Blizzard — Kandiyohi, Minnesota

2025-03-15 · Kandiyohi, Minnesota

Event narrative

An estimated 1 to 3 inches of snow fell across the county with the highest amounts in the western portion. Frequent gusts over 45 mph and heavy snowfall rates resulted in several hours of 1/4 mile visibility or less, especially west of Willmar. These conditions resulted in hazardous travel while snow was falling.

Wider weather episode

A historically strong low pressure system brought a round of low-end severe storms with damaging wind Friday evening. Widespread light rain spread across much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin Friday night. Rain transitioned to light freezing rain over southwest Minnesota early Saturday morning, resulting in a light accumulation of ice for some areas. By mid-morning Saturday, all of the rain had transitioned to a narrow band of heavy snow covering much of western Minnesota. Snowfall rates greater than an inch per hour and gusty winds over 35 mph resulted in widespread blizzard conditions for several hours.

While it was difficult to get accurate snowfall reports due to the strong winds, some of the highest snowfall amounts were:

5.4 inches in Long Prairie, MN (Todd).

4.7 inches in Kensington, MN (Douglas).

2.0 inches in Chokio, MN (Stevens).

1.8 inches in Morris, MN (Stevens).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1245968. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.