Minnesota, 2002

Winter Storm in Minnesota, February 9 to 10, 2002

February 9 to 10, 2002 · NWS FSD · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Snowfall of 3 to 7 inches was accompanied by winds gusting to 45 mph. This produced near blizzard conditions in open areas, making travel impossible at times due to drifting and near zero visibilities.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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
8

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 FSD wrote it up.

Snowfall of 3 to 7 inches was accompanied by winds gusting to 45 mph. This produced near blizzard conditions in open areas, making travel impossible at times due to drifting and near zero visibilities. Some businesses closed early.

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 Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 9, 3:45 AM CST, 6 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 3:45 AM CST, 6 hours 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR SOUTHEAST SD/SOUTHWEST MN/NORTHWEST IA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS
345 AM CST SAT FEB 9 2002

CLASSIC DEVELOPMENTAL STORM...BUT HARD TO REALLY PIN DOWN ON EXACTLY
WHERE AND HOW MUCH SNOW IN CWA...AS NOTHING IS GOING ON ANYWHERE
RIGHT NOW. LOW SFC AND ALOFT COLLAPSING SWD IN NEB ATTM...WITH LOW
LVL COLD AIR LURKING TO N FLWG SUIT...WHICH SHOULD SET UP
FRONTOGENETIC ZONE FM NE TO SW IN CWA BY AFTN. ENOUGH MOISTURE
INFLOW FM SSE AND WITH CONSIDERABLE DYNAMIC AND EVAP COOLING...
SNOW SHOULD EXPLODE FM W TO E IN CWA THRU THE AFTN. WILL SLOW DOWN
FM PREV FCST SOME AS SYS SOMEWHAT SLOW TO EVOLVE. NASTY NLY GRADIENT
SHOULD CAUSE CONSIDERABLE BLWG SNW THIS AFTN INTO TNGT. MADE SOME
CHGS TO EXTD TEMPS MON THRU WED TO GO ALG WITH LATEST TRENDS. SEEMS
GUID HAS A LIT BIT OF WARM BIAS IF EXPCD NEW SNOW COVER TURNS OUT.

.FSD...WNTR STORM WRNG  LATE MRNG THRU EARLY EVE JAMES RIVER WEST
       WNTR STORM WRNG  AFTN THRU EVE  SERN SD TO FAR SWRN MN
       WNTR STORM WRNG  LATE AFTN THRU TNGT RMDR SWRN MN TO NWRN IA
RYRHOLM

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Lincoln

When
February 9, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.413, -96.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lyon

When
February 9, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Lyon forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.414, -95.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Pipestone

When
February 9, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Pipestone forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.023, -96.259 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Rock

When
February 9, 10:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Rock forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.675, -96.253 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Murray

When
February 9, 1:00 PM CST to February 10, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Murray forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.022, -95.763 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Cottonwood

When
February 9, 2:00 PM CST to February 10, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Cottonwood forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.007, -95.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Jackson

When
February 9, 2:00 PM CST to February 10, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Jackson forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.674, -95.154 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Nobles

When
February 9, 2:00 PM CST to February 10, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Nobles forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.674, -95.753 (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: 5283677, 5283680, 5283769, 5283770, 5283767, 5283678, 5283679, 5283768.