Minnesota, 2002

Winter Storm in Minnesota, February 9 to 10, 2002

February 9 to 10, 2002 · NWS MPX · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

Low pressure strengthened over eastern Nebraska, then moved to Illinois. It produced two swaths of significant snow, then strong wind caused blowing snow and near zero visibility in the wide open prairies from west central into south central Minnesota.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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
16

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.

Low pressure strengthened over eastern Nebraska, then moved to Illinois. It produced two swaths of significant snow, then strong wind caused blowing snow and near zero visibility in the wide open prairies from west central into south central Minnesota. Some heavier snow totals include 7 inches at Springfield, 6.4 inches at Cokato, 6 inches at Long Prairie and Brownton. Winds of 25 to 35 mph were common.

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 Feb 9, 4:35 AM CST, 2 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 4:35 AM CST, 2 hours 25 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
400 AM CST SAT FEB 9 2002

FELT I HAD A BETTER HANDLE ON THIS ONE EARLY IN THE SHIFT...TIL NEW
MESOETA CAME IN AND COMPLICATED SITU.  INITIALLY PLANNED TO HV WS
WRNGS ACRS THE WEST FOR TDY/TNT WITH WRNG FOR THE SC FOR TNT BASED
ON SNW ALNG WITH VRY STG N WNDS CAUSING BLNG SNOW.  WAS GOING TO
DROP WATCH ELSEWHERE THINKING THAT ADVYS COULD HANDLE SITU THIS
AFTN/TNGHT.  NOW MESO ETA AGN BLOSSOMS PCPN WITH SWATH GREATER THAN
.75 THIS AFTN/EVE FM RWF TO BTWN STC....ABT DBL 00Z RUN OF AVN/ETA.
WITH WATCH ALREADY OUT SINCE THURS...DECIDED TO LEAVE IT IN PLACE
RMDR CWA FOR ANOTHER 6 HRS TIL 12Z RUNS AVBL...BUT DELAY TIME TIL
AFTN/TNGHT.

BEST AREA OVERALL LOOKS LK SW MN WHERE VRY STNG OMEGA IN PLACE THRU
MUCH OF DAY IN DEFORMATION ZONE.  MODELS ALSO GENERATE STNG PIVA
THIS AFTN WITH UP TO 4GM/KG AVBL MOISUTRE ON 295K SFC.  BJ COOKE
ALSO QUITE IMPRESSIVE WITH 12 DEGREES WAA AND FVBL DENDRITIC TEMPS
ALSO AT 600 MB LVL.  SFC PRES GRAD VRY STNG THIS AFTN/TNGHT 16MB
PRES DIFFERENCE BTWN AEL AND MML AREA.  WL GO UP TO 8 INCHES THAT
AREA. WC MN SHUD ACCUM ENUF SNOW TO BLOW ARND LT AFTN (3-6 INCHES).
SNOW SHUD HOLD OFF TIL EVE SC MN AS NICE UPR DIVG PROVIDES GOOD
SOURCE OF LIGHT.  WILL INCLUDE WARNING THERE FOR TNGHT PRD.

SYNOPTICALLY...CONCERNED THAT MODELS HV GNRLY COME ARND TO A MORE
SLY TRACK TO SFC AND UPR LOW AND SFC PRESSURES ARE RISING RATHER
THAN DEEPENING.  HOWEVER...600MB FULL WND FRONTOGENESIS DOES HIT AT
THE POTENTIAL OF A NARROW SW-NE BAND OF HVY SNOW.  THE 06Z AVN ALSO
PUMPING OUT MORE QFP THAN RUN 6 HRS PREVIOUS.  NEW MODELS RUNS ARE
BRNGG DEFORMATION ZONE FARTHER NORTH LT AFTN AND EVE WHICH IS LOOKING
PROMISING. WITH STG WNDS STILL IN THE CARDS...ANY SNOW WHICH ACCUMS
WILL BLOW ARND.

NO CHG TO ANY PART OF FCST AFTER SUNDAY...NO TIME.

.MSP...WS WARNING TDY/TNT FOR WC MN...WEST OF SAZ TO MVE
       WS WARNING AFTN/TNGT FOR SW MN...WEST OF MVE TO FRM
       WS WARNING TNGHT...SC MN...S OF MKT TO FBL
       WS WATCH RMDR MN CWA THIS AFTN/TNGHT
       WS WATCH WI CWA TNGHT
PAULSON

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Brown

When
February 9, 7:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:00 AM 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, Douglas

When
February 9, 7:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:00 AM 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, Faribault

When
February 9, 7:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Faribault forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
43.674, -93.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Freeborn

When
February 9, 7:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Freeborn forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
43.674, -93.349 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Martin

When
February 9, 7:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Martin forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
43.674, -94.551 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, McLeod

When
February 9, 7:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:00 AM 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
February 9, 7:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:00 AM 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, Nicollet

When
February 9, 7:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:00 AM 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
February 9, 7:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:00 AM 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, Redwood

When
February 9, 7:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:00 AM 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
February 9, 7:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:00 AM 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, Sibley

When
February 9, 7:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:00 AM 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, Stevens

When
February 9, 7:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:00 AM 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, Todd

When
February 9, 7:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:00 AM 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, Watonwan

When
February 9, 7:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Watonwan forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
43.978, -94.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Blue Earth

When
February 9, 7:00 AM CST to February 10, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Blue Earth forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.035, -94.067 (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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5282190, 5282191, 5282192, 5282193, 5282194, 5282195, 5282196, 5282197, 5282198, 5282199, 5282200, 5282201, 5282202, 5282203, 5282204, 5282205.