Blizzard and Winter Storm in Minnesota, December 22 to 24, 2022

They had a few impassable roads due to drifting. A few stranded motorists had to leave a few cars in the middle of the highway because they couldn’t get them out.

All state highways were closed and county roads were impassable due to zero visibility and snow drifts 6 to 8 feet tall. Highway 71 was still closed 36 hours later. They opened a shelter at a church in Sanborn for about about 10 to 12 people total.

They housed about 50 people at the Olivia Armory who were stranded, and activated National Guard. All total, they had over 170 people and 3 pets sheltered for stranded people motorists. It was an all day event on Friday, and incidents didn’t taper off until the late evening. There were widespread whiteout conditions and over 4 foot drifts in many spots, impassable roads with vehicles stuck in snow drifts in the middle of the road.

Whiteout conditions, the worst in 5 years. People couldn’t see and ended up in the ditch. A few snow drifts were 6 to 10 feet high in Dawson. Montevideo airport gusted to 44 mph and reported a half mile visibility.

Roads were completely blocked by 6 to 10 foot high drifts, 40 feet long. There were a couple road rescues for stranded motorists.

The height of the blizzard resulted had quite a few cars in the ditch and state roads closed. A few 6 foot deep drifts in towns. There were a lot of stranded motorists, about a dozen abandoned vehicles.

All state highways were closed and county roads were impassable due to zero visibility and snow drifts 6 to 8 feet tall. They opened emergency shelters in Medelia and St James. In one case, it took a few hours to get to a stranded truck that had to be rescued by snowmobile.

About 15 to 20 cars went in the ditch after the roads were closed. Eight of these vehicles needed law enforcement assistance, and the hotel handed out vouchers to those that needed shelter. (The Salvation Army gave vouchers in advance of the storm.) A lot of county roads had 4 to 6 foot deep drifts there were described as like a concrete wall. Two roads were still impassable 36 hours later. Fairmont airport gusted to 53 mph, and had a quarter mile visibility.

All county and state roads were closed due to blizzard conditions. I-90 was closed more for safety due to reduced visibility. Snow drifts were 2 to 3 feet deep, and one family was rescued and transported to a hotel.

Pretty much all the roads were closed with lots of blowing snow and reduced visibility. The Mankato airport reported a quarter mile visibility from 9AM to 5PM on the 23rd.

Many state and county highways were impassable, and vehicles became stranded and had to be rescued. Some people had to shelter in place if they had enough fuel. About 10 folks had to spend the night in the firehall. A lot of the people that got stuck were not from the county, but were taking part in the Dakota 38+2 commemorative ride.

Roads were closed and impassable. Friday night was the worst, very windy and cold with whiteout conditions.

This was a fringe county with widespread blizzard conditions in the southwest part of the county. Hwy 212 was closed.

This was a fringe county, as part of the county had blizzard conditions. The main highway Hwy 12 was pretty good, but side roads were and county roads had 3 foot drifts and were impassable. There was about 30 yard visibility with the open fields. Conditions worsened when the plows were pulled.

The worst conditions were south of Highway 12. A few highways were closed. They had to do rescues, and housed about 10 folks at the firehall. Local rescue of 12 stranded motorists involved Kandiyohi County Sheriffs Office, Emergency Management, state patrol, EMS, Blomkest Fire, Lake Lillian Fire, and Kandiyohi County Rescue Squad. Plows had little to zero visibility and led an emergency convoy from the temporary staging shelter in Blomkest to the National Guard Armory. Once in Willmar, road conditions improved and stranded motorists opted for hotel stays. One critical hypothermia patient had been stranded since 10:00am. EMS reached him at 19:20. Plows would get through massive drifts only to have them close again immediately.

They had large snow drifts about 5 feet tall. They sheltered 70 people overnight in the national guard armory. Performed 25 rescue missions (national guard 13). Most locations were in and out of whiteout conditions once the winds picked up on Friday. The worst conditions were Friday Night. They were busy all night. People would come on the interstates and try to take an alternate route and then they’d get stranded. One vehicle had 7 people in the car coming back from Florida, including an 11 month old baby, that became stuck in a drift without heat.

This was a fringe county, with part of Steele County sustaining blizzard conditions. They opened up one emergency shelter at the United Methodist Church in Ellendale for a total of 12 people and two dogs. A few roads became impassable and plows were pulled, including Hwy 218.

This was a fringe county, with part of Rice County sustaining blizzard conditions. They opened up one emergency shelter for a total of 12 people. A few roads became impassable and plows were pulled.

The worst conditions were Friday during the day. They had whiteout conditions and some road closures. Deputies responded to several vehicles. People abandoned their cars, and most got a ride to a warm spot or a shelter. Roads were impassable for multiple days.

The worst conditions were Friday during the day. They had quite a few vehicles stranded, and a lot of reduced visibility and drifted snow. The snow plows were pulled. The Waseca airport gusted to 44 mph and reported zero visibility.

