Snow accumulated up to 8 inches in southwest Minnesota near the southern border of the state from the morning into the evening of November 20th. Accumulations dropped off sharply to the north, with 2 inches or less along the northern edge of the southern tier of counties.
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.
Snow accumulated up to 8 inches in southwest Minnesota near the southern border of the state from the morning into the evening of November 20th. Accumulations dropped off sharply to the north, with 2 inches or less along the northern edge of the southern tier of counties.
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 Nov 20, 5:13 AM CST, 1 hour 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
513 AM CST FRI NOV 20 2015
.SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT)
ISSUED AT 354 AM CST FRI NOV 20 2015
PRESENT RADAR SHOWING DEVELOPING SNOW BAND FROM SOUTHWESTERN SOUTH
DAKOTA TO NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA VERY EARLY THIS MORNING...THOUGH
NOT SEEING ANY SNOW REACHING THE GROUND ON THE EASTERN EXTENT OF THE
BAND WITH DRY LOW LEVEL AIR IN PLACE. THIS AREA OF SNOW LOOKS TO BE
COLLOCATED WELL WITH MODEL 700 MB FRONTOGENESIS FIELDS. STILL LOOKING
AT A DECENT SNOW EVENT ACROSS THE AREA TODAY WITH STRENGTHENING MID
LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS AND UPPER LEVEL LIFT AIDED BY A JET STREAK
SITUATED THROUGH NORTHERN SOUTH DAKOTA INTO MINNESOTA. MODELS IN
FAIRLY DECENT AGREEMENT ON A STRONG FRONTOGENETIC BAND DEVELOPING
INTO SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA IN THE EARLY MORNING...THEN
SPLITTING TO THE NORTH AND SOUTH BY LATE MORNING...WITH THE SOUTHERN
BAND BECOMING DOMINATE OVER NORTHWESTERN IOWA BY AFTERNOON AS
OPTIMUM 500-300 MB DIV Q SLIDES THROUGH SOUTHERN SOUTH DAKOTA AND
NEBRASKA DURING THAT TIME FRAME. THIS SCENARIO POINTS TO HEAVY SNOW
DEVELOPING SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 90 DURING THE DAY...WITH AMOUNTS
DECREASING RAPIDLY TO THE NORTH WHERE DRIER AIR WILL BE GREATER AND
FORCING IS LESS. WHAT IS SOMEWHAT DISTURBING IS THAT MOST RECENT
MODEL RUNS...INCLUDING THE RAP AND HRRR ARE TRENDING FARTHER TO THE
NORTH WITH THE MORNING PERIOD SNOWFALL IN THE INITIAL FRONTOGENETIC
BAND...PLACING IT RIGHT ALONG THE INTERSTATE 90 CORRIDOR...BEFORE
COLLAPSING IT SOUTHWARD BY AFTERNOON AS EXPLAINED ABOVE. IN
ADDITION...THEY ARE HINTING AT SOME INSTABILITY OF THE FRONT SO
THERE COULD BE A PERIOD OF HEAVIER SNOWFALL IN THIS VICINITY DURING
THE MORNING HOURS. STILL THINKING THE GENERAL HEAVIER SNOW WILL BE
SOUTH OF I90 FOR MOST OF THE DAY...BUT WILL BE SOMETHING TO KEEP AN
EYE ON. WINDS WILL REMAIN ON THE LIGHTER SIDE TODAY...SO BLOWING
SNOW SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE. REMAINED BELOW GUIDANCE WITH RESPECT TO
TEMPERATURES...WITH PRECIPITATION AND WET BULBING EFFECTS...SO
LOOKING AT HIGHS JUST EITHER SIDE OF 30 DEGREES. USING SNOW RATIOS
IN THE RANGE OF 11:1 TO 15:1 AND CURRENTLY PROJECTED TOTAL SNOWFALL
AMOUNTS RANGE FROM JUST UNDER AN INCH ALONG THE HIGHWAY 14
CORRIDOR...TO 4 TO 6 INCHES ALONG THE I90 CORRIDOR...TO 6 TO 9
INCHES SOUTH OF THAT AREA...TRENDING HIGHEST TOWARD NORTHWESTERN
IOWA. IN LIGHT OF ALL THE ABOVE REASONING...ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY ONE STRIP OF COUNTIES FARTHER TO THE NORTH THAN PREVIOUS
FORECAST...ALONG THE I90 CORRIDOR...WITH A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR
AREAS TO THE SOUTH.
