Minnesota, 2002

Winter Storm in Minnesota, March 14, 2002

March 14, 2002 · NWS ABR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Heavy snow of 6 to 11 inches fell across Big Stone and Traverse counties from the morning to the late evening hours. Along with the heavy snow came strong north winds reducing visibilities in blowing snow and making travel very difficult.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 ABR wrote it up.

Heavy snow of 6 to 11 inches fell across Big Stone and Traverse counties from the morning to the late evening hours. Along with the heavy snow came strong north winds reducing visibilities in blowing snow and making travel very difficult. Schools opened late or were closed for the day. Some snowfall amounts included, 6 inches at Browns Valley and Wheaton, 7 inches at Ortonville, and 11 inches at Artichoke Lake.

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 Aberdeen, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 14, 9:55 AM CST, 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 14, 9:55 AM CST, 5 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR CENTRAL/N-EAST SD AND W-CENTRAL MN
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD                 CORRECTED
955 AM CST THU MAR 14 2002

RECENT REPORT FROM CO-OP OBSERVER IN FAR SE LYMAN COUNTY INDICATES
AT LEAST 8 INCHES OF SNOW HAS FALLEN IN THAT AREA. CURRENT RADAR
TRENDS INDICATE MORE HEAVY SNOW FOR THIS AREA ALONG WITH AREAS TO
THE NORTHEAST ARCING INTO FAR EASTERN SODAK. NEWEST MESOETA PROGS
PALACE HEAVIEST SNOW THIS AFTERNOON IN AREA OF LOW LVL ISENTROPIC
LIFT FROM ORTONVILLE/MILBANK AREA WEST AND SOUTH TO JUST SOUTHEAST
OF PIR BY EARLY EVENING. LACK OF LOW LVL MSTR AND ISENTROPIC LIFT
NORTH OF THAT AREA SHOULD LIMIT SNOW FALL AMOUNTS REST OF THE CWFA.
AM NOT SURE AT THIS TIME THAT AREAS WITH ADVISORIES WILL SEE MORE
THAN LOWER END OF ADVISORY AMOUNTS. NORTHERN EDGE OF THE HEAVIEST
APPEARS RATHER SHARP IN BOTH CURRENT RADAR DEPICTIONS AND MODEL
FORECASTS. AS UPPER LOW BEGINS TO EJECT ACROSS SRN SODAK WILL LIKELY
GET AN INCREASE ACROSS FAR SRN SECTIONS OF CWA SO WILL UPDATE
CURRENT WSW TO INDICATE SLIGHTLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS ACROSS FAR SRN
AREAS TODAY BEFORE ENDING THIS EVENING.

.ABR...WINTER STORM WARNING THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR
       HYDE..HAND..BUFFALO..LYMAN..JONES..STANLEY..SULLY..HUGHES.
    ...WINTER STORM WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT FOR
       SPINK..CLARK..CODINGTON..HAMLIN..GRANT..DUEL..BIG STONE.
    ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR HEAVY
       SNOW..TRAVERSE..ROBERTS..DAY..POTTER..FAULK.

FAUCETTE

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Big Stone

When
March 14, 10:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Big Stone forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
45.426, -96.411 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Traverse

When
March 14, 10:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Traverse forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
45.772, -96.472 (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, March 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: 5285686, 5285687.