Dense Fog in Minnesota
Every dense fog event the National Weather Service has filed in Minnesota, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Fog reducing visibility to a quarter mile or less, filed where it caused accidents or disruption.
The most significant on the map
The most significant dense fog 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
- 86
- Deaths
- 5
- Injuries
- 16
- Damage
- $199,000
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Dense Fog in Minnesota, December 15, 2021One person was killed in a chain reaction accident that involved six vehicles on U.S. Highway 52 north of Oronoco (Olmsted County). The area was covered in dense fog that reduced visibility to a half mile or less during the morning of December 15th.
- Dense Fog and Freezing Fog in Minnesota, January 24 to 29, 2024Minnesota State Patrol reported a fatal automobile collision between a Freightliner M2 Straight freight truck and a Toyota Prius at the intersection of Olmsted County Highway 30 and Olmsted County Highway 8 near 08:45 CST on January 24th.
- Dense Fog and Winter Weather in Minnesota, December 29 to 31, 2010Fog develop across southeast Minnesota and reduced the visibility to less than mile for an extended period starting on the 29th and continuing through much of the 30th. One person was killed in a car accident on U.S. Highway 63 in Mower County.
- Dense Fog in Minnesota, February 2, 2012One person died after being involved in a two vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 63 near Spring Valley (Fillmore County). The accident occurred in dense fog that formed over much of southeast Minnesota during the evening hours of February 2nd.
- Dense Fog in Minnesota, September 15, 2017An elderly woman drowned when she drove into Island Lake after missing a curve in dense fog.
- Dense Fog in Minnesota, December 21, 2023A fatal accident occurred on Fillmore County Road 4 near the intersection with Fillmore County Road 38 on December 21st in Sumner Township (Fillmore County). Nearby weather observation stations reported surface visibilities as low as 3/4 statute miles.
- Dense Fog in Minnesota, March 30, 2001Light southerly winds, combined with tremendous amounts of snow pack induced humidity, generated a large area of dense fog across much of central and south central Minnesota.
- Dense Fog in Minnesota, December 2, 2012Two occupants of a small aircraft sustained minor injuries when the pilot missed a runway at the Rochester International airport when attempting to land, causing the plane to come down in a plowed field.
- Dense Fog in Minnesota, February 16 to 17, 2011Dense fog blanketed much of southeast Minnesota from the evening of February 16th into the afternoon of the 17th. A three vehicle accident at the intersection of U.S.
- Dense Fog in Minnesota, November 19 to 20, 2007Radiational cooling and copious amounts of surface moisture combined to produce dense fog across much of East Central and South Central Minnesota.
- Dense Fog in Minnesota, March 17, 2011State Highway 42 was shut down for around an hour near Plainview (Wabasha County) after a car and farm tractor collided. The driver of the car was attempting to cross Highway 42 and collided with the farm tractor, which was not visible due to fog.
- Dense Fog in Minnesota, August 4 to 5, 2014Dense fog reduced the visibility to a half mile or less during the early morning hours of August 5th across southeast Minnesota. A car rolled off a Rochester (Olmsted County) road in the fog, injuring one of the occupants of the vehicle.
- Dense Fog in Minnesota, December 16, 2023Areas of dense fog resulted in mist and drizzle in southeast Minnesota on December 16th. Automated weather observation stations reported above freezing surface temperatures and minimum visibilities of 1/4 statute miles at times.
- Dense Fog in Minnesota, March 8 to 13, 2010Dense fog was observed periodically across much of southeast Minnesota from the morning of March 8th through the morning of March 12th, with visibilities of zero to one quarter of a mile.
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.