Blizzard — Olmsted, Minnesota

2025-03-19 · Olmsted, Minnesota

Event narrative

The combination of falling snow and strong winds allowed for visibilities to drop to a quarter mile or less resulting in blizzard conditions beginning during the morning hours on March 19th in Olmsted County. At the ASOS in Rochester, a 47 mph peak wind gust was measured during this period with visibilities falling near or below a quarter mile for 3 hours into the afternoon. Snowfall totals across the county ranged from 3 to 7 inches with a highest reported total of 7 inches 2 miles east of Cummingsville.

Wider weather episode

A compact but strong winter system moved through portions of the Upper Midwest on March 19th bringing heavy snow, strong wind gusts, and even thundersnow. While snow mixed in with sleet and rain at times, eventually some colder air aloft moved into the region and switched precipitation to all snow with some locally heavy rates up to 2 to 3 inches per hour. The heaviest totals in southeast Minnesota generally fell in Fillmore and Houston counties where some locations received upwards of 8 to 10 inches. Additionally, the combination of strong winds and snow led to blizzard conditions in portions of southeast Minnesota where wind gusts over 50 mph occurred in some locations.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1247488. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.