Winter Storm, Traverse
- When
- February 3, 10:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Traverse forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.772, -96.472 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Minnesota, February 3 to 4, 1997
A winter storm dropped 5 to 6 inches of snow across Big Stone and Traverse counties deepening the already expansive snowpack. During the morning of the 4th, the wind came up from the north at 20 to 30 mph causing blowing and drifting snow making travel hazardous.
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
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.
A winter storm dropped 5 to 6 inches of snow across Big Stone and Traverse counties deepening the already expansive snowpack. During the morning of the 4th, the wind came up from the north at 20 to 30 mph causing blowing and drifting snow making travel hazardous. Several vehicles became stuck or went off the road. Schools were delayed or canceled. Some snowfall amounts include, 5 inches at Wheaton, 6 inches at Browns Valley, Artichoke Lake, and Ortonville.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Big Stone
- When
- February 3, 10:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Big Stone forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.426, -96.411 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flood in California, February 3, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Iowa, February 3 to 4, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Tennessee, February 3, 1997
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 3 to 4, 1997
- Winter Storm in South Dakota, February 3 to 4, 1997
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 3 to 4, 1997
- Heavy Snow in South Dakota, February 3 to 4, 1997
- Winter Storm in Iowa, February 3 to 4, 1997
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 3 to 4, 1997
- Winter Storm in Illinois, February 3 to 4, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Iowa, February 3 to 4, 1997
- High Surf in Hawaii, February 3 to 4, 1997
More
Every storm in Minnesota in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, February 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: 5591134, 5591135.