Fog, dense in areas, and freezing drizzle caused a combination of icy surfaces with low visibility in part of southwest Minnesota roughly in an Ivanhoe to Marshall to Pipestone area from the evening of January 6th into the morning of January 7th.
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.
Fog, dense in areas, and freezing drizzle caused a combination of icy surfaces with low visibility in part of southwest Minnesota roughly in an Ivanhoe to Marshall to Pipestone area from the evening of January 6th into the morning of January 7th.
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 Jan 6, 5:28 PM CST, 4 hours 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD 528 PM CST WED JAN 6 2016 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 320 PM CST WED JAN 6 2016 A SHORTWAVE CONTINUES TO LIFT ACROSS THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF OUR CWA THIS AFTERNOON...WITH A BAND OF LIGHT SNOW CURRENTLY PUSHING INTO EAST CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHWESTERN MINNESOTA. THIS AREA OF PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT TO THE NORTH THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON...WITH MODELS INDICATING DRYING IN THE DENDRITIC LAYER LATER TONIGHT...MAKING SNOW A LESS LIKELY TYPE OF PRECIPITATION. OTHERWISE...THE AFOREMENTIONED SHORTWAVE WILL TRACK INTO EASTERN MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN OVERNIGHT WITH LIFT DECREASING ACROSS OUR AREA. IN SPITE OF THAT...LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL REMAIN AND MODELS INDICATING THAT THERE MAY BE JUST ENOUGH LIFT TO KEEP THE THREAT OF PATCHY DRIZZLE OR FREEZING DRIZZLE OVER PARTS OF OUR AREA DURING THE NIGHT...THOUGH ANYTHING WOULD BE VERY LIGHT. RELATED TO THIS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE...KEPT AREAS OF FOG IN THE FORECAST FOR OVERNIGHT. WE WONT SEE TEMPERATURES DROP MUCH TONIGHT IN THE SOUTHERLY FLOW OUT AHEAD OF THE INVERTED SURFACE TROUGH SITUATED THROUGH THE FAR WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA...WITH LOWS REMAINING GENERALLY LOWER 30S...TO SOME MID 20S THROUGH OUR FAR WEST. ON THURSDAY WILL SEE AREAS OF FOG/PATCHY DRIZZLE LINGER THROUGH MID DAY...THEN COULD SEE SOME LIGHT SNOW DEVELOP IN OUR SOUTHEAST LATER IN THE AFTERNOON AS THE DENDRITIC LAYER BEGINS TO SATURATE AGAIN AND ANOTHER SHORTWAVE LIFTS OUT OF KANSAS. THE INVERTED TROUGH DOES NOT MAKE MUCH PROGRESS EASTWARD DURING THE DAY...AND TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN FAIRLY MILD...TOPPING OUT IN THE LOWER TO MID 30S. .LONG TERM...(THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 320 PM CST WED JAN 6 2016 SOUTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS WILL LIFT NORTHEAST AND WEAKEN THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY...MOVING INTO THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES REGION BY FRIDAY EVENING. THE ARRIVING WAVE WILL ALLOW DEEPER MOISTURE TO ADVECT INTO THE REGION AND QUICKLY TRANSITION THE DRIZZLE/FREEZING DRIZZLE OVER TO SNOW. LIGHT SNOW WILL BEGIN SPREADING INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA THURSDAY EVENING...AND QUICKLY EXPAND ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION OVERNIGHT. THE MAIN FOCUS FOR PRECIPITATION WILL BE ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA WHERE THE BETTER DIVQ TRACKS LATE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING. TRAILING NORTHERN STREAM WAVE DROPS INTO THE REGION RIGHT BEHIND THIS EXITING SYSTEM... ALLOWING LIGHT PRECIPITATION TO LINGER INTO FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. TEMPERATURES WILL BE WITHIN A FEW DEGREES ABOVE OR BELOW FREEZING THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING. EXPECT THE SNOW TO BE WET AND SLUSHY WHERE THE GREATEST PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED. WHILE LESSER QPF AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO THE WEST...SNOW RATIOS WILL BE A LITTLE HIGHER. