High Wind, Stevens
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Stevens forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 45.586, -96.000 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in Minnesota, April 6 to 7, 1997
The combination of falling snow and strong gradient winds resulted in frequent white out conditions while an intense spring storm moved across northern Minnesota. Visibilities were frequently at or below one quarter mile.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 20 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
- 20
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 MPX wrote it up.
The combination of falling snow and strong gradient winds resulted in frequent white out conditions while an intense spring storm moved across northern Minnesota. Visibilities were frequently at or below one quarter mile. A wind gust to 51 knots was recorded at New Ulm while winds of 35 to 50 knots were common. The whiteout conditions resulted in multiple vehicular accidents on Interstate 35 in Rice and Steele counties. Interstate 35 was closed in both direction for several hours. Trees were knocked over in Dawson and empty chemical storage tanks were blown over in Raymond.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
20 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Blue Earth
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Blue Earth forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.035, -94.067 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Brown
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Brown forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.242, -94.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Chippewa
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Chippewa forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 45.022, -95.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Faribault
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Faribault forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 43.674, -93.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Freeborn
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Freeborn forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 43.674, -93.349 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Kandiyohi
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Kandiyohi forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 45.152, -95.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Lac Qui Parle
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Lac Qui Parle forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.996, -96.173 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Le Sueur
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Le Sueur forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.371, -93.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Martin
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Martin forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 43.674, -94.551 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, McLeod
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- McLeod forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.824, -94.272 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Nicollet
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Nicollet forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.350, -94.247 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Redwood
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Redwood forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.404, -95.254 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Renville
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Renville forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.727, -94.947 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Rice
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Rice forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.354, -93.297 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Steele
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Steele forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.022, -93.226 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Swift
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Swift forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 45.283, -95.681 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Waseca
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Waseca forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.022, -93.587 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Watonwan
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Watonwan forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 43.978, -94.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Yellow Medicine
- When
- April 6, 7:00 AM CST to April 7, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- Yellow Medicine forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 44.716, -95.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Wind in Wisconsin, April 6, 1997
- High Wind in Wisconsin, April 6, 1997
- High Wind in Iowa, April 6, 1997
- High Wind in Michigan, April 6 to 7, 1997
- High Wind in Iowa, April 6, 1997
- High Wind in Michigan, April 6 to 7, 1997
- High Wind in Illinois, April 6, 1997
- High Wind in South Dakota, April 6, 1997
- High Wind in Wisconsin, April 6, 1997
- High Wind in Wisconsin, April 6, 1997
- High Wind in Wisconsin, April 6, 1997
- High Wind in Wisconsin, April 6, 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: 5601895, 5601896, 5601897, 5601898, 5601899, 5601900, 5601901, 5601902, 5601903, 5601904, 5601905, 5601906, 5601907, 5601908, 5601909, 5601910, 5601911, 5601912, 5601913, 5601914.