Winter Storm, Traverse
- When
- March 31, 3:00 PM CST to 11:00 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 31, 1998
Sleet mixed with rain changed over to heavy snow across Big Stone and Traverse counties in the afternoon of the 31st. Heavy snow of 7 to 11 inches combined with strong winds of 20 to 40 mph to generate poor visiibilities and treachorous road conditions, making travel almost impossible.
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.
Sleet mixed with rain changed over to heavy snow across Big Stone and Traverse counties in the afternoon of the 31st. Heavy snow of 7 to 11 inches combined with strong winds of 20 to 40 mph to generate poor visiibilities and treachorous road conditions, making travel almost impossible. Some schools were let out early on the 31st and canceled on April 1st. Also, many activities and sports events were canceled. Some snowfall amounts included, 7 inches at Ortonville, 8 inches at Wheaton, 9 inches at Artichoke Lake, and 11 inches at Browns Valley.
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 31, 3:00 PM CST to 11:00 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
- 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 Snow in Minnesota, 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
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: 5638607, 5638608.