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL GENERALLY BE 1 TO 3 INCHES THROUGHOUT THE REGION...HIGHEST IN NORTHWEST IOWA. BRISK NORTHWEST WINDS ARRIVE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION USHERING IN A BIG CHANGE TO THE WEATHER PATTERN LEADING INTO NEXT WEEK. TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN FALLING FRIDAY AFTERNOON....BECOMING NEARLY STEADY OR CONTINUING TO FALL THROUGH THE DAY ON SATURDAY. SATURDAY NIGHT LOWS WILL DROP BELOW WELL BELOW ZERO...AS COLD AS 10 BELOW WITH BREEZY NORTHWEST WINDS SLOWLY DECREASING OVERNIGHT. SUNDAY LOOKS TO BE THE COLDEST SO FAR THIS WINTER SEASON...WITH HIGHS NEAR ZERO. DID LOWER READINGS A FEW DEGREES FROM THE ALLBLEND FOR THIS DAY. WE WILL ONLY SEE A SLIGHT MODERATION OF TEMPERATURES HEADING INTO MID WEEK NEXT WEEK AS HIGHS CREEP INTO THE TEENS AND LOWER 20S ABOVE ZERO. MODELS START KEYING INTO SOME WEAK WAVES DROPPING INTO THE AREA NEAR MID WEEK...BUT NOT A GREAT DEAL OF CONFIDENCE IN THE TIMING SO WILL LEAVE THE DRY FORECAST AS IS. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z THURSDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 526 PM CST WED JAN 6 2016 LOW CEILINGS...FOG...AND DRIZZLE WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AND WELL INTO THURSDAY. EXPECTING CEILINGS TO FALL INTO LIFR TO VLIFR THIS EVENING. VISIBILITIES MAY BE A BIT MORE VARIABLE...BUT COULD SEE DROPS TO A MILE OR LESS AT TIMES. TEMPERATURES WILL HOVER RIGHT AROUND THE FREEZING MARK THROUGH THE NIGHT. THIS COULD LEAD TO MINOR FREEZING DRIZZLE ISSUES AFTER MIDNIGHT. LITTLE TO NO IMPROVEMENT IS EXPECTED ON THURSDAY...WITH CEILINGS RISING A BIT BY MID-DAY. && .FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...JM LONG TERM... AVIATION...DUX
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD 554 PM CST WED JAN 6 2016 SDZ038-039-050-052>054-057>060-063-064-080000- BEADLE-KINGSBURY-GREGORY-JERAULD-SANBORN-MINER-BRULE-AURORA- DAVISON-HANSON-CHARLES MIX-DOUGLAS- 554 PM CST WED JAN 6 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA...SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AREAS OF FOG AND PATCHY FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE NIGHT. VISIBILITIES MAY FALL BELOW 1 MILE AT TIMES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY FOG AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES WILL LINGER INTO THURSDAY MORNING. VISIBILITY UNDER 1 MILE WILL BE POSSIBLE. LIGHT SNOW WILL RETURN THURSDAY EVENING INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE ON THE LIGHT SIDE...WITH TOTALS UP TO 2 INCHES POSSIBLE. STRONG WINDS WILL ACCOMPANY AN ARCTIC FRONT ON FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY. THESE WINDS MAY CREATE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. AN ARCTIC AIRMASS BEHIND A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL ARRIVE FOR THE WEEKEND BRINGING THE COLDEST AIR OF THE WINTER SEASON THUS FAR. WIND CHILLS DURING THE DAY ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY MAY REMAIN AS COLD AS 15 BELOW ZERO. OVERNIGHT WIND CHILLS MAY DROP TO 25 BELOW AT TIMES SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097- 098-NEZ013-014-SDZ040-055-056-061-062-065>071-080000- LYON IA-OSCEOLA-DICKINSON-SIOUX-O'BRIEN-CLAY IA-PLYMOUTH-CHEROKEE- BUENA VISTA-WOODBURY-IDA-LINCOLN MN-LYON MN-MURRAY-COTTONWOOD- NOBLES-JACKSON-PIPESTONE-ROCK-DIXON-DAKOTA-BROOKINGS-LAKE-MOODY- MCCOOK-MINNEHAHA-HUTCHINSON-TURNER-LINCOLN