A small convective snow shower formed over the tip of Lake Superior late at night on January 30th. The tiny storm dumped 9 inches on the Park Point section of Duluth MN, just east of downtown Duluth.
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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.
The episode as NWS DLH wrote it up.
A small convective snow shower formed over the tip of Lake Superior late at night on January 30th. The tiny storm dumped 9 inches on the Park Point section of Duluth MN, just east of downtown Duluth. The storm weakened the next morning, but continued to exist out over the water much of the next 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 Duluth, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 30, 10:15 PM CST, 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 1015 PM CST SUN JAN 30 2011 .UPDATE... INCREASED SNOW MENTION TO LIKELY FOR LAKESHORE AREAS ALONG THE WISCONSIN SOUTH SHORE AND THE DOWNTOWN DULUTH/SUPERIOR AREA. && .DISCUSSION... RADAR ECHOES OFF THE LAKE...MOVING SOUTHWEST...ARE BEGINNING TO SHOW SNOW IN THE DULUTH AND SUPERIOR AREA...THE CONVECTION HAS YET TO REACH THE DULUTH AIRPORT. WEB-CAMS SHOW ONLY A MINOR REDUCTION TO VISIBILITY AND SNOW SHOWERS SEEM MORE ACTIVE IN THE DULUTH AREA AT THIS TIME...VERY DRY AIR REMAINS FURTHER EAST. WITH NORTHEAST WINDS CONTINUING...WE EXPECT LIGHT SNOW TO SPREAD RAPIDLY EAST ALONG THE SOUTH SHORE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 745 PM CST SUN JAN 30 2011/ UPDATE... DE-EMPHASIZED SNOW ACROSS THE SHORELINE COUNTIES OF NORTHWEST WISCONSIN AND STRESSED SNOW EARLIER AND STRONGER SOUTH OF ROUTE 2 OF NORTEAST MINNESOTA. LOWERED TEMPERATURES ALONG THE CANADIAN BORDER A DEGREE OR TWO...MOSTLY ALONG THE RAINY RIVER VALLEY. DISCUSSION... WITH A 120 KNOT CHANNELED JET AXIS REMAINING OVER THE CENTER OF OUR AREA...ADVANCING MID AND HIGH CLOUDS ARE NOT CROSSING THE AXIS OF STRONGEST WINDS AND NOT QUITE REACHING THE CANADIAN BORDER. GROUND TEMPERATURES ALONG THAT AREA RESEMBLE CIRRUS TOPS AND TEMPERATURES IN THAT NARROW REGION OF OUR AREA ARE FALLING RAPIDLY. IN CONTRAST...ACCUMULATING SNOW HAS MOVED INTO THE PARK RAPIDS AREA AND SNOW IS STARTING TO SPREAD INTO CASS COUNTY...WITH RADAR ECHOES SPREADING ACROSS AND EAST OF THE UPPER SAINT CROIX VALLEY. WE BEEFED-UP POPS A LITTLE. DRY AIR IS HAMPERING CONVECTION OVER AND DOWNWIND OF THE LAKE...NO RADAR ECHOES ARE APPARENT AND VISIBILITIES ARE UNRESTRICTED UNDER A LOW OVERCAST THERE. SO...WE KEPT SNOW SHOWERS IN THE CHANCE CATEGORY. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 536 PM CST SUN JAN 30 2011/ AVIATION...01/31/00Z ISSUANCE... VFR CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE TO MVFR IN SNOW SOUTH OF DULUTH LATE TONIGHT AND IFR IN SNOW EARLY MONDAY. ALONG A XVG-DLH-ASX-IWD LINE...VFR CONDIONS WILL DETERIORATE TO MVFR IN SNOW EARLY MONDAY. NORTH OF ROUTE 2 IN NORTHEAST MINNESOTA...VFR CONDITIONS UNDER A SCATTERED TO BROKEN MID-DECK WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY EVENING. