Minnesota, 2001

Blizzard in Minnesota, October 24 to 25, 2001

October 24 to 25, 2001 · NWS FGF · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

An early season storm dropped 4 to 12 inches of snow across the area. The storm intensified over northwest Minnesota, keeping the heaviest snowfall across extreme northwest Minnesota.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 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
11

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.

An early season storm dropped 4 to 12 inches of snow across the area. The storm intensified over northwest Minnesota, keeping the heaviest snowfall across extreme northwest Minnesota. Nearly a foot of snow fell from Hallock to Thief River Falls. As the low started to move away from the area, northwest winds gusted up to 40 mph. Many schools closed during the event and there were scattered reports of power outages. In Ada, rafters at a new construction site were blown down.

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 Oct 24, 9:05 AM CST, 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 24, 9:05 AM CST, 55 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Kittson

When
October 24, 10:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM CST
Where
Kittson forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
48.777, -96.783 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, West Marshall

When
October 24, 10:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM CST
Where
West Marshall forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, East Marshall

When
October 24, 10:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM CST
Where
East Marshall forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, West Polk

When
October 24, 10:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 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, Pennington

When
October 24, 10:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM CST
Where
Pennington forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
48.066, -96.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Red Lake

When
October 24, 10:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM CST
Where
Red Lake forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
47.872, -96.095 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, East Polk

When
October 24, 10:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 AM CST
Where
East 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
October 24, 10:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 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
October 24, 10:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 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
October 24, 10:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 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
October 24, 10:00 AM CST to October 25, 3:00 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)

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

More

Every storm in Minnesota in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, October 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: 5270709, 5270710, 5270711, 5270712, 5270713, 5270714, 5270715, 5270716, 5270717, 5270718, 5270719.