Winter Storm in Minnesota, November 26 to 27, 2001

Name: Winter Storm in Minnesota, November 26 to 27, 2001
Start: 2001-11-26T04:00
End: 2001-11-27T20:00
Location: Minnesota

November 26 to 27, 2001 · NWS MPX · 31 events in 31 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 31 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: 31

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.

A strong low pressure system developed in Colorado on the 25th, reached eastern Iowa during the evening of the 26th, then trekked into eastern Wisconsin late on the 27th. It produced a wide swath of heavy snow across much of central Minnesota into West Central Wisconsin (see entry under Wisconsin). Storm total snowfall of 8 inches or more was common, with a large area exceeding 20 inches. Specifically, Willmar (Kandiyohi County) picked up 30.4 inches, New London (Kandiyohi County) saw 28.5 inches, Collegeville (Stearns County) had 23.4 inches, Litchfield (Meeker County) and Granite Falls (Yellow Medicine County) received 22 inches, and Milan (Chippewa County) had 20 inches, A convective snow band set up across this area on the 27th and remained nearly stationary for over 12 hours, resulting in the extreme storm totals.From 8 am on the 26th to 8 am on the 27th, Willmar received 21 of its 30.4 inches, setting a record for most snowfall in Willmar in a 24 hour period. It should be noted that Willmar did not set an all-time snowfall record, which remains at 30.7 inches in Willmar set in 1985. The Willmar observation originated at the state hospital on the northeastern side of Willmar, where official measurements have been taken since 1918.Some other snowfall measurements include 14 inches at Canby (Yellow Medicine County), 10.7 inches at Springfield (Brown County), 11 inches at Long Prairie (Todd County), 12.5 inches at New Hope (Hennepin County), 15 inches at Milaca (Mille Lacs County), and 11 inches at Wild River State Park (Chisago County). Visibilities were frequently below 1/4 mile during the storm, and winds remained in the 15 to 30 mph category.The heavy wet snow downed numerous power lines, and at one point, at least 20,000 customers were without power in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Over one thousand traffic accidents were noted across the entire area. Most were minor, but one accident claimed two lives when a car spun out and collided with a semi near Mora (Kanabec County).

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 Twin Cities, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 26, 3:21 AM CST, 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 26, 3:21 AM CST, 39 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
321 AM CST MON NOV 26 2001

THE FORECAST CHALLENGE IS PRECIPITATION TYPE OVER OUR SOUTHEAST
SECTION OF OUR CWA TODAY AND TONIGHT.

MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN LIFTING CLOSED UPPER LOW OVER THE UPPER
MIDWEST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.  THIS SYSTEM BECOME SHEARED AND
WEAKENS BY MIDDAY TUESDAY.  THE LATEST SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWED A
WELL-DEFINED COMMA SHAPED CLOUD FORMATION  ADVANCING OVER THE
CENTRAL PLAINS EARLY THIS MORNING.  CLOUD TOPS CONTINUE TO COOL OVER
WESTERN IOWA AND WESTERN MN.  IT APPEARS THE BEST AREA TO RECEIVE
HEAVY SNOW TODAY IS OVER WESTERN HALF OF CWA.  WINTER STORM WARNING
THAT WAS IN EFFECT STILL LOOKS GOOD...SEE NO REASON TO CHANGE.  SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS 8 TO 12 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE FROM AN AREA THAT
EMCOMPASS KRWF..KLJF...KSTC...KMOX...KAXN AND KJMR.

SNOW SHOULD INCREASE OVER EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL MN
INTO WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN THIS AFTERNOON.   600 MB TEMPS FORECAST
INDICATED TEMP BETWEEN -12 TO -16 CELSIUS...WHICH IS IDEAL FOR ICE
CRYSTAL GROWTH.  HAVE OPT TO EXPAND THE WINTER STORM WARNING EAST
AND SOUTH FROM MANKATO...TWIN CITIES TO LADYSMITH THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT.

WITH CRITICAL THICKNESS TOLLING BETWEEN RAIN AND SNOW OVER EXTREME
SOUTHEAST PORTION OF CWA...EXPECT SOME EVAPORATIONAL COOLING TO
OCCUR.  PRECIP SHOULD CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT.  WL GO
WITH WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.  SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD GENERALLY BE IN THE TWO TO FOUR INCH CATEGORY
ENDING TUESDAY MORNING.  SOME ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION LIKELY INTO
TUESDAY WITH COULD BRING SNOW AMOUNTS UP TO 5 TO 6 INCHES IN SOME
AREAS.

LIGHT SNOW LINGERING MOST LOCATIONS TUESDAY...HOWEVER...SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED TO TAPER OFF CONSIDERABLY FROM WEST TO EAST.

.MSP...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR WEST CENTRAL TO CENTRAL MN TODAY
       AND TONIGHT.
       WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL MN
       AND PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN THIS AFTERNOON AND
       TONIGHT.
       WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR REST OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND WEST
       CENTRAL WISCONSIN THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

JVM

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

31 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Anoka

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Anoka forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.273, -93.246 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Benton

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Benton forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.699, -93.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Brown

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.242, -94.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Carver

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Carver forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.821, -93.803 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Chippewa

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Chippewa forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.022, -95.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Chisago

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Chisago forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.503, -92.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Douglas

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.934, -95.453 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Hennepin

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Hennepin forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.005, -93.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Isanti

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Isanti forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.562, -93.295 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Kanabec

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Kanabec forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.945, -93.293 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Kandiyohi

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Kandiyohi forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.152, -95.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lac Qui Parle

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Lac Qui Parle forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.996, -96.173 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, McLeod

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: McLeod forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.824, -94.272 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Meeker

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Meeker forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.123, -94.527 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Mille Lacs

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Mille Lacs forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.938, -93.630 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Morrison

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Morrison forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.013, -94.268 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Nicollet

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Nicollet forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.350, -94.247 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Pope

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Pope forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.586, -95.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ramsey

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Ramsey forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.017, -93.100 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Redwood

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Redwood forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.404, -95.254 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Renville

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Renville forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.727, -94.947 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Scott

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Scott forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.649, -93.536 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sherburne

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Sherburne forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.444, -93.775 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sibley

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Sibley forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.580, -94.232 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Stearns

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Stearns forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.552, -94.613 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Stevens

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Stevens forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.586, -96.000 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Swift

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Swift forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.283, -95.681 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Todd

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Todd forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.071, -94.898 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Washington

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.039, -92.884 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Wright

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Wright forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.174, -93.963 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Yellow Medicine

When: November 26, 4:00 AM CST to November 27, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Yellow Medicine forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
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 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, November 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: 5272446, 5272447, 5272448, 5272449, 5272450, 5272451, 5272452, 5272453, 5272454, 5272455, 5272456, 5272457, 5272458, 5272459, 5272460, 5272461, 5272462, 5272463, 5272464, 5272465, 5272466, 5272467, 5272468, 5272469, 5272470, 5272471, 5272472, 5272473, 5272474, 5272475, 5272476.