Heavy Snow, Clay
- When
- March 3, 2:00 AM CST to March 4, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.892, -96.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 3 to 4, 1997
A strong low pressure system tracked from near Aberdeen, South Dakota, into western Minnesota. An inverted trough stretched north from the low, from Aberdeen to Roseau, Minnesota.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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
- 10
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.
A strong low pressure system tracked from near Aberdeen, South Dakota, into western Minnesota. An inverted trough stretched north from the low, from Aberdeen to Roseau, Minnesota. Heavy amounts of snow fell along the inverted trough axis, with the heaviest amounts over west central Minnesota. Fosston and Dent reported 12 inches of snow, while Mahnomen and Moorhead reported 15 inches of snow.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
10 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, West Polk
- When
- March 3, 2:00 AM CST to March 4, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- West Polk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Norman
- When
- March 3, 2:00 AM CST to March 4, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Norman forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.327, -96.455 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Pennington
- When
- March 3, 2:00 AM CST to March 4, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Pennington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.066, -96.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Red Lake
- When
- March 3, 2:00 AM CST to March 4, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Red Lake forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.872, -96.095 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, East Polk
- When
- March 3, 2:00 AM CST to March 4, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- East Polk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, West Becker
- When
- March 3, 2:00 AM CST to March 4, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- West Becker forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Wilkin
- When
- March 3, 2:00 AM CST to March 4, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Wilkin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.357, -96.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Mahnomen
- When
- March 3, 2:00 AM CST to March 4, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Mahnomen forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.325, -95.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, West Otter Tail
- When
- March 3, 2:00 AM CST to March 4, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- West Otter Tail forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flooding in Kentucky, March 3 to 4, 1997
- Flooding in Kentucky, March 3 to 5, 1997
- Winter Storm in South Dakota, March 3 to 4, 1997
- Flooding in Kentucky, March 3 to 4, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, March 3, 1997
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, March 3, 1997
- Winter Storm in Colorado, March 3 to 4, 1997
- Winter Weather in New Jersey, March 3, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in West Virginia, March 3 to 4, 1997
- Heavy Snow in North Dakota, March 3 to 4, 1997
- Winter Storm in Colorado, March 3, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, March 3 to 4, 1997
More
Every storm in Minnesota in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, March 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: 5589743, 5589744, 5589745, 5589746, 5589747, 5589748, 5589749, 5589750, 5589751, 5589752.