Minnesota, 2001

Winter Storm in Minnesota, February 23 to 24, 2001

February 23 to 24, 2001 · NWS FGF · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

A Colorado Low moved from eastern Nebraska into southeast Minnesota, bringing two periods of snow to northwest and west central Minnesota. The first band of snow moved across the area the evening of the 23rd, starting out as freezing drizzle across west central Minnesota.

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

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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 FGF wrote it up.

A Colorado Low moved from eastern Nebraska into southeast Minnesota, bringing two periods of snow to northwest and west central Minnesota. The first band of snow moved across the area the evening of the 23rd, starting out as freezing drizzle across west central Minnesota. A widespread swath of one to three inches of snow fell over the area with the first snow band. More snow fell on the 24th, and wind speeds also increased. Snow totals ranged from 5 to 10 inches, with Elbow Lake the high at 15 inches.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Grand Forks, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 23, 2:15 PM CST, 5 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 23, 2:15 PM CST, 5 hours before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
215 PM CST FRI FEB 23 2001

...CHALLENGE WILL BE IMPENDING WINTER STORM...

.OVERVIEW...
SOUTHEAST FLOW HAS DEVELOPED ACROSS FA...WITH SFC HIGH DRIFTING
SOUTHEAST INTO THE OHIO VALLEY. LEE SIDE LOW IS DEVELOPING AHEAD OF
POTENT WAVE DIGGING INTO SOUTHERN CA...WITH 135KT SPEED MAX AT 300
MB. AVN DID A GREAT JOB WITH THIS FEATURE...WITH THE ETA TOO WEAK.
THEREFORE...WILL GO WITH A STRONGER SNOWIER AVN FOR THIS RUN...WITH
ETA COMING MORE IN LINE THAN PREVIOUS RUN FROM 00Z.

.SHORT TERM...
SNOW BAND WILL DEVELOP AND MOVE FROM SOUTH TO NORTH
OVERNIGHT ON LEADING EDGE OF STRONG MID LEVEL WARM AIR ADVECTION.
THIS SHOULD PRODUCE A GENERAL 1-3 INCH SNOW FALL AS GOOD I290K
ISENTROPIC LIFT ENSUES. WITH SOUTHEAST WINDS ALSO BLOWING FROM 15 TO
25 MPH...WILL HIT BLOWING SNOW IN ZONES BUT NOT HIT ANY HEADLINES
FOR TONIGHT.

.LONG TERM...
SFC LOW EJECTS INTO WESTERN KS SATURDAY MORNING...THEN INTO CENTRAL
IOWA BY 06Z SUN. DEFORMATION SNOW BAND WILL RAPIDLY DEVELOP ACROSS
SOUTHEAST ND BY SAT AFTERNOON...THEN SPREAD NORTHEAST INTO ALL BUT
NORTHWEST FA BY 00Z SUN. INTENSE 850 MB POTENTIAL TEMPERATURE
ADVECTION AND MIXING RATIOS TO 0.8 G/KG NEAR SOUTHEAST FA PERSIST
UNTIL 12 SUN. THIS WILL PROMOTE INTENSE SNOW RATES SAT NIGHT INTO
SUNDAY MORNING ACROSS SOUTHEAST ND NORTHEAST INTO NORTH CENTRAL MN.
THEREFORE...WILL BE ISSUING WINTER STORM WARNING HERE SAT
AFTERNOON-SUN. FURTHER NORTH AND WEST...EXPECT LIGHT AMOUNTS OF SNOW
WITH PARENT COMMA HEAD AND HEAVIER DEFORMATION SNOW TO THE
SOUTHEAST. EVEN HERE THOUGH EXPECT ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 1-4
INCHES...POSSIBLY MORE IF CANADIAN MODEL VERIFIES. THIS COUPLED WITH
STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS COULD PRODUCE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS OVER MOST
OF FA SAT NIGHT AND SUNDAY. THEREFORE...WILL CONTINUE WATCH FOR REST OF FA
FROM COOPERSTOWN-GFK-ROX AND POINTS NORTH AND WEST FOR SAT
AFTERNOON-SUN...AND ADVISE EVENING CREW AS SUCH. FEEL SNOW AMOUNTS
ACROSS SOUTHEAST ND-PKD WILL EXCEED ONE FOOT. IF BLOCKING TO EAST IS
STRONGER THAN MODELS ARE CURRENTLY PROGGING...THIS WILL CAUSE LOW TO
PINWHEEL NORTH/NORTHWEST AND HEAVIEST SNOW BAND WOULD SHIFT FURTHER
NORTH AND WEST...SO STAY TUNED.

.EXTENDED...SPLIT FLOW AT THE START OF THE PERIOD WITH ANOTHER H5
CUTOFF LOW OVER THE SW US AND NW FLOW OVER THE NRN PLAINS. THIS
TRANSITIONS TO MORE OF A FLAT WESTERLY FLOW TOWARD THE END OF THE
PERIOD. CANADIAN/AVN/MRF SHOWING A WEAK SFC LOW OVER THE AREA ON
MON...ALTHOUGH QPF MINIMAL. MAIN SFC FEATURE IS ANOTHER HIGH
DROPPING S OUT OF CANADA ON TUE WITH ANOTHER BLAST OF ARCTIC AIR FOR
TUE/WED. MODERATING TREND FOLLOWS TOWARD THE END OF THE WEEK.

COORD WITH MSP/DLH/BIS AND ABR...THANKS!

.FGF...WINTER STORM WARNING SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY ALONG
AND SOUTHEAST OF A LIASBON TO FARGO TO FOSSTON TO BAUDETTE LINE.
WINTER STORM WATCH SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY FOR REST OF AREA.

KELLENBENZ/GODON

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, West Polk

When
February 23, 7:15 PM CST to February 24, 11:07 PM CST
Where
West Polk forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Norman

When
February 23, 7:15 PM CST to February 24, 11:07 PM CST
Where
Norman forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
47.327, -96.455 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Clay

When
February 23, 7:15 PM CST to February 24, 11:07 PM CST
Where
Clay forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
46.892, -96.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Mahnomen

When
February 23, 7:15 PM CST to February 24, 11:07 PM CST
Where
Mahnomen forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
47.325, -95.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, West Becker

When
February 23, 7:15 PM CST to February 24, 11:07 PM CST
Where
West Becker forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, East Becker

When
February 23, 7:15 PM CST to February 24, 11:07 PM CST
Where
East Becker forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Wilkin

When
February 23, 7:15 PM CST to February 24, 11:07 PM CST
Where
Wilkin forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
46.357, -96.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, West Otter Tail

When
February 23, 7:15 PM CST to February 24, 11:07 PM CST
Where
West Otter Tail forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, East Otter Tail

When
February 23, 7:15 PM CST to February 24, 11:07 PM CST
Where
East Otter Tail forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Grant

When
February 23, 7:15 PM CST to February 24, 11:07 PM CST
Where
Grant forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
45.934, -96.012 (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

More

Every storm in Minnesota in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, February 2001

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: 5230049, 5230050, 5230051, 5230052, 5230053, 5230054, 5230055, 5230056, 5230057, 5230058.