A band of snow produced accumulations of 2 to 6 inches near Interstate 90 in southwest Minnesota during the morning and early afternoon of December 18th. Winds during the snowfall were light.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 FSD wrote it up.
A band of snow produced accumulations of 2 to 6 inches near Interstate 90 in southwest Minnesota during the morning and early afternoon of December 18th. Winds during the snowfall were light.
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 Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 18, 3:11 AM CST, 49 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR SOUTHEAST SD/SOUTHWEST MN/NORTHWEST IA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD 311 AM CST TUE DEC 18 2012 .DISCUSSION.../ISSUED AT 333 AM CST/ AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL PUSH SOUTHEAST ACROSS NORTHEAST NEBRASKA THIS MORNING. SEEING A BAND OF MODERATE SNOW TO THE NORTH OF THIS LOW ALONG MID LEVEL FRONTAL BOUNDARY. LOOKS TO BE FOCUSED NEAR THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE 700 MB BOUNDARY WHERE NEGATIVE EPV AND OMEGA IN THE SNOW GROWTH ZONE ARE BOTH MAXIMIZED. THIS BAND IS CURRENTLY MOVING EAST NORTHEAST...WHILE THE SURFACE LOW MOVES SOUTHEAST. THUS THINKING AT SOME POINT THE WHOLE BAND BEGINS TO PIVOT AND SHIFT EAST SOUTHEAST. GENERALLY THINKING WE SEE AN INCH OR TWO IN THIS BAND GENERALLY ALONG THE INTERSTATE 90 CORRIDOR. WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE AN ISOLATED AMOUNT CLOSER TO 3 INCHES AT THE PIVOT POINT AS THE BAND SHIFTS MORE SOUTH. BEST GUESS OF WHERE THIS PIVOT POINT COULD END UP IS AROUND NORTHERN MCCOOK...NORTHERN MINNEHAHA...INTO ROCK AND NOBLES COUNTIES IN MINNESOTA. THIS BAND SHOULD WEAKEN AND EXIT THE CWA BY AROUND NOON. OUTSIDE OF THE MAIN BAND...STILL EXPECTING SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING...WITH GENERALLY UNDER AN INCH. OTHER ISSUE TODAY IS HIGH TEMPERATURES. STRATUS WILL LIKELY STICK AROUND FOR MUCH OF THE DAY...WITH SLOW CLEARING FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST. THUS WENT ON THE COOLER SIDE OF GUIDANCE FOR HIGHS...GENERALLY UPPER 20S TO LOW 30S NORTHEAST HALF OF THE AREA. TOUGHER FORECAST IS FOR ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER...AS IF STRATUS CLEARS EARLY THEY COULD WARM NICELY WITH POTENTIALLY GOOD MIXING. CURRENTLY THINKING UPPER 30S TO AROUND 40 IN THIS AREA...BUT WILL HAVE TO WATCH STRATUS PROGRESSION. WINDS WILL ALSO PICK UP BEHIND THIS LOW ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER...WITH NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTING 20 TO 30 MPH BY THIS AFTERNOON. /CHENARD A RELATIVELY WEAK WEST TO NORTHWEST WIND FIELD WILL BE IN PLACE TONIGHT WITH MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS INCREASING THROUGH THE NIGHT. THIS WILL LIMIT LOW TEMPERATURE POTENTIAL BUT WITH LIGHT WINDS AND SOME FRESH SNOW COVER NOT EASY TO DETERMINE. SO...WILL GO WITH A COMPROMISE OF THE CONSALL AND WMODEL LENDING A LITTLE MORE WEIGHT TO THE CLOUDS THAN THE SNOW COVER. THE SYSTEM FOR WEDNESDAY CONTINUES TO LOOK VERY INTERESTING...ALBEIT A BIT FARTHER SOUTH THAN YESTERDAYS OUTPUT...BUT NOT BY A LOT. THE UPPER LEVEL PV ANOMALY SWINGS THROUGH KANSAS AND NEBRASKA WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THE VARIOUS MODELS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT IN SWINGING THE STRONGEST 