Minnesota, 2003

Heavy Snow in Minnesota, April 4, 2003

April 4, 2003 · NWS FGF · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Warmer air advected in over the colder air at the surface, and helped to wring out moisture in the form of snow across northwest Minnesota. An upper level disturbance also helped to strengthen the lift.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
5

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.

Warmer air advected in over the colder air at the surface, and helped to wring out moisture in the form of snow across northwest Minnesota. An upper level disturbance also helped to strengthen the lift. Snow began falling by late afternoon and early evening on the 3rd, with the heavy snow warning criteria reached the morning of the 4th. 6 to 8 inches of snow fell across the 5 county area.

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 Apr 4, 3:30 AM CST, 6 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 4, 3:30 AM CST, 6 hours 40 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
330 AM CST FRI APR 4 2003

FORECAST CHALLENGES INCLUDE CLOUD TRENDS AND TEMPERATURES NEXT COUPLE
OF DAYS.

PRECIPITATION HAS GENERALLY ENDED ACROSS REGION EXCEPT NORTH OF A
LINE FROM HCO-BJI DUE TO CONTINUED ISENTROPIC LIFT (USED ETA/AVN
275K SURFACE). THIS LIFT GRADUALLY DIMINISHES TODAY BUT EXPECT ONLY
A DUSTING OR SO. A FEW FLURRIES CONTINUE ELSEWHERE AND AS LOW LEVEL
STABILITY IS ONLY MODERATE THERE WILL LIKELY BE MORE SHOWERS OR
FLURRIES AS TEMPERATURES RISE AGAIN INTO THE 20S.

AN ELEVATED INVERSION BETWEEN 850-700 MB WILL LIKELY HOLD CLOUDS IN
THROUGH TODAY EVEN THOUGH ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL GRADUALLY TURN TO
SINKING. THIS WILL LIKELY START TO BREAK THE CLOUDS A LITTLE TONIGHT
OR EARLY SAT BUT MOST OF THAT WILL BE FOR SOUTHERN PORTION.

FAVORED NGM MOS TEMPERATURES SLIGHTLY OVER AVN/ETA MOS SINCE THE
COLD LAYER (UP TO 850 MB) IS SO DEEP AND MODEL SOUNDINGS IMPLY THAT
SIGNIFICANT WARMING IS NOT LIKELY TODAY AT LEAST...EVEN WHERE LITTLE
SNOW FELL YESTERDAY. BUT THE APRIL SUN MAY SHOW ITSELF ENOUGH TO
WARM THROUGH A RELATIVELY THIN CLOUD DECK...MORE THAN NGM MOS
INDICATES ANYWAY.

WARM ADVECTION MAY PRODUCE A LITTLE SNOW NORTH OF DVL-HCO ON SAT
NIGHT BUT THINK THIS WILL BE SLIGHT. NO WARM FRONT IS EXPECTED EVEN.

SCATTERED THUNDER NEXT THU WILL BE HELD FOR NOW THOUGH THE GFS HAS
CUT BACK ON ITS SHOWALTER INDEXES. WILL LET DAY SHIFT TAKE A CLOSER
LOOK.

.FGF...NONE.
GV
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 4, 5:45 AM CST, 4 hours 25 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052>054-041500-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
545 AM CST FRI APR 4 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA...WEST
CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

GV

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Kittson

When
April 4, 10:10 AM CST to 4:57 PM CST
Where
Kittson forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
48.777, -96.783 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Roseau

When
April 4, 10:10 AM CST to 4:57 PM CST
Where
Roseau forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
48.775, -95.811 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lake of the Woods

When
April 4, 10:10 AM CST to 4:57 PM CST
Where
Lake of the Woods forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
48.771, -94.905 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, East Marshall

When
April 4, 10:10 AM CST to 4:57 PM CST
Where
East Marshall forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, North Beltrami

When
April 4, 10:10 AM CST to 4:57 PM CST
Where
North Beltrami forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
47.974, -94.938 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Minnesota in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, April 2003

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: 5351171, 5351172, 5351173, 5351174, 5351175.