Minnesota, 2018

Winter Weather in Minnesota, January 11, 2018

January 11, 2018 · NWS FSD · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Upper level trough pushing through the region failed to phase a northern and southern stream component, resulting in limited and fairly light snowfall, but a period of strong and gusty northwest winds.

Where it happened

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.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS FSD wrote it up.

Upper level trough pushing through the region failed to phase a northern and southern stream component, resulting in limited and fairly light snowfall, but a period of strong and gusty northwest winds.

What forecasters said that 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 Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 10, 10:15 PM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 10, 10:15 PM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 10, 4:55 PM CST, 7 hours 5 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Cottonwood

When
January 11, 12:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Cottonwood forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
44.007, -95.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Less than an inch of snowfall occurred during the overnight and morning hours, but with winds gusting to 40 to 50 mph, visibility fell to a mile or less briefly creating travel difficulty. Strong wind gusts continued well through the daylight hours on January 11 and maintained some areas of blowing snow with the base of an inch or two snow cover in place prior to the new snowfall. Peak winds were measured at 50 mph at Jackson, 49 mph near Rushmore, 46 mph at Pipestone, 44 mph at Windom and 43 mph at Marshall.

Winter Weather, Lyon

When
January 11, 12:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Lyon forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
44.414, -95.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Less than an inch of snowfall occurred during the overnight and morning hours, but with winds gusting to 40 to 50 mph, visibility fell to a mile or less briefly creating travel difficulty. Strong wind gusts continued well through the daylight hours on January 11 and maintained some areas of blowing snow with the base of an inch or two snow cover in place prior to the new snowfall. Peak winds were measured at 50 mph at Jackson, 49 mph near Rushmore, 46 mph at Pipestone, 44 mph at Windom and 43 mph at Marshall.

Winter Weather, Lincoln

When
January 11, 12:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
44.413, -96.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Less than an inch of snowfall occurred during the overnight and morning hours, but with winds gusting to 40 to 50 mph, visibility fell to a mile or less briefly creating travel difficulty. Strong wind gusts continued well through the daylight hours on January 11 and maintained some areas of blowing snow with the base of an inch or two snow cover in place prior to the new snowfall. Peak winds were measured at 50 mph at Jackson, 49 mph near Rushmore, 46 mph at Pipestone, 44 mph at Windom and 43 mph at Marshall.

Winter Weather, Murray

When
January 11, 12:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Murray forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
44.022, -95.763 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Less than an inch of snowfall occurred during the overnight and morning hours, but with winds gusting to 40 to 50 mph, visibility fell to a mile or less briefly creating travel difficulty. Strong wind gusts continued well through the daylight hours on January 11 and maintained some areas of blowing snow with the base of an inch or two snow cover in place prior to the new snowfall. Peak winds were measured at 50 mph at Jackson, 49 mph near Rushmore, 46 mph at Pipestone, 44 mph at Windom and 43 mph at Marshall.

Winter Weather, Pipestone

When
January 11, 12:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Pipestone forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
44.023, -96.259 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Less than an inch of snowfall occurred during the overnight and morning hours, but with winds gusting to 40 to 50 mph, visibility fell to a mile or less briefly creating travel difficulty. Strong wind gusts continued well through the daylight hours on January 11 and maintained some areas of blowing snow with the base of an inch or two snow cover in place prior to the new snowfall. Peak winds were measured at 50 mph at Jackson, 49 mph near Rushmore, 46 mph at Pipestone, 44 mph at Windom and 43 mph at Marshall.

Winter Weather, Rock

When
January 11, 12:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Rock forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
43.675, -96.253 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Less than an inch of snowfall occurred during the overnight and morning hours, but with winds gusting to 40 to 50 mph, visibility fell to a mile or less briefly creating travel difficulty. Strong wind gusts continued well through the daylight hours on January 11 and maintained some areas of blowing snow with the base of an inch or two snow cover in place prior to the new snowfall. Peak winds were measured at 50 mph at Jackson, 49 mph near Rushmore, 46 mph at Pipestone, 44 mph at Windom and 43 mph at Marshall.

Winter Weather, Nobles

When
January 11, 12:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Nobles forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
43.674, -95.753 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Less than an inch of snowfall occurred during the overnight and morning hours, but with winds gusting to 40 to 50 mph, visibility fell to a mile or less briefly creating travel difficulty. Strong wind gusts continued well through the daylight hours on January 11 and maintained some areas of blowing snow with the base of an inch or two snow cover in place prior to the new snowfall. Peak winds were measured at 50 mph at Jackson, 49 mph near Rushmore, 46 mph at Pipestone, 44 mph at Windom and 43 mph at Marshall.

Winter Weather, Jackson

When
January 11, 12:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Jackson forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
43.674, -95.154 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Less than an inch of snowfall occurred during the overnight and morning hours, but with winds gusting to 40 to 50 mph, visibility fell to a mile or less briefly creating travel difficulty. Strong wind gusts continued well through the daylight hours on January 11 and maintained some areas of blowing snow with the base of an inch or two snow cover in place prior to the new snowfall. Peak winds were measured at 50 mph at Jackson, 49 mph near Rushmore, 46 mph at Pipestone, 44 mph at Windom and 43 mph at Marshall.

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Minnesota in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, January 2018

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 735545, 735546, 735547, 735548, 735549, 735550, 735551, 735552.