300-500MB QG FORCING THROUGH KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA LATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON INTO NORTHERN MISSOURI AND SOUTHEAST IOWA BY LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT. DROPPING DOWN A LITTLE FARTHER IN THE ATMOSPHERE THE STRONGEST FRONTAL FORCING AND THE HIGHEST OMEGA IN THE DENDRITIC LAYER ARE COLLOCATED CLOSE TO THE 700MB FRONT WHICH IS VERY WELL AGREED UPON...STRENGTHENING LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING IN CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND MAXIMIZING OVER THE FAR SOUTHEASTERN CWA...FROM ABOUT GRAND ISLAND NEBRASKA TO TEKAMAH NEBRASKA TO JUST SOUTH OF STORM LAKE THEN INTO NORTHEAST IOWA. THE SREF IS EVER SO SLIGHTLY FARTHER NORTH BUT NOT ENOUGH TO REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE. THIS VERY STRONG MID LEVEL FRONT AND VERY FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW...DENDRITIC LAYER FROM ABOUT 750MB TO 550MB AND ALSO A HINT OF SOME NEGATIVE EPV ABOVE THE 700MB FRONT...WILL LIKELY YIELD SOME EFFICIENT SNOWS. HOWEVER...WITH THE MAIN WAVE COMING OUT SO FAR SOUTH OF THE MID LEVEL FRONT IT SEEMS LIKE IN EVENTS PAST THAT THIS WILL SUPPORT MORE OF A BROAD AREA OF PRECIPITATION AND WITH FAIRLY STRONG FRONTAL FORCING AS LOW AS 850MB FROM SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA INTO CENTRAL IOWA. SUSPECT WE WILL GET A DECENT BAND OF SNOW OVER NORTHEAST NEBRASKA INTO SOUTHERN PARTS OF NORTHWEST IOWA FROM ABOUT 21Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH 3-6Z THURSDAY AS AN INITIAL PUSH OF UPPER LEVEL PV FORCING SPREADS INTO NORTHWEST IOWA...THEN SEE THE LOWER FRONT TAKE OVER IN IOWA AND SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AS THE MAIN WAVE COMES OUT. WILL ADD IN SOME BLOWING SNOW IN THE AREA WHERE SNOW POTENTIAL IS ABOUT 3 INCHES OR MORE AS NORTHWEST WINDS COULD INCREASE TO ABOUT 15 TO 30 MPH AS THE SYSTEM WRAPS UP AND HEADS EAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT. WILL OPT FOR NO HEADLINES AT THIS TIME AS ANY SHIFT SOUTHWARD WILL SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASE SNOWFALL AMOUNTS. THURSDAY WILL SEE SOME BREEZY NORTHWEST WINDS DECREASE THROUGH THE DAY...AND WHEN COUPLED WITH HIGHS IN THE TEENS TO LOWER 20S OVER MUCH OF THE AREA WIND CHILLS WILL LIKELY BE ABOUT 5 BELOW ZERO IN MANY LOCATIONS. IN THE LATTER PERIODS(FRI/MON)...STILL LOOKING DRY AND SEASONAL WITH UPPER LEVEL RIDGING IN PLACE. NO MAJOR CHANGES EXPECTED DURING THIS TIME FRAME. OF NOTE CONTINUES TO BE THE MID WEEK STORM POTENTIAL. MODELS STILL ALL OVER THE PLACE WITH TIMING/STRENGTH/PLACEMENT BUT THEY ALL CONTINUE TO INDICATE A VERY STRONG STORM SYSTEM WITH LOADS OF POTENTIAL TO CREATE MASSIVE TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS. IF OLD MODEL BIASES HOLD TRUE THE SYSTEM ON THE GFS IS TOO FAR SOUTH AND WILL LIKELY TRACK FARTHER NORTH AND WEST WHILE THE 0Z ECMWF HAS NOW CHANGED QUITE A BIT AND IS FARTHER NORTH AND WEST. ONLY TIME WILL TELL WHERE THIS ENDS UP BUT THE POTENTIAL IS THERE FOR A REAL BLOCKBUSTER. /08 && .AVIATION.../FOR 06Z TAF ISSUANCE/ WIDESPREAD IFR TO MVFR CEILINGS...ALONG WITH AREAS OF FOG AND OCCASIONAL VISIBILITIES BELOW 3 MILES...WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE CWA THROUGH 12Z-14Z. AREAS OF LIGHT SNOW WITH VISIBILITY OCCASIONALLY BELOW 1 MILE WILL REDEVELOP...MAINLY EAST OF THE JAMES