Blizzard, Cottonwood
- When
- December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Cottonwood forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 44.007, -95.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in Minnesota, December 16, 2000
Winds gusting above 50 mph combined with existing snow cover and 1 to 4 inches of new snow to produce prolonged blizzard conditions. Visibilities near zero and drifting snow made travel impossible.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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
- 8
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 FSD wrote it up.
Winds gusting above 50 mph combined with existing snow cover and 1 to 4 inches of new snow to produce prolonged blizzard conditions. Visibilities near zero and drifting snow made travel impossible. Even snow plows were pulled off the roads until conditions improved. Interstate highway 90 was closed for several hours. Many businesses, colleges, and technical schools closed during the storm. Wind chills dropped to colder than 60 below zero at times. While no significant damage was reported, the economic impact of the storm was still large in lost travel, business, and snow removal costs.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
8 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Jackson
- When
- December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 43.674, -95.154 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Lincoln
- When
- December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Lincoln forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 44.413, -96.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Lyon
- When
- December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Lyon forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 44.414, -95.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Murray
- When
- December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Murray forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 44.022, -95.763 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Nobles
- When
- December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Nobles forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 43.674, -95.753 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Pipestone
- When
- December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Pipestone forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 44.023, -96.259 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Rock
- When
- December 16, 3:00 AM CST to 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Rock forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 43.675, -96.253 (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
- Tornado in Alabama, December 16, 2000
- Tornadoes in Alabama, December 16, 2000
- Tornado in Alabama, December 16, 2000
- High Wind in Louisiana, December 16, 2000
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, December 16, 2000
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Georgia, December 16 to 17, 2000
- Tornado in Alabama, December 16, 2000
- Extreme Cold and Lightning Strike in Tennessee, December 16, 2000
- Tornado in Florida, December 16, 2000
- Tornado in Georgia, December 16, 2000
- Extreme Cold in Illinois, December 16 to 17, 2000
- Tornado in Alabama, December 16, 2000
More
Every storm in Minnesota in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, December 2000
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: 5178283, 5178284, 5178285, 5178640, 5178641, 5178642, 5178643, 5178644.