Blizzard in Minnesota, February 24 to 25, 2001

Name: Blizzard in Minnesota, February 24 to 25, 2001
Start: 2001-02-24T23:08
End: 2001-02-25T11:47
Location: Minnesota

February 24 to 25, 2001 · NWS FGF · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

As the low pressure system pulled east of the area, strong north winds funneled down the Red River Valley. S.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

As the low pressure system pulled east of the area, strong north winds funneled down the Red River Valley. Whiteout conditions developed, especially along and south of U.S. Highway 10. The strongest wind speeds occurred early in the morning of the 25th, with Fargo reporting a wind gust to 44 mph. Interstate 94 was closed from Moorhead to Alexandria.

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 24, 8:30 PM CST, 2 hours 38 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 24, 8:30 PM CST, 2 hours 38 minutes before

FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
830 PM CST SAT FEB 24 2001

...CHALLENGE WILL BE STATUS OF CURRENT HEADLINES...

DEFORMATION SNOW BAND HAS DEVELOPED NICELY ACROSS ALL BUT NORTHWEST
FA...WITH MODERATE TO AT TIMES HEAVY SNOW PREVAILING. SFC LOW
CONTINUES TO DEEPEN AND MOVE INTO CENTRAL IOWA...WITH BEST PRESSURE
FALLS IN SOUTHEAST MN. 12Z ETA IS DOING MUCH BETTER WITH SFC
PRESSURE...WITH AVN A BIT TOO PREMATURE WITH THE DEEPENING OF LOW.
IR SATELLITE NICELY DEPICTS COMMA HEAD OVER NORTHERN PLAINS...WITH
GOOD COOLING OF CLOUD TOPS.

18Z MESO ETA IS INITIALIZING WELL AND TRACKS SFC LOW A BIT FURTHER
WEST...AND HAS HIT INITIAL DEFORMATION SNOW BAND AS WELL. GOOD
COUPLING OF SUBTROPICAL AND POLAR JET...AND THIS CONFIGURATION WILL
REMAIN IN PLACE AND CONTINUE TO ENHANCE SNOW BAND UNTIL AROUND 09Z.
MESO-ETA DEPICTS ABOUT .20 OF LIQUID EQUIVALENT NEAR GFK...WITH MUCH
MORE SOUTH. THIS CONVERTS TO ABOUT 4 INCHES OF SNOW NEAR GFK...WHICH
WOULD PUT MUCH OF ADVISORY AREA NEAR WARNING CRITERIA WITH 4 INCHES
OF SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW. CALLS TO AREA SPOTTERS NEAR FINLEY
INDICATES 3 INCHES ALREADY UNDER HEAVY SNOW BAND THIS EVENING...WITH
ABOUT 1-2 INCHES ELSEWHERE. I AM ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT MOST OF THE
VALLEY REACHING BLIZZARD CRITERIA OVERNIGHT...ESPECIALLY AFTER 06Z
FROM GFK SOUTH. THIS IS CONFIRMED BY FAVORABLE NORTHERLY COMPONENT
AND 925 MB WINDS INCREASING TO 40KT BY 12Z...WITH GOOD LINKAGE.
MODEL SOUNDINGS ALSO SUPPORT GOOD LINKAGE UP TO ABOUT 800MB...WITH
STRONG Q VECTOR DIVERGENCE DEVELOPING IN MID LAYERS AFTER 06Z. THIS
WILL AID DOWNWARD TRANSPORT OF STRONG WINDS IN THE VALLEY. FURTHER
EAST FROM BDE-PKD...CURRENT WARNING WOULD BE OK WITH THIS AREA
CLOSER TO LOW AND AWAY FROM STRONGER 925MB JET CORE WHICH SHOULD BE
OVER THE RED RIVER VALLEY. I AM NOT TOTALLY SURE THAT WE WILL
SUSTAIN OR FREQUENT GUST TO 35 MPH FOR BLIZZARD
CRITERIA...ESPECIALLY IF LOW JOGS A BIT FURTHER WEST. WITH SNOW THAT
HAS ALREADY FALLEN NORTH OF CURRENT WARNING AREA AND WITH MORE SNOW
ON THE WAY...WILL UPGRADE ADVISORY TO WARNING FOR GRAND
FORKS/WESTERN POLK/TRAILL/STEELE/BARNES AND GRIGGS COUNTIES. FOR NOW WILL
NOT ISSUE BLIZZARD WARNING...BUT WE WILL CLOSELY MONITOR AND
SCRUTINIZE UPPER AIR PACKAGE AND NEW 00Z RUNS FOR ADDITIONAL
UPGRADES.

.FGF...WINTER STORM WARNING OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY ALONG AND
SOUTHEAST OF A COOPERSTOWN TO GFK TO DTL TO BDE LINE. WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY FOR PARTS OF ERN ND AND NW MN FROM
ROSEAU TO HALLOCK TO LAKOTA.

KELLENBENZ

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, West Polk

When: February 24, 11:08 PM CST to February 25, 11:47 AM CST
Where: West Polk forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Norman

When: February 24, 11:08 PM CST to February 25, 11:47 AM CST
Where: Norman forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.327, -96.455 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Mahnomen

When: February 24, 11:08 PM CST to February 25, 11:47 AM CST
Where: Mahnomen forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.325, -95.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Clay

When: February 24, 11:08 PM CST to February 25, 11:47 AM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.892, -96.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, West Becker

When: February 24, 11:08 PM CST to February 25, 11:47 AM CST
Where: West Becker forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, East Becker

When: February 24, 11:08 PM CST to February 25, 11:47 AM CST
Where: East Becker forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Wilkin

When: February 24, 11:08 PM CST to February 25, 11:47 AM CST
Where: Wilkin forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.357, -96.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, West Otter Tail

When: February 24, 11:08 PM CST to February 25, 11:47 AM CST
Where: West Otter Tail forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, East Otter Tail

When: February 24, 11:08 PM CST to February 25, 11:47 AM CST
Where: East Otter Tail forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Grant

When: February 24, 11:08 PM CST to February 25, 11:47 AM CST
Where: Grant forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 45.934, -96.012 (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

Every storm in Minnesota in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5230039, 5230040, 5230041, 5230042, 5230043, 5230044, 5230045, 5230046, 5230047, 5230048.