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 348 PM CST SUN JAN 30 2011/ DISCUSSION...LARGE ARCTIC SFC HIGH CENTERED OVER NRN/CTRL SASK THIS AFTERNOON WITH RIDGING EXTENDING SE INTO WRN ONTARIO. LES HAS DECREASED ACROSS GOGEBIC AS VERY DRY AIR EVIDENT ON SATELLITE IMAGERY AND RUC13 85/70H ANALYSIS. HAVE CANCELLED ADVISORY SINCE ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION WILL NOT BE SIGNIFICANT. TEMPS RANGE FROM UPPER TEENS IN PRICE COUNTY TO SINGLE DIGITS ALONG INTERNATIONAL BORDER. VERY DRY AIR IS PUSHING INTO REGION FROM ARCTIC HIGH AS EVIDENT FROM CLEARING TODAY OVER MOST OF MN CWA. MID LVL CLOUDS FROM APPROACHING TROF ADVECTING INTO WRN EDGE OF CWA. TONIGHT...CHANGES UNDERWAY TONIGHT AS MID LVL TROF MOVES INTO ERN MT AND CLOUDS INCREASE ACROSS MOST OF CWA. CONFLUENCE BETWEEN HUDSON BAY VORTEX AND FORWARD FLANK OF ERN MT TROF SHOULD MAINTAIN SFC HIGH RIDGING JUST NORTH OF CWA. FCST IS COUNTING ON THIS DRY WEDGE TO KEEP CLOUDS SOMEWHAT AT BAY ALONG BORDER OVERNIGHT. THIS SHOULD ALLOW TEMPS TO DROP MORE SO THAN PREVIOUS NIGHTS. HAVE ISSUED A WIND CHILL ADV ALONG NORTHERN TIER OF CWA...MAINLY AFTER MIDNIGHT AS WINDS REMAIN JUST STRONG ENOUGH. CONFIDENCE IS NOT GREAT DUE TO CLOUD UNCERTAINTY AND POTENTIAL THAT WINDS MAY DIMINISH ENTIRELY. MEANWHILE...LT SNOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS SRN CWA IN ZONE OF MID LVL FRONTOGENESIS. MODEL CONSENSUS HAS BEEN CONSISTENT LAST TWO DAYS. MAY SEE AN INCH BY MORNING ACROSS BRAINERD LAKES REGION INTO LWR ST CROIX VALLEY. TOMORROW...WITH BAROCLINIC ZONE LOCATED OVER SRN PLAINS... THE APPROACHING UPPER TROF WILL ONLY INDUCE A SFC TROF THIS AFR NORTH. THAT LEAVES MID LVL ISENTROPIC ASCENT AND POTENTIAL LAKE ENHANCEMENT AS PRIMARY FORCING MECHANISMS. FCST OF BEST OMEGA/DGZ/MSTR PROFILES SUGGESTS THAT ACCUMULATIONS WILL RANGE FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES OVER SRN CWA...ISOLATED 4" OVER A 12/18HR PERIOD. ONE FACTOR THAT MAY ALLOW FOR MORE ACCUMULATION WOULD BE A HIGHER LSR THAN 20/1. BY AFTN...ORIENTATION OF LOW LVL FLOW MAY ALLOW FOR SOME ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION FROM LAKE EFFECT INTO TWIN PORTS/NWRN WISC. THIS MAY CONTINUE UNTIL TUESDAY MORNING. NEXT SHIFTS WILL NEED TO NARROW DOWN POTENTIAL FOR MORE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS BASED ON LATER MDL GUIDANCE. TUES/WED...COLD WX WILL PREVAIL AS AREA BECOMES LOCATED WITHIN A COL BETWEEN DEPARTING UPPER TROFS AND APPROACHING WRN CANADIAN MID LVL RIDGE. ALTHOUGH DEEP LAYER RH WILL DROP SIGNIFICANTLY HAVE MATCHED ADJACENT MQT WFO HIGHER POPS FOR SOME RESIDUAL LAKE EFFECT SNOW ALONG THE ERN WISC SNOWBELT. CHILLY AIR/STEEPER LL LAPSE RATES WILL PROVIDE A SHALLOW CLOUD DECK THAT WILL GENERATE LIGHT SNOW BUT LITTLE ACCUMULATION DUE TO