Heavy Snow, Northern Cook / Northern Lake
- When
- March 31, 4:00 PM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Northern Cook / Northern Lake forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.670, -90.975 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 31, 1998
An early spring storm dropped 6 to 9 inches of wet, heavy snow in a 60 mile wide band from about Pine River to Gunflint Lake, including Duluth and the Iron Range. Strong winds gusting over 50 mph also produced near-blizzard conditions and toppled a few trees that were burdened with the wet, heavy snow.
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 DLH wrote it up.
An early spring storm dropped 6 to 9 inches of wet, heavy snow in a 60 mile wide band from about Pine River to Gunflint Lake, including Duluth and the Iron Range. Strong winds gusting over 50 mph also produced near-blizzard conditions and toppled a few trees that were burdened with the wet, heavy snow. Some of these falling trees, in turn, caused minor structural damage. The storm wound down during the morning hours of April 1. The greatest snowfall was 9.5 inches at Floodwood. Other reports included 8 inches in Babbitt, Cloquet, and Brainerd and around 6 inches at Duluth, Tower, and Gunflint Lake.
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, Central St. Louis
- When
- March 31, 4:00 PM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Central St. Louis forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.590, -92.461 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Southern Lake / North Shore
- When
- March 31, 4:00 PM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Southern Lake / North Shore forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.557, -91.935 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Northern Cass
- When
- March 31, 4:00 PM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Northern Cass forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.950, -94.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Southern Itasca
- When
- March 31, 4:00 PM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Southern Itasca forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.510, -93.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Southern Cass
- When
- March 31, 4:00 PM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Southern Cass forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.950, -94.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Crow Wing
- When
- March 31, 4:00 PM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Crow Wing forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.482, -94.071 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Northern Aitkin
- When
- March 31, 4:00 PM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Northern Aitkin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.608, -93.415 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Southern Aitkin
- When
- March 31, 4:00 PM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Southern Aitkin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.608, -93.415 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Southern St. Louis / Carlton
- When
- March 31, 4:00 PM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Southern St. Louis / Carlton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 47.091, -92.569 (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
- Damaging Wind in Georgia, March 31, 1998
- Heavy Snow in South Dakota, March 31, 1998
- Flash Flood in Vermont, March 31, 1998
- Blizzard in South Dakota, March 31, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Texas, March 31, 1998
- Heavy Rain in New Jersey, March 31, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 31, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, March 31, 1998
- Funnel Clouds and Waterspouts in California, March 31, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 31, 1998
- Heavy Rain in Maryland, March 31, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 31, 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: 5632640, 5632641, 5632642, 5632643, 5632644, 5632645, 5632646, 5632647, 5632648, 5632649.