Blizzard, Kittson
- When
- March 13, 9:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Kittson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.777, -96.783 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in Minnesota, March 13, 1998
A strong cold front moved south from Canada across eastern North Dakota and northwest Minnesota, creating ground blizzard conditions. The front moved quickly from north to south, driven by a strong pressure gradient, but dropped little snow.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 12 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
- $15,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 12
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 cold front moved south from Canada across eastern North Dakota and northwest Minnesota, creating ground blizzard conditions. The front moved quickly from north to south, driven by a strong pressure gradient, but dropped little snow. Near zero visibilities were created as the wind picked up the top crust of snow. After the initial burst of intense wind, visibilities slowly improved. Hallock reported a gust to 46 mph, Crookston had a gust to 46 mph, and Fergus Falls had a gust to 51 mph. The strong wind damaged a church roof in Moorhead.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
12 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Roseau
- When
- March 13, 9:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Roseau forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.775, -95.811 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, West Marshall
- When
- March 13, 9:00 AM CST to 12:00 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
- March 13, 9:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- East Marshall forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, West Polk
- When
- March 13, 9:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- West Polk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Pennington
- When
- March 13, 9:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pennington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 48.066, -96.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Red Lake
- When
- March 13, 9:00 AM CST to 12:00 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
- March 13, 9:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- East Polk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Norman
- When
- March 13, 9:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Norman forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.327, -96.455 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Clay
- When
- March 13, 9:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Coordinates
- 46.892, -96.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, West Becker
- When
- March 13, 9:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- West Becker forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Mahnomen
- When
- March 13, 9:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Mahnomen forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.325, -95.809 (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
- Flooding and Hail in California, March 13, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, March 13 to 14, 1998
- Blizzard in North Dakota, March 13, 1998
- High Surf in Hawaii, March 13 to 16, 1998
- High Surf in Hawaii, March 13 to 15, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, March 13 to 14, 1998
- Waterspouts in California, March 13, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, March 13 to 14, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, March 13, 1998
- High Wind in South Dakota, March 13, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, March 13 to 14, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Nevada, March 13 to 14, 1998
More
Every storm in Minnesota in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, March 1998
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: 5634777, 5634778, 5634882, 5634883, 5634884, 5634885, 5634886, 5634887, 5634888, 5634889, 5634890, 5634891.