Blizzard, Traverse
- When
- January 22, 7:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Traverse forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.772, -96.472 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in Minnesota, January 22, 1997
North winds of 25 to 40 mph along with the existing snow cover resulted in blizzard conditions and extreme wind chills across Big Stone and Traverse counties. The low visibilities and drifting snow made travel almost impossible with many schools again closed.
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.
North winds of 25 to 40 mph along with the existing snow cover resulted in blizzard conditions and extreme wind chills across Big Stone and Traverse counties. The low visibilities and drifting snow made travel almost impossible with many schools again closed.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Big Stone
- When
- January 22, 7:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Big Stone forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.426, -96.411 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- 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
- Winter Weather in New York, January 22, 1997
- Flash Flood in California, January 22, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Utah, January 22 to 23, 1997
- Winter Weather in Vermont, January 22, 1997
- Heavy Snow in California, January 22, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, January 22, 1997
- Winter Weather in New York, January 22, 1997
- Winter Storm in Minnesota, January 22, 1997
- Winter Weather in New Jersey, January 22, 1997
- Flash Flooding in California, January 22, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 22 to 23, 1997
- Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, January 22, 1997
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: 5590530, 5590531.