SHALLOW INVERSION. THIS MAY VERIFY IF MOIST LAYER IS TOO SHALLOW. LEANED HEAVILY ON NAM12 HIGHER RESOLUTION TO BETTER CAPTURE MESOSCALE NATURE OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND POTENTIAL DGZ...MAINLY TUESDAY/TUESDAY NIGHT. MDLS IN STRONG AGREEMENT THAT EJECTING MID LVL LOW WILL STAY FAR ENOUGH SOUTH OF CWA WED TO KEEP MOST OF AREA QUIET. WED NITE THRU SUN... HIGH PRESS IN CONTROL WED NITE/THU...THEN S/WV SWEEPS DOWN FROM CN...AFFECTING MAINLY NERN HALF OF OUR CWA THU NITE/FRI. ANOTHER SHORT BREAK FRI NITE UNDER ACYC FLOW ALOFT. MODELS IN BTR AGMT FOR NEXT WEEKEND BUT STILL SOME SIG DIFFS. IT APPEARS THAT A BROAD UPR TROF WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG SFC LOW...ALTHO THE MODELS DIFFER IN PLACEMENT AND TRACK. IN ANY CASE...IT SEEMS THAT AT LEAST SLGT OR LOW CHC POPS ARE WARRANTED FOR THE SAT/SUN TIMEFRAME. && .POINT TEMPS/POPS... DLH -2 12 -5 10 / 60 60 50 10 INL -23 2 -20 2 / 10 0 10 0 BRD 2 9 -6 8 / 90 90 50 10 HYR 3 16 2 15 / 60 80 60 20 ASX 5 13 2 15 / 60 60 60 40 && .DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...WIND CHILL ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM CST MONDAY FOR MNZ010>012-021. WI...NONE. && SHORT TERM...EOM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 312 PM CST SUN JAN 30 2011 MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038-WIZ001>004-006>009-311130- KOOCHICHING-NORTHERN ST. LOUIS-NORTHERN COOK/NORTHERN LAKE- NORTHERN ITASCA-CENTRAL ST. LOUIS-SOUTHERN LAKE/LAKESHORE- SOUTHERN COOK/LAKESHORE-NORTHERN CASS-SOUTHERN ITASCA- SOUTHERN CASS-CROW WING-NORTHERN AITKIN-SOUTHERN AITKIN- CARLTON/SOUTHERN ST. LOUIS-PINE-DOUGLAS-BAYFIELD-ASHLAND-IRON- BURNETT-WASHBURN-SAWYER-PRICE- 312 PM CST SUN JAN 30 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHWEST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A COMBINATION OF COLD AIR AND LIGHT WIND WILL PRODUCE DANGEROUS WINDCHILL VALUES TONIGHT ACROSS THE BORDERLAND AND THE ARROWHEAD OF MINNESOTA. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN DULUTH FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE BRAINERD LAKES REGION EAST TO NORTHWEST WISCONSIN AFTER MIDNIGHT SUNDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SNOW WILL CONTINUE SOUTH OF A CASS LAKE TO TWO HARBORS TO ASHLAND LINE. ACCUMULATIONS MAY REACH 2 TO 3 INCHES FROM THE BRAINERD LAKES TO THE LOWER ST CROIX VALLEY TO THE HAYWARD LAKES BY EARLY MONDAY EVENING. SNOW WILL LINGER OVER NORTHWEST WISCONSIN THROUGH TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SNOW REPORTS FROM OUR SNOW SPOTTER NETWORK WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. CANNON MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESS: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/DULUTH (ALL LOWER CASE)
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, January 2011
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: 276472.