Blizzard in Minnesota
Every blizzard event the National Weather Service has filed in Minnesota, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.
The most significant on the map
The most significant blizzard episodes in Minnesota.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 2,191
- Deaths
- 10
- Injuries
- 33
- Damage
- $29 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Minnesota, December 10 to 11, 2010A storm system began to organize across the Upper Midwest Friday afternoon, and intensified late Friday night and into Saturday as it moved across northern Iowa.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Minnesota, October 26 to 28, 2017Winter came early for much of the Northland in October. Some areas received upwards of a foot of snow while other areas received very little.
- Blizzard in Minnesota, March 9, 2002As a deep low pressure moved into the northern Great Lakes, it produced west winds of 30 to 40 mph, with gusts around 50 mph. Even though only an inch or less of new snow had fallen, the very strong winds produced whiteout conditions, with visibility 1/4 mile or less.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Minnesota, February 20 to 21, 2014Southeast Minnesota was hit by the second blizzard of the winter on February 20th and 21st as an area of low pressure tracked from southern Kansas to Lake Superior.
- Blizzard in Minnesota, March 24 to 25, 19963 to 6 inches of snow combined with winds gusting over 50 mph to produce widespread whiteout conditions. The drifting...slippery conditions...and low visibility contributed to people stranded in vehicles and several accidents.
- Blizzard in Minnesota, December 23, 1996Blizzard conditions developed across Big Stone and Traverse counties in the late afternoon and continued into the late evening.
- Blizzard in Minnesota, April 5 to 6, 1997With falling temperatures on the back side of the low, the freezing rain changed to snow. A strong pressure gradient created winds up to 65 mph, dropping visibilities down to near zero. The strong wind, on top of heavy ice accumulations, caused thousands of power poles to snap.
- Blizzard in Minnesota, January 26, 2014A blanket of light snow fell across central and southern Minnesota, as well as west central Wisconsin the evening of Saturday, January 26th. Locally 2 to 5 inches of snow fell during a 6 to 12 hour period before ending early Sunday morning.
- Blizzard in Minnesota, January 9 to 10, 1997An Alberta Clipper raced across northeast North Dakota and then stalled over the Red River Valley, due to a blocking low pressure system over the Great Lakes. Strong winds and snow produced blizzard conditions across the area.
- Blizzard in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 1996A major winter storm brought blizzard conditions with significant snowfall to western and central Minnesota. Snowfall reached a foot or more in Little Falls, Melrose, Alexandria and Staples with 6 to 11 inches in St. Cloud, Benson and Canby.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Minnesota, January 12, 2009A fast moving, but intense Alberta Clipper system, brought light snowfall across much of southern and portions of west central Minnesota Monday January 12th. However, very strong winds developed as an area of low pressure intensified across central Minnesota.
- Blizzard in Minnesota, April 13 to 15, 2018The most intense storm of the month, in fact many months, wrapped up across the central Plains on April 13, spreading a mix of wintry precipitation across the area, accompanied by numerous thunderstorms.
- Blizzard and Ice Storm in Minnesota, April 10 to 11, 2019A historic late-season, multi-day winter storm developed rapidly across the central Plains on Wednesday, April 10. This system spiraled several periods of precipitation through the region.
- Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 11 to 12, 2023A slow moving area of low pressure brought a long duration snowfall to much of the Northland starting the 11th and continuing into the 12th.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Minnesota, April 10 to 12, 2019There were multiple waves of precipitation that occurred with this major winter storm that lasted for more than two days.
- Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Minnesota, February 28 to 29, 2012Low pressure over Colorado early February 28th deepened rapidly over southern Minnesota during February 29th. Heavy snow fell in 24 hours or less along and south of MN Highway 210 and along the north shore of Lake Superior to Silver Bay.
- Blizzard in Minnesota, December 23, 2020On Wednesday, December 23rd, blizzard conditions were observed across much of Minnesota as an intense weather system moved from west to east through the region.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Minnesota, February 23 to 24, 2019A strong winter storm dumped 4 to 14 inches of snow across southeast Minnesota from February 23rd into the 24th. As the snow was winding down, the winds increased with sustained winds of 25 to 35 mph common along with gusts of 45 to 55 mph.
- Blizzard in Minnesota, November 10, 1998Snow accumulating 4 to 12 inches combined with winds as strong as 60 mph produced zero visibilities in snow and blowing snow, drifting snow, and damage to trees and power lines with resultant power outages. Some of the power outages lasted as long as 2 days.
- Blizzard and Winter Weather in Minnesota, March 5, 2025During the first week of March, a powerful mid-latitude cyclone progressed through the Upper Midwest overnight on the 4th and into the morning and afternoon on the 5th. As this occurred, rain changed over to snow with increasing winds during the early morning hours on March 5th.
- Blizzard in Minnesota, March 1 to 3, 2007Snow, producing heavy accumulations, was accompanied by winds gusting over 40 mph. The snow began early on March 1st after a brief respite from the previous snowfall, with winds increasing as the day went on.
- Blizzard in Minnesota, January 4 to 5, 1997Winds gusting to 45 mph combining with 2 to 4 inches of new snow and existing loose snow cover produced widespread blizzard conditions with frequent zero visibilities. Several people were stranded, some overnight, several vehicles slid into ditches, and businesses were closed.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Minnesota, April 13 to 15, 2018A prolonged snow storm event with historic snowfall totals for the month of April, started Friday, April 13th, and lasted until late Sunday night April 15th.
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 2020A large storm system, which produced heavy snow during the onset, switched over to freezing drizzle, then back to light snow before transitioning to blowing snow and blizzard conditions.
- Blizzard in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 1996A blizzard moved over the area from the northwest with snow and winds up to 45 mph. New snowfall was generally 2 to 4 inches, but schools, businesses, and other activities were brought to a halt and travel was impossible at times with zero visibility and blocked roads.
More
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 2026-09-24.