Blizzard in Minnesota, February 11, 2003

Name: Blizzard in Minnesota, February 11, 2003
Start: 2003-02-11T11:00
End: 2003-02-11T20:00
Location: Minnesota

February 11, 2003 · NWS MPX · 22 events in 22 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 22 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: 22

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.

A strong and fast moving cold front plowed out of the Canadian Prairies and into Minnesota, bringing a quick snow that totaled two to three inches. The powdery snow was whipped around by winds frequently gusting over 45 mph producing near-zero visibility. Whiteout conditions were prevalent throughout the open terrain of west central and south central Minnesota. Law Enforcement recommended no travel and virtually all schools closed early. The highest wind gust, measured by AWOS, was 60 mph at Fairmont airport. Some other notable wind gust maxima included 51 mph at Faribault, 47 mph at Waseca, Owatonna and St. James, and 46 mph in Redwood Falls.

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 11, 10:40 AM CST, 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 11, 10:40 AM CST, 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1040 AM CST TUE FEB 11 2003

FORECAST CONCERN NEAR TERM...WIND AND SNOW.

POWERFUL PRESSURE RISE/FALL COUPLET MOVING THOUGH EASTERN SOUTH
DAKOTA...WILL MOVE ACROSS SOUTHWEST CORNER THIS AFTERNOON.  SHOULD
SEE FREQUENT 1/4 MILE OR LESS IN SNOW/BLOWING SNOW AS FRONT MOVES
THROUGH THIS REGION.  1-4 INCH ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED HERE AS WELL
INTO THE AFTERNOON.  ISSUED BLIZZARD WARNING FOR THE SOUTHWEST/SOUTH
CENTRAL THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING.  WINDS SHOULD DIMINISH OVER THE AREA
THIS EVENING AS RISE CENTER MOVES INTO IOWA.  THEN TEMPERATURES
SHOULD DROP OFF RATHER QUICKLY.  WILL LOOK AT WIND CHILL POTENTIAL
FOR AFTERNOON PACKAGE.

.MSP...WINTER WX ADVY AFTERNOON MNZ041-047-048
       BLIZZARD WARNING AFTERNOON INTO EVENING MNZ054>057-064>067-
                                            073>076-082>085-091-093.

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 11, 6:00 AM CST, 5 hours before

MNZ041>045-047>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028-121200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
600 AM CST TUE FEB 11 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA...AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

OCCASIONAL LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED DURING THE DAY TODAY.
ACCUMULATIONS WILL MAINLY BE IN THE 1 TO 3 INCH RANGE DURING THE
MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON.

AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  THE
FRONT WILL BRING STRONG WINDS OF 20 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 40 MPH.
WIDESPREAD BLOWING AND DRIFTING IS EXPECTED IN WEST CENTRAL AND
SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON...WHILE SOME DRIFTING CAN BE
EXPECTED OVER THE REST OF THE AREA.

BRISK NORTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT AND WITH TEMPERATURES
PLUNGING IN THE ARCTIC AIR...WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES COULD APPROACH
THE DANGER LEVEL OVERNIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT.

 CWS

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

22 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Blue Earth

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Blue Earth forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.035, -94.067 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Brown

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.242, -94.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Chippewa

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Chippewa forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.022, -95.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Douglas

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.934, -95.453 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Faribault

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Faribault forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.674, -93.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Freeborn

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Freeborn forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.674, -93.349 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Kandiyohi

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Kandiyohi forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.152, -95.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Lac Qui Parle

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Lac Qui Parle forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.996, -96.173 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Le Sueur

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Le Sueur forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.371, -93.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Martin

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Martin forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.674, -94.551 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, McLeod

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: McLeod forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.824, -94.272 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Nicollet

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Nicollet forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.350, -94.247 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Pope

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Pope forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.586, -95.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Redwood

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Redwood forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.404, -95.254 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Renville

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Renville forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.727, -94.947 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Sibley

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Sibley forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.580, -94.232 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Steele

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Steele forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.022, -93.226 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Stevens

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Stevens forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.586, -96.000 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Swift

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Swift forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.283, -95.681 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Waseca

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Waseca forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.022, -93.587 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Watonwan

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Watonwan forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.978, -94.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Yellow Medicine

When: February 11, 11:00 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Yellow Medicine forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.716, -95.868 (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 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, February 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: 5342082, 5342083, 5342084, 5342085, 5342086, 5342087, 5342088, 5342089, 5342090, 5342091, 5342092, 5342093, 5342094, 5343105, 5343106, 5343107, 5343108, 5343109, 5343110, 5343111, 5343112, 5343113.