Minnesota, 1997

Blizzard in Minnesota, January 9 to 10, 1997

January 9 to 10, 1997 · NWS MPX · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

Sustained winds of 30 to 45 mph with gusts to 50 mph at times produced blizzard conditions for over a 24 hour period and paralyzed much of west central into portions of south central Minnesota. The winds in combination with cold temperatures produced windchills in the 40 to 70 degree below range.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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
16

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.

Sustained winds of 30 to 45 mph with gusts to 50 mph at times produced blizzard conditions for over a 24 hour period and paralyzed much of west central into portions of south central Minnesota. The winds in combination with cold temperatures produced windchills in the 40 to 70 degree below range. Wind chills of 71 degrees below zero were reported west of St. James at 8 am on 1/10. Interstate 94 was closed north of Sauk Centre and Interstate 90 was closed west of Fairmont. Most roads were closed from Morris and Appleton to Fairmont west to the Dakota border. Visibilities were frequently near zero and many roads were blown shut. A number of locations near Clarkfield, Madison, Dawson, and Minneota lost electrical power due to the strong winds. The winds finally began to diminish late in the day on 1/10, but extreme wind chills lingered over the area into the morning hours of 1/12. One man stranded in his vehicle for 43 hours near the town of Renville. Numerous schools closed on 1/9 and 1/10.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Douglas

When
January 9, 3:00 PM CST to January 10, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Douglas forecast zone
Coordinates
45.934, -95.453 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Stevens

When
January 9, 3:00 PM CST to January 10, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Stevens forecast zone
Coordinates
45.586, -96.000 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Pope

When
January 9, 3:00 PM CST to January 10, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Pope forecast zone
Coordinates
45.586, -95.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Lac Qui Parle

When
January 9, 3:00 PM CST to January 10, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Lac Qui Parle forecast zone
Coordinates
44.996, -96.173 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Swift

When
January 9, 3:00 PM CST to January 10, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Swift forecast zone
Coordinates
45.283, -95.681 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Chippewa

When
January 9, 3:00 PM CST to January 10, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Chippewa forecast zone
Coordinates
45.022, -95.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Kandiyohi

When
January 9, 3:00 PM CST to January 10, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Kandiyohi forecast zone
Coordinates
45.152, -95.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Yellow Medicine

When
January 9, 3:00 PM CST to January 10, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Yellow Medicine forecast zone
Coordinates
44.716, -95.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Renville

When
January 9, 3:00 PM CST to January 10, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Renville forecast zone
Coordinates
44.727, -94.947 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Redwood

When
January 9, 3:00 PM CST to January 10, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Redwood forecast zone
Coordinates
44.404, -95.254 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Brown

When
January 9, 3:00 PM CST to January 10, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Brown forecast zone
Coordinates
44.242, -94.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Nicollet

When
January 9, 3:00 PM CST to January 10, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Nicollet forecast zone
Coordinates
44.350, -94.247 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Watonwan

When
January 9, 3:00 PM CST to January 10, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Watonwan forecast zone
Coordinates
43.978, -94.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Blue Earth

When
January 9, 3:00 PM CST to January 10, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Blue Earth forecast zone
Coordinates
44.035, -94.067 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Martin

When
January 9, 3:00 PM CST to January 10, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Martin forecast zone
Coordinates
43.674, -94.551 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Faribault

When
January 9, 3:00 PM CST to January 10, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Faribault forecast zone
Coordinates
43.674, -93.948 (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: 5589191, 5589192, 5589193, 5589194, 5589195, 5589196, 5589197, 5589198, 5589199, 5589200, 5589201, 5589202, 5589203, 5589204, 5589205, 5589206.