Blizzard in Minnesota, February 9, 2002

Name: Blizzard in Minnesota, February 9, 2002
Start: 2002-02-09T10:00
End: 2002-02-09T16:00
Location: Minnesota

February 9, 2002 · NWS FGF · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A surface low tracked from central Montana early on the 8th into southeast South Dakota by the early 9th. This brought a swath of snow to portions of west central Minnesota along with strong winds.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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: 1

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 surface low tracked from central Montana early on the 8th into southeast South Dakota by the early 9th. This brought a swath of snow to portions of west central Minnesota along with strong winds.

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 9, 9:20 AM CST, 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 9:20 AM CST, 40 minutes before

FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
920 AM CST SAT FEB 9 2002

WILL REMOVE ALL BLIZZARD WARNINGS...DOWNGRADE FROM FARGO NORTH TO
WIND ADVISORY IN VALLEY...AND KEEP WINTER STORM WARNINGS FOR FAR
SOUTHERN 1/3 FA TODAY/TONIGHT

LIGHT SNOW BAND CONTINUES TO SAG SOUTH INTO SOUTHERN FA. STRONG LOW
LEVEL CONVERGENCE IN FAR SOUTH IS PROGGED TODAY...ALONG WITH LOW
CONDENSATION PRESSURE DEFICITS AND STRONG 700MB OMEGA. FEEL 2-5
INCHES STILL POSSIBLE IN FAR SOUTH TODAY INTO TONIGHT...AS LOW
BECOMES STACKED IN SOUTHERN IOWA. WILL DOWNGRADE AREAS IN VALLEY
NORTH OF WARNING TO WIND ADVISORY...WHERE ONLY SOME AREAS OF LIGHT
SNOW EXPECTED. FOR MAHNOMEN...CLEARWATER AND SOUTHER BELTRAMI
COUNTIES...WILL KEEP SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY GOING TODAY WITH
AROUND AN INCH HERE.

UPDATED ZONES ALREADY OUT...WILL SEND ANOTHER WSW BY 11 AM.

.FGF...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR EXTREME
SOUTHERN 1/3 OF FA...WIND ADVISORY FROM FARGO NORTH FOR VALLEY WEST.
SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY CLEARWATER...MAHNOMEN AND SOUTHERN
BELTRAMI COUNTIES.

KELLENBENZ

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Grant

When: February 9, 10:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Grant forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, February 2002

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: 5282982.