RIVER PRIOR TO 12Z...PERSISTING OVER SOUTHWEST MN AND THE IOWA GREAT LAKES BEYOND 18Z. LIMITED MOISTURE ALOFT COULD RESULT IN A PERIOD PATCHY FREEZING DRIZZLE NEAR/SOUTH OF KFSD TOWARD KYKN-KSUX AREAS 08Z-15Z. CONFIDENCE LOW IN FZDZ FOR KFSD SO WILL STICK WITH -SN IN THE TAF FOR NOW...BUT WILL CONTINUE TO MENTION FOR KSUX DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. CONDITIONS WILL GRADUALLY BECOME VFR FROM WEST TO EAST...WITH VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO REACH THE JAMES VALLEY BY 18Z...THE I-29 CORRIDOR 20Z-22Z...AND INTO THE HIGHWAY 71 CORRIDOR IN SOUTHWEST MN/NORTHWEST IOWA BY AROUND 00Z WEDNESDAY. && .FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IA...NONE. MN...NONE. NE...NONE. SD...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD 0128 AM CST TUE DEC 18 2012 SDZ038>040-050-052>071-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097-098- IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-NEZ013-014-191200- AURORA-BEADLE-BON HOMME-BROOKINGS-BRULE-BUENA VISTA IA- CHARLES MIX-CHEROKEE IA-CLAY-CLAY IA-COTTONWOOD MN-DAKOTA NE- DAVISON-DICKINSON IA-DIXON NE-DOUGLAS-GREGORY-HANSON-HUTCHINSON- IDA IA-JACKSON MN-JERAULD-KINGSBURY-LAKE-LINCOLN-LINCOLN MN- LYON IA-LYON MN-MCCOOK-MINER-MINNEHAHA-MOODY-MURRAY MN-NOBLES MN- OBRIEN IA-OSCEOLA IA-PIPESTONE MN-PLYMOUTH IA-ROCK MN-SANBORN- SIOUX IA-TURNER-UNION-WOODBURY IA-YANKTON- 0128 AM CST TUE DEC 18 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA... SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...NORTHWEST IOWA...AND NORTHEAST NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WINTER WEATHER... A BAND OF LIGHT TO OCCASIONALLY MODERATE SNOW WILL MOVE EAST OVER THE INTERSTATE 90 CORRIDOR LATE TONIGHT...THEN SHIFT TOWARDS SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA BY SUNRISE AND EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. AREAS FROM CHAMBERLAIN TO MITCHELL TOWARDS SIOUX FALLS COULD SEE AROUND AN INCH OF ACCUMULATION WITH A HALF AN INCH TO AN INCH OF ACCUMULATION OVER PARTS OF SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA. THE SNOW SHOULD DISSIPATE EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A BAND OF SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ON WEDNESDAY...THEN CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. THE BEST CHANCE FOR THIS BAND OF SNOW TO DEVELOP WILL BE SOUTH AND EAST OF AN ELK POINT TO SPENCER IOWA LINE. SNOWFALL TOTALS WILL RAPIDLY DECREASE TO THE NORTH OF THIS LINE. CLOSER TO SIOUX CITY AND STORM LAKE SNOWFALL AMOUNTS COULD APPROACH 2 TO 4 INCHES WITH THE HEAVIER AMOUNTS TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF THESE AREAS. PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER UPDATES AS THE LOCATION OF THIS BAND COULD SHIFT BEFORE WEDNESDAY BRINGING POTENTIALLY BIG CHANGES TO THE FORECAST. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT. && FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SIOUXFALLS. THIS INCLUDES THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow accumulated 2 to 5 inches, with 5 inches reported at Luverne.
Snow accumulated 2 to 4 inches, with 3 inches reported at Adrian and Worthington.
Snow accumulated 2 to 4 inches, with 4 inches reported at Jackson.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, December 2012
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: 426601, 426602, 426603.