Minnesota, 2010

Heavy Snow in Minnesota, December 20 to 21, 2010

December 20 to 21, 2010 · NWS DLH · 11 events in 10 counties and zones

Snow began across northeast Minnesota during the afternoon of the 20th and continued into the following afternoon. The heaviest snow fell overnight.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

Snow began across northeast Minnesota during the afternoon of the 20th and continued into the following afternoon. The heaviest snow fell overnight. Six to 8 inches fell in a band from the Chippewa National Forest southeast through the Iron Range. Another area of very heavy snow of 9 to 15 inches was in southern St. Louis County from Duluth to Floodwood to eastern Carlton County. Fifteen inches fell near Adolph, outside of Duluth, and 12 inches fell at Cloquet. There was another band of heavier snow along the north shore of Lake Superior where 8 inches fell at Two Harbors 10.8 inches fell at Silver Bay and 11 inches was measured at Finland.

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, Northern Cass

When
December 20, 12:00 PM CST to December 21, 8:00 PM 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, Northern Cass

When
December 20, 12:00 PM CST to December 21, 8:00 PM 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
December 20, 12:00 PM CST to December 21, 8:00 PM 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
December 20, 12:00 PM CST to December 21, 8:00 PM 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
December 20, 12:00 PM CST to December 21, 8:00 PM 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, Pine

When
December 20, 12:00 PM CST to December 21, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Pine forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
46.121, -92.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Central St. Louis

When
December 20, 6:00 PM CST to December 21, 10:00 PM 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 Lake

When
December 20, 6:00 PM CST to December 21, 10:00 PM 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, Southern Cook

When
December 20, 6:00 PM CST to December 21, 10:00 PM 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 Itasca

When
December 20, 6:00 PM CST to December 21, 8:00 PM 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, Southern St. Louis / Carlton

When
December 20, 6:00 PM CST to December 21, 10:00 PM 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)

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 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, December 2010

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 272081, 272088, 272092, 272093, 272095, 272099, 272074, 272075, 272076, 272091, 272097.