Minnesota, 1997

Blizzard in Minnesota, January 15, 1997

January 15, 1997 · NWS FGF · 17 events in 17 counties and zones

An arctic front plunged south across the area, bringing less than an inch of snow to northwest Minnesota. However, strong winds created blizzard conditions across the area.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 17 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
17

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 arctic front plunged south across the area, bringing less than an inch of snow to northwest Minnesota. However, strong winds created blizzard conditions across the area. Fergus Falls reported a wind gust to 55 knots and Hallock reported a gust to 45 knots. These gusty winds produced wind chills from 50 to 70 below zero. The governor ordered all schools in the state to close on the 16th, and many also were closed on the 15th. Interstate 94 was closed from Moorhead to Sauk Centre and US Highway 2 was closed from East Grand Forks to Crookston. At the governor's request, President Clinton declared Becker, Clay, Clearwater, Grant, Kittson, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau, and Wilkin counties disaster areas, due to the stress the heavy amounts of snow had brought to these counties during the course of the winter.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

17 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, West Polk

When
January 15, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
West Polk forecast zone
Coordinates
47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Norman

When
January 15, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Norman forecast zone
Coordinates
47.327, -96.455 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Clay

When
January 15, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Clay forecast zone
Coordinates
46.892, -96.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Kittson

When
January 15, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Kittson forecast zone
Coordinates
48.777, -96.783 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Roseau

When
January 15, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Roseau forecast zone
Coordinates
48.775, -95.811 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, West Marshall

When
January 15, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
West Marshall forecast zone
Coordinates
48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, East Marshall

When
January 15, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
East Marshall forecast zone
Coordinates
48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Pennington

When
January 15, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Pennington forecast zone
Coordinates
48.066, -96.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Red Lake

When
January 15, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Red Lake forecast zone
Coordinates
47.872, -96.095 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, East Polk

When
January 15, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
East Polk forecast zone
Coordinates
47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Mahnomen

When
January 15, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Mahnomen forecast zone
Coordinates
47.325, -95.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, West Becker

When
January 15, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
West Becker forecast zone
Coordinates
46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, East Becker

When
January 15, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
East Becker forecast zone
Coordinates
46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Wilkin

When
January 15, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Wilkin forecast zone
Coordinates
46.357, -96.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, West Otter Tail

When
January 15, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
West Otter Tail forecast zone
Coordinates
46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, East Otter Tail

When
January 15, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
East Otter Tail forecast zone
Coordinates
46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Grant

When
January 15, 9:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Grant forecast zone
Coordinates
45.934, -96.012 (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, January 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: 5586915, 5586916, 5586917, 5586918, 5586919, 5586920, 5586921, 5586922, 5586923, 5586924, 5586925, 5586926, 5586927, 5586928, 5586929, 5586930, 5586931.