Blizzard in Fillmore, Minnesota

The combination of falling snow and strong winds allowed for visibilities to drop to a quarter mile or less resulting in blizzard conditions during the morning hours on March 5th in Fillmore County. Visibilities at the AWOS in Preston, Minnesota remained at a quarter mile or lower for the better part of 3 hours during the morning with the highest observed wind gust in the county of 53 mph also being observed at this site. Snowfall totals across the county ranged from 1 to 2 inches with the highest observed of 2 inches being observed in Ostrander.

During 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. Widespread wind gusts of 40 to 55 mph with falling snow led to visibilities falling to a quarter mile or less, resulting in blizzard conditions across portions of southeast Minnesota. Numerous vehicle accidents and spinoffs occurred throughout southeast Minnesota, including one on Interstate 90 that resulted in one non-life threatening injury.