Winter Weather — Watonwan, Minnesota

2023-03-16 to 2023-03-17 · Watonwan, Minnesota

Event narrative

Precipitation started as rain and changed over to snow, with 1 to 3 inches of accumulation. Northwest winds increased as well with falling temperatures which led to blowing snow and icy roads.

Wider weather episode

A band of heavy precipitation developed on the northern side of a surface low that tracked from southern Minnesota into Wisconsin. This band of precipitation started as rain on the morning of March 16, but transitioned over to snow during the day as it moved northeast. At the start of the event, temperatures were above freezing with wet roads, but they quickly become slush/snow covered as snowfall rates increased and northwest winds brought colder temperatures across the region.

Several sites reported 1/4 mile visibility under the heavy snow band that produced a narrow swatch of 2 to 5 inches from southwest Minnesota through northeast Minnesota. A few totals were over 6 inches near St Cloud Minnesota, and to the northeast. After the snow ended, northwest winds continue during the afternoon which led to blizzard conditions across western Minnesota. The blizzard conditions were confined to areas that had the heavy snow earlier in the day, so this wasn't a true ground blizzard, but also wasn't limited to the time snow was falling. This was more of a hybrid of the two, where the deep snow pack became glazed over, and the new snow continually blew on top if it which reduced visibility and led to drifted snow on roadways. Below are a few of the notable reports.

Blizzard:

There were 4 to 5 foot drifts in both Chippewa and Renville county which made roads impassible. Lac Qui Parle closed state highways including 212, which is rare for them. MNDOT declared travel not advised across many roads across several counties in western/southwest Minnesota. Several dispatchers reported visibility near zero during the height of the event, with dozens of cars in the ditch. There were a few rescues, but overall the tow trucks were running so people just waited in their car to get towed out. No shelters were open for this event.

Snowfall:

6.1 inches near Rice Minnesota.

6.5 inches near Onamia Minnesota.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1076627. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.