Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Minnesota, April 16 to 17, 2023

Name: Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Minnesota, April 16 to 17, 2023
Start: 2023-04-16T11:00
End: 2023-04-17T05:15
Location: Minnesota

April 16 to 17, 2023 · NWS ARX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: 5
Property damage: $10,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 ARX wrote it up.

A large storm system impacted southeast Minnesota from the evening of Saturday, April 15th into Sunday night, April 16th. Initially, rain and thunderstorms spread through southern Minnesota before switching over to snow during the early morning hours of Sunday, April 16th. Heaviest snowfall occurred in southeast Minnesota during the late morning of Sunday, April 16th, where recorded snowfall totals were 12.0 near La Crescent (Houston County) and 10.5 near Pickwick (Winona County).

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 La Crosse, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 16, 4:35 AM CST, 6 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 16, 4:35 AM CST, 6 hours 25 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, Apr 16, 3:19 AM CST, 7 hours 41 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service La Crosse WI
419 AM CDT Sun Apr 16 2023

MNZ088-096-WIZ017-029-032>034-041>044-053>055-061-171100-
Winona-Houston-Taylor-Clark-Buffalo-Trempealeau-Jackson-La Crosse-
Monroe-Juneau-Adams-Vernon-Crawford-Richland-Grant-
419 AM CDT Sun Apr 16 2023

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southeast
Minnesota and southwest into central Wisconsin.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

Heavy, wet snow accumulations are expected tonight into early
Monday morning with 6 to 12 inches of accumulations expected
within the heaviest snow band. The snow combined with winds
gusting 40 to 50 mph will lead to hazardous travel. A Winter
Storm Warning is in effect.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday

Flooding along the Mississippi River has begun for northern sites.
Flooding will spread from north to south over the course of the new
week and continue for several weeks.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

No action needed.

.EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION...

No webinar is scheduled.

IAZ008-009-018-019-171100-
Mitchell-Howard-Floyd-Chickasaw-
419 AM CDT Sun Apr 16 2023

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of north central
Iowa and northeast Iowa.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

Wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph are expected today through Monday. A
Wind Advisory is in effect.

Light, slushy snow accumulations near an inch expected today and
tonight.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Snow reports would be appreciated Today into Monday morning.

.EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION...

No webinar is scheduled.

IAZ010-011-029-030-MNZ079-086-087-094-095-171100-
Winneshiek-Allamakee-Fayette-Clayton-Wabasha-Dodge-Olmsted-Mower-
Fillmore-
419 AM CDT Sun Apr 16 2023

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of northeast Iowa
and southeast Minnesota.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

Slushy snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches are possible today
into tonight with winds gusting 40 to 50 mph. A Winter Weather
Advisory is in effect.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday

Flooding along the Mississippi River has begun for northern
sites. Flooding will spread from north to south over the course
of the new week and continue for several weeks.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Snow reports would be appreciated Today into Monday morning.

.EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION...

No webinar is scheduled.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 16, 7:10 AM CST, 3 hours 50 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

3 heavy snow, 2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Dodge

When: April 16, 11:00 AM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Dodge forecast zone
Injuries: 0 direct, 2 indirect
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 44.023, -92.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Observers reported 1 to 3 inches of snow fell in parts of Dodge County. The slippery conditions resulted in a motor vehicle losing control and having an accident just after midnight Monday April 17th. The driver and the passenger were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

Heavy Snow, Wabasha

When: April 16, 11:30 AM CST to April 17, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Wabasha forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 44.284, -92.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Volunteer public observers reported 3 to 5 inches of snowfall across Wabasha County. The highest reported total of 6.5 inches was recorded near Wabasha.

Heavy Snow, Winona

When: April 16, 11:30 AM CST to April 17, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Winona forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 43.987, -91.779 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Volunteer public observers reported 6 to 10 inches of snowfall across Winona County. The highest reported total of 10.5 inches was recorded near Pickwick.

Winter Weather, Olmsted

When: April 16, 11:30 AM CST to April 17, 12:30 AM CST
Where: Olmsted forecast zone
Injuries: 0 direct, 3 indirect
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 44.004, -92.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A mix of rain and snow fell across Olmsted County resulting in multiple crashes during the evening of Sunday, April 16th. Police reported that snow and ice-covered roads resulted in drivers losing control of their motor vehicles. Volunteer observers reported snowfall totals of 1 to 4 inches through April 17th.

Heavy Snow, Houston

When: April 16, 12:00 PM CST to April 17, 5:15 AM CST
Where: Houston forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 43.671, -91.493 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Volunteer public observers reported 6 to 11 inches of snowfall across Houston County. The highest reported total of 12 inches was recorded near La Crescent.

What these are

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Minnesota in 2023 Every state in 2023 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, April 2023

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1096361, 1094616, 1096031, 1096033, 1096032.