Winter Storm in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 1999

Name: Winter Storm in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 1999
Start: 1999-01-17T21:00
End: 1999-01-18T11:00
Location: Minnesota

January 17 to 18, 1999 · NWS MPX · 17 events in 17 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 17 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 17

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 MPX wrote it up.

Between 12 am and 7 am winds across southwest and south central Minnesota were sustained between 25 and 40 mph with gusts as high as 56 mph in Fairmont. Visibilities restricted by snow were mostly one quarter of a mile to near zero. Total snowfall amounts in the counties listed above were between two and four inches. Public schools were cancelled in Freeborn, Olivia and Stevens counties.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

17 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Brown

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.242, -94.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Blue Earth

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Blue Earth forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.035, -94.067 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Chippewa

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Chippewa forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 45.022, -95.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Faribault

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Faribault forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.674, -93.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Freeborn

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Freeborn forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.674, -93.349 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Kandiyohi

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Kandiyohi forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 45.152, -95.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lac Qui Parle

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Lac Qui Parle forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.996, -96.173 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Martin

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Martin forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.674, -94.551 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Nicollet

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Nicollet forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.350, -94.247 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Redwood

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Redwood forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.404, -95.254 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Renville

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Renville forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.727, -94.947 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Steele

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Steele forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.022, -93.226 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Stevens

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Stevens forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 45.586, -96.000 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Swift

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Swift forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 45.283, -95.681 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Waseca

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Waseca forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.022, -93.587 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Watonwan

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Watonwan forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.978, -94.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Yellow Medicine

When: January 17, 9:00 PM CST to January 18, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Yellow Medicine forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.716, -95.868 (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

Every storm in Minnesota in 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, January 1999

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5685021, 5685022, 5685023, 5685024, 5685025, 5685026, 5685027, 5685028, 5685029, 5685030, 5685031, 5685032, 5685033, 5685034, 5685035, 5685036, 5685037.