s through the period with lows in the single digits and teens.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 ABR wrote it up.

After the blizzard, extremely cold air settled over the area for around a week with high and low temperatures averaging 25 to 30 degrees below normal. Highs were mainly in the 20s and lower 30s through the period with lows in the single digits and teens. The cold weather did bring to a halt any further melting which slowed down the flooding and refroze much of the area's water. Many things that were flooded were now locked in a layer of ice.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Traverse

When
April 6, 12:00 AM CST to April 12, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Traverse forecast zone
Coordinates
45.772, -96.472 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Big Stone

When
April 6, 12:00 AM CST to April 12, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Big Stone forecast zone
Coordinates
45.426, -96.411 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill
Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

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: 5599137, 5599138.