SD-BON HOMME-YANKTON- CLAY SD-UNION- 554 PM CST WED JAN 6 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST IOWA...SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...NORTHEAST NEBRASKA...EAST CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AREAS OF FOG...DRIZZLE AND FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE NIGHTTIME HOURS. WITH TEMPERATURES HOVERING NEAR THE FREEZING MARK...A FEW SLIPPERY SPOTS ON BRIDGES...OVERPASSES AND SECONDARY ROADS WILL BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY FOG AND DRIZZLE MAY LINGER REDUCED VISIBILITIES INTO THURSDAY MORNING. VISIBILITY UNDER 1 MILE WILL BE POSSIBLE. LIGHT SNOW WILL RETURN THURSDAY EVENING AND CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY. ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE ON THE LIGHT SIDE...WITH TOTALS UP TO 3 INCHES POSSIBLE. STRONG WINDS WILL ACCOMPANY AN ARCTIC FRONT ON FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY. THESE WINDS MAY CREATE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW TO START THE WEEKEND. AN ARCTIC AIRMASS BEHIND THE EARLIER MENTIONED COLD FRONT WILL ARRIVE FOR THE WEEKEND BRINGING THE COLDEST AIR OF THE WINTER SEASON THUS FAR. WIND CHILLS DURING THE DAY ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY MAY REMAIN AS COLD AS 15 BELOW ZERO. OVERNIGHT WIND CHILLS MAY DROP TO 25 BELOW AT TIMES SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD 843 PM CST WED JAN 6 2016 MNZ071-072-080-097-SDZ038>040-050-052>066-071000- LINCOLN MN-LYON MN-MURRAY-PIPESTONE-BEADLE-KINGSBURY-BROOKINGS- GREGORY-JERAULD-SANBORN-MINER-LAKE-MOODY-BRULE-AURORA-DAVISON- HANSON-MCCOOK-MINNEHAHA-CHARLES MIX-DOUGLAS-HUTCHINSON-TURNER- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...TYLER...HENDRICKS...LAKE BENTON... IVANHOE...MARSHALL...SLAYTON...FULDA...PIPESTONE...HURON... DE SMET...ARLINGTON...LAKE PRESTON...BROOKINGS...GREGORY... BURKE...WESSINGTON SPRINGS...ALPENA...WOONSOCKET...HOWARD... MADISON...FLANDREAU...CHAMBERLAIN...KIMBALL...PLANKINTON... WHITE LAKE...STICKNEY...MITCHELL...ALEXANDRIA...EMERY...SALEM... CANISTOTA...BRIDGEWATER...MONTROSE...SIOUX FALLS...WAGNER... PLATTE...LAKE ANDES...MARTY...ARMOUR...CORSICA...DELMONT... PARKSTON...FREEMAN...MENNO...TRIPP...PARKER...CENTERVILLE... MARION...VIBORG...HURLEY...CHANCELLOR 843 PM CST WED JAN 6 2016 ...SLIPPERY ROADS POSSIBLE INTO THURSDAY MORNING... AREAS OF FOG...COMBINED WITH VERY LIGHT DRIZZLE AND SNOW...WILL LEAD TO PATCHY SLIPPERY SPOTS THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. AS TEMPERATURES SLOWLY FALL NEAR OR BELOW FREEZING...MELTED SNOW AND CONDENSATION ON PAVED SURFACES MAY ALSO BEGIN TO REFREEZE AND LEAD TO ADDITIONAL TRAVEL CONCERNS. FOG MAY REDUCE VISIBILITIES UNDER ONE MILE AT TIMES. DRIVERS ARE URGED TO SLOW DOWN AND DRIVE TO CONDITIONS. WHILE ROADS...SIDEWALKS...AND PARKING LOTS MAY APPEAR WET...THEY MAY INDEED BE ICY.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Areas of both low visibilities from fog and icy surfaces from freezing drizzle combined to make travel hazardous from the night of January 6th to the early daylight hours of January 7th.
Areas of both low visibilities from fog and icy surfaces from freezing drizzle combined to make travel hazardous from the night of January 6th to the early daylight hours of January 7th.
Areas of both low visibilities from fog and icy surfaces from freezing drizzle combined to make travel hazardous from the night of January 6th to the early daylight hours of January 7th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, January 2016
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: 614616, 614617, 614618.