Blizzard — Southern Cook, Minnesota

2023-04-17 · Southern Cook, Minnesota

Event narrative

Heavy snow and gusty winds led to a period of blizzard conditions in the Grand Marais area for about 3 hours. Additionally, snowfall of 8 to 12 inches fell over the two day period.

Wider weather episode

A slow moving, deepening area of low pressure located over the Upper Peninsula of Michigan affected the Northland on the 16th into the 17th bringing a period of freezing rain before changing over to snow. Areas closer to the low in northwest Wisconsin received the brunt of the snow, but pockets of heavier snowfall to 6 to 8 inches were reported downwind of Lake Superior due to lake enhancement. As the low deepened the night of the 16th into the 17th, gusty winds led to a period of blizzard conditions along the North Shore of Lake Superior during the morning of the 17th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1093091. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.