BY THIS EVENING THE MIDLEVEL FRONTOGENETIC FORCING SLIDES EASTWARD
INTO NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN IOWA WITH MAXIMUM UPPER LEVEL
DIV Q FOLLOWING SUIT. WITH THAT...WILL SEE SNOW TAPER OFF FROM WEST
TO EAST DURING THE EVENING. MAY GET SOME CLEARING LATER IN THE
NIGHT...AND WENT ON THE LOWER SIDE OF GUIDANCE...ESPECIALLY IN
EXPECTED SNOW COVERED AREAS...WITH OVERNIGHT READINGS IN THE MID
TEENS NORTH TO AROUND 10 SOUTH OF THE I90 CORRIDOR.
.LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY)
ISSUED AT 354 AM CST FRI NOV 20 2015
A DRY FIRST HALF OF THE MEDIUM RANGE FORECAST...WITH MORE UNSETTLED
WEATHER TAKING AIM FOR THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY. EARLY ON THIS
WEEKEND...BEHIND TODAYS DEPARTING SNOWSTORM...THE MAIN CONCERN WILL
BE WITH TEMPERATURES. THE FIRST COLD DAY OF THE LATE FALL AND EARLY
WINTER SEASON WILL ARRIVE ON SATURDAY. FRESH SNOW COVER...COMBINED
WITH H850 MB TEMPERATURES -10 TO -14C WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES WELL
BELOW NORMAL THIS WEEKEND. SATURDAYS HIGHS MAY STRUGGLE TO BREAK
FREE FROM THE MID 20S. ON SUNDAY...WE WILL HAVE A RETURN OF
SOUTHWESTERLY BOUNDARY LAYER AND LOW LEVEL FLOW...BUT FRESH SNOW
COVER WILL AGAIN HAMPER TEMPERATURES SIGNIFICANTLY.
QUIET WEATHER THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK AS RIDGING SPREADS
ACROSS THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES. WARM SOUTHERLY FLOW SHOULD BUMP
TEMPERATURES BACK INTO THE 40S AND SHOULD MELT SOME OF THE SNOWPACK.
THE CONCERN COULD THEN TURN TO FOG POTENTIAL IN THE MIDWEEK
TIMEFRAME.
WHILE STILL EARLY...WE WILL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON A DEEP UPPER
THROUGH DIGGING INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN US THIS WEEK. THIS SYSTEM
COULD BRING MESSY WEATHER INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE COUNTRY FOR THE
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY. MODELS SEEM TO AGREE THAT A COLD FRONT WILL
SURGE THROUGH THE REGION LATE WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY. CONSIDERABLE
UPPER LIFT MAY SPREAD ACROSS THE REGION WITH THE H850 BOUNDARY
LINGERING OVER THE COLDER SFC AIR. THIS SOLN COULD PRODUCE A MYRIAD
OF WINTRY WEATHER IN THE LOCAL AREA BY THANKSGIVING AND THE DAY
AFTER.
&&
.AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY MORNING)
ISSUED AT 507 AM CST FRI NOV 20 2015
SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA THIS
MORNING...WITH HEAVIEST SNOW FROM THE INTERSTATE 90 CORRIDOR AND
SOUTHWARD. SNOW WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON...WITH MVFR AND IFR CONDITIONS COMMON. AREAS ALONG THE
HIGHWAY 14 CORRIDOR...INCLUDING KHON...WILL BE EFFECTED LESS FROM
THE STORM SYSTEM...THUS CONDITIONS WILL RESIDE MAINLY IN THE VFR
TO UPPER END MVFR RANGE. SNOW WILL TAPER OFF THIS EVENING FROM
WEST TO EAST.
&&
.FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SD...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR SDZ063>071.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR SDZ050-
057>061.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO 9 PM CST THIS
EVENING FOR SDZ062.
MN...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO 9 PM CST THIS
EVENING FOR MNZ089-090-098.
IA...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO 9 PM CST THIS
EVENING FOR IAZ001>003-012-013-020.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO MIDNIGHT CST
TONIGHT FOR IAZ014-021-022-031-032.
NE...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO 9 PM CST THIS
EVENING FOR NEZ013-014.
&&
SHORT TERM...JM
LONG TERM...DUX
AVIATION...JMThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heavy snow, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow accumulated 2 to 8 inches, including 8 inches 2 miles north northeast of Worthington. The lightest accumulations were along the northern edge of the county. The snow was accompanied by light winds.
Snow accumulated 2 to 8 inches, including 8 inches at Jackson. The lightest accumulations were along the northern edge of the county. The snow was accompanied by light winds.
Snow accumulated 2 to 6 inches, including 4.4 inches at Luverne. The lightest accumulations were along the northern edge of the county. The snowfall was accompanied by light winds.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, November 2015
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: 607444, 607445, 607447.