There were areas of blowing an drifting snow, with reduced visibilities. Northwest wind of 30 to 40 mph, with wind chills near 35 below zero. The conditions were bad, but not as bad as anticipated due to winds around 10 mph less than forecast.

There were areas of blowing an drifting snow, with reduced visibilities. Northwest wind of 30 to 40 mph, with wind chills near 35 below zero. The conditions were bad, but not as bad as anticipated due to winds around 10 mph less than forecast.

There were areas of blowing an drifting snow, with reduced visibilities. Northwest wind of 30 to 40 mph, with wind chills near 35 below zero. The conditions were bad, but not as bad as anticipated due to winds around 10 mph less than forecast.

There were areas of blowing an drifting snow, with reduced visibilities. Northwest wind of 30 to 40 mph, with wind chills near 35 below zero. The conditions were bad, but not as bad as anticipated due to winds around 10 mph less than forecast.

There were areas of blowing an drifting snow, with reduced visibilities. Northwest wind of 30 to 40 mph, with wind chills near 35 below zero. The conditions were bad, but not as bad as anticipated due to winds around 10 mph less than forecast.

There were areas of blowing an drifting snow, with reduced visibilities. Northwest wind of 30 to 40 mph, with wind chills near 35 below zero. The conditions were bad, but not as bad as anticipated due to winds around 10 mph less than forecast.

There were areas of blowing an drifting snow, with reduced visibilities. Northwest wind of 30 to 40 mph, with wind chills near 35 below zero. The conditions were bad, but not as bad as anticipated due to winds around 10 mph less than forecast.

There were areas of blowing an drifting snow, with reduced visibilities. Northwest wind of 30 to 40 mph, with wind chills near 35 below zero. The conditions were bad, but not as bad as anticipated due to winds around 10 mph less than forecast.

There were areas of blowing an drifting snow, with reduced visibilities. Northwest wind of 30 to 40 mph, with wind chills near 35 below zero. The conditions were bad, but not as bad as anticipated due to winds around 10 mph less than forecast.

There were areas of blowing an drifting snow, with reduced visibilities. Northwest wind of 30 to 40 mph, with wind chills near 35 below zero. The conditions were bad, but not as bad as anticipated due to winds around 10 mph less than forecast.

There were areas of blowing an drifting snow, with reduced visibilities. Northwest wind of 30 to 40 mph, with wind chills near 35 below zero. The conditions were bad, but not as bad as anticipated due to winds around 10 mph less than forecast.

There were areas of blowing an drifting snow, with reduced visibilities. Northwest wind of 30 to 40 mph, with wind chills near 35 below zero. The conditions were bad, but not as bad as anticipated due to winds around 10 mph less than forecast.

Part of Douglas County sustained blizzard conditions. Several county roads became impassable and plows were pulled. Law enforcement reported lots of crashes and people going into the ditch. Alexandria airport gusted to 46 mph with visibility of 1 mile, but visibility was lower outside of town.

Pope County had widespread blizzard conditions south of Lake Minnewaska, but better conditions were north of there where it was more wooded and hilly. Several county roads became impassable with snow drifts around 3 feet deep. Law enforcement reported lots of crashes and people going into the ditch. Glenwood airport gusted to 45 mph and reported one quarter mile visibility.

Stevens County sustained blizzard conditions. No main county roads closed but secondary roads were closed with snow drifts around 6 to 8 feet deep reported by a storm spotter. Law enforcement reported a few rescues from people going into the ditch. Morris airport gusted to 47 mph and reported zero visibility.

The worst conditions were Friday during the day. They had whiteout conditions and some road closures. There was lots of drifting and some roads became impassable. Hotels filled up, so 6 to 8 people that were rescued were housed in the armory.

There were areas of blowing and drifting snow, with reduced visibilities. Northwest wind of 30 to 40 mph, with wind chills near 35 below zero. The conditions were bad, but not as bad as anticipated due to winds around 10 mph less than forecast.

There were areas of blowing and drifting snow, with reduced visibilities. Northwest wind of 30 to 40 mph, with wind chills near 35 below zero. The conditions were bad, but not as bad as anticipated due to winds around 10 mph less than forecast.

There were areas of blowing and drifting snow, with reduced visibilities. Northwest wind of 30 to 40 mph, with wind chills near 35 below zero. The conditions were bad, but not as bad as anticipated due to winds around 10 mph less than forecast.

There were areas of blowing and drifting snow, with reduced visibilities. Northwest wind of 30 to 40 mph, with wind chills near 35 below zero. A few roads were impassable. The conditions were bad, but not as bad as anticipated due to winds around 10 mph less than forecast.

There were areas of blowing and drifting snow, with reduced visibilities and a few cars in the ditch. The deepest drift was about 3 feet. Northwest wind of 30 to 40 mph, with wind chills near 35 below zero. The conditions were bad, but not as bad as anticipated due to winds around 10 mph less than forecast.

There were areas of blowing and drifting snow, with reduced visibilities and several vehicles in the ditch. Northwest wind of 30 to 40 mph, with wind chills near 35 below zero. The conditions were bad, but not as bad as anticipated due to winds around 10 mph less than forecast.