Winter Storm, Traverse
- When
- March 3, 2:00 PM CST to March 4, 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Traverse forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.772, -96.472 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Minnesota, March 3 to 4, 1997
Four to 6 inches of snow fell across Big Stone and Traverse counties adding to the already expansive and deep snowpack. Winds of 20 to 40 mph brought widespread blowing and drifting snow.
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.
Four to 6 inches of snow fell across Big Stone and Traverse counties adding to the already expansive and deep snowpack. Winds of 20 to 40 mph brought widespread blowing and drifting snow. Visibilities were reduced to near zero at times making travel treacherous and many roads were blocked by snowdrifts with several roads closed. Many area schools were closed once again accumulating to the number of days missed for the winter season. Snowfall amounts included, 4 inches at Browns Valley, 6 inches at Artichoke Lake, and 7 inches at Wheaton.
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
- March 3, 2:00 PM CST to March 4, 4:00 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
- 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
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, 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
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: 5591671, 5591672.