Minnesota, 2004

Heavy Snow in Minnesota, January 25 to 27, 2004

January 25 to 27, 2004 · NWS DLH · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

Heavy snow fell over much of northeastern Minnesota. The heavy snow area of eight or more inches was in an eighty-mile-wind swath from Pillager in southern Cass County to the tip of the Arrowhead.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 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
11

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 DLH wrote it up.

Heavy snow fell over much of northeastern Minnesota. The heavy snow area of eight or more inches was in an eighty-mile-wind swath from Pillager in southern Cass County to the tip of the Arrowhead. The most snow fell a few miles inland from Lake Superior from Duluth up the north shore where amounts ranged from a foot to just over 30 inches. The Duluth NWS had 27.1 inches, Finland DNR had 26 inches, Adolph had 25 inches while a spotter 2 miles east of Wales (southern Lake County) had 21 inches.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Southern Lake

When
January 25, 3:00 AM CST to January 27, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Southern Lake forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
47.557, -91.935 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Central St. Louis

When
January 25, 3:00 AM CST to January 26, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Central St. Louis forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
47.590, -92.461 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Itasca

When
January 25, 3:00 AM CST to January 26, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Southern Itasca forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
47.510, -93.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northern Cass

When
January 25, 3:00 AM CST to January 26, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Northern Cass forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
46.950, -94.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Cass

When
January 25, 3:00 AM CST to January 26, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Southern Cass forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
46.950, -94.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Crow Wing

When
January 25, 3:00 AM CST to January 26, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Crow Wing forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
46.482, -94.071 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northern Aitkin

When
January 25, 3:00 AM CST to January 26, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Northern Aitkin forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
46.608, -93.415 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Aitkin

When
January 25, 3:00 AM CST to January 26, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Southern Aitkin forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
46.608, -93.415 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Cook

When
January 25, 4:00 AM CST to January 27, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Southern Cook forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
47.817, -90.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern St. Louis / Carlton

When
January 25, 6:00 AM CST to January 27, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Southern St. Louis / Carlton forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
47.091, -92.569 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northern Cook / Northern Lake

When
January 25, 10:00 AM CST to January 26, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Northern Cook / Northern Lake forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
47.670, -90.975 (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 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, January 2004

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5383077, 5383079, 5383080, 5383081, 5383082, 5383083, 5383084, 5383085, 5383078, 5383086, 5383076.