Winter Storm — Winona, Minnesota

2025-03-19 · Winona, Minnesota

Event narrative

This winter system brought gusty winds and heavy snow to Winona County on March 19th. Snowfall totals between 4 to 8 inches across the county with the highest reported total being 8 inches 3 miles south of Ridgeway.

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 1247497. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.