Winter came early for much of the Northland in October. Some areas received upwards of a foot of snow while other areas received very little.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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 DLH wrote it up.
Winter came early for much of the Northland in October. Some areas received upwards of a foot of snow while other areas received very little. The Lake Superior shoreline was heavily damaged by relentless waves caused by strong off lakes winds that gusted over 50 mph for many hours. The UMD buoy on the western tip of Lake Superior recorded a peak wind gust of 43 mph with steady winds of 35 to 40 mph overnight and most of the following day, Friday, October 27th. The buoy recorded waves of 10 to 16 feet. The weather monitoring equipment at the McQuade safe harbor recorded a peak wind of 45 mph. The winds and subsequent waves and high surf caused portions of the lake walk in Duluth to get torn up and strewn with rocks and debris. The snow began in the afternoon of the 26th and spread eastward. The official snowfall total for Duluth was 10.6 for the record October single day snowfall along with a new record daily maximum snowfall. The heavy, wet snow took down trees, branches, and power lines, leaving folks without power in areas of northern Minnesota, including Duluth and International Falls. Onshore waves and strong winds off of Lake Superior pummeled the shoreline around Duluth throwing rocks and upending concrete-based walkways. Portions of the the Duluth Lakewalk, Brighton Beach, Canal Park, and Park Point were damaged. A disaster declaration was authorized by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton for $2.12 million from the state and $1.38 million from the local governments totaling $3.5 million for repairs and cleanup. $2.5 million in damage was just in the city of Duluth alone with damage found also along Scenic Highway 61.
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 Oct 26, 2:49 PM CST, 1 hour 56 minutes earlier.
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</html>Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Duluth MN 345 PM CDT Thu Oct 26 2017 MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038-WIZ001>004-006>009-271130- Koochiching-North St. Louis-Northern Cook/Northern Lake- North Itasca-Central St. Louis-Southern Lake/North Shore- Southern Cook/North Shore-North Cass-South Itasca-South Cass- Crow Wing-Northern Aitkin-South Aitkin-Carlton/South St. Louis- Pine-Douglas-Bayfield-Ashland-Iron-Burnett-Washburn-Sawyer-Price- 345 PM CDT Thu Oct 26 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and Tonight Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the internet for more information about the following hazards. Winter weather warning. Winter weather watch. Winter weather advisory. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday There will be lingering snow and blowing snow across much of northeast Minnesota Friday morning. Winter Weather Advisories remain in effect for much of northeast Minnesota until Friday afternoon. Please read the latest Winter Weather Messages for more information. Strong winds will occur around Lake Superior where gusts over 40 mph will be possible. Snow will continue to fall over portions of northwest Wisconsin Friday night into Saturday with significant snowfall accumulations possible over Ashland and Iron Counties. A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for Ashland and Iron Counties from late Friday afternoon through early Saturday afternoon. Please read the latest Winter Weather Messages for more information. There will be a several opportunities for light snow accumulation over portions of the Northland during the evening and overnight hours Monday through Wednesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Snow spotters are requested to report precipitation type, and measurements of snow or ice accumulations now through Saturday to the National Weather Service. Spotters and the public can also report precipitation type with the free M-PING smartphone app. LSZ121-140>148-271130- Bayfield to Oak Point WI-Grand Portage to Grand Marais MN- Grand Marais to Taconite Harbor MN- Taconite Harbor to Silver Bay Harbor MN- Silver Bay Harbor to Two Harbors MN-Two Harbors to Duluth MN- Duluth MN to Port Wing WI-Port Wing to Sand Island WI- Sand Island to Bayfield WI-Oak Point to Saxon Harbor WI- 345 PM CDT Thu Oct 26 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of the Nearshore waters of western Lake Superior. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and Tonight Easterly winds will increase tonight as they back to the northeast. Gusts up to 45 knots are expected with occasional Storm Force gusts to 50 knots will occur tonight into Friday. A Gale Warning is in effect through Friday. Please refer to the latest Nearshore Marine Forecast and Marine Weather Message for details. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday A Gale Warning remains in effect through Friday. Please refer to the latest Nearshore Marine Forecast and Marine Weather Message for details. Wolfe/WL More information may be obtained at the following web address: http://www.weather.gov/duluth (all lower case)
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 heavy snow, 1 blizzard, 1 winter storm, 1 lakeshore flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Observer reported 6.4 of snow in the town of Northome.
Report of 6.0 of heavy snow that started at 8 PM on the 26th.
Storm total snowfall of 6.8.
Observer in Chisolm had measured snowfall of 8.3.
An observer in Coleraine had a snow measurement of 6 while another observer in Keewatin had 7.6 of snow.
Observer 3 miles north northeast of Finland had 24-hour snowfall of 8.8. With several other neighboring reports of 6-10 of snow over the duration of the event.
A semi truck driver was killed when his vehicle slid off of the northbound lane of Interstate 35 near Scanlon into the St. Louis River. Roads were slick due to heavy, wet snow falling along with high winds. Wind gust measured by station KDYT was 55 kt at 12:41 AM CST.
Onshore waves and strong winds off of Lake Superior pummeled the shoreline around Duluth throwing rocks and upending concrete-based walkways. Portions of the the Duluth Lakewalk, Brighton Beach, Canal Park, and Park Point were damaged. A disaster declaration was authorized by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton for $2.12 million from the state and $1.38 million from the local governments totaling $3.5 million for repairs and cleanup. $2.5 million in damage was just in the city of Duluth alone with damage found also along Scenic Highway 61.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Storm, Southern St. Louis / Carlton | 2017-10-27 | 44 | Male | In Water | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, October 2017
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: 725196, 725197, 725198, 725307, 725308, 725199, 725194, 725195.