Blizzard — Cottonwood, Minnesota

2025-03-04 to 2025-03-05 · Cottonwood, Minnesota

Event narrative

Snowfall only totaled 2.0 inches at Windom and northwest winds were sustained from 40 to 43 mph with gusts frequently up to 55 mph at Windom and Mountain Lake. Wind and snowfall combined to result in widespread white-out conditions, especially in rural areas. Roads were closed during the height of blizzard conditions.

Wider weather episode

A strong negatively tilted trough lifted northeast through the Central Plains and resulted in the rapid intensification of low pressure as it moved from Kansas to northern Illinois. Conditions started on the warmer side with mainly light rain, drizzle, and a few thunderstorms on the morning of March 4, but a quick transition to snow occurred by evening and was accompanied by a drastic increase in winds to 45 to 60 mph. While snowfall ended up generally 1 to 4 inches, the lack of snow cover prior to this system limited the areas for which the strong winds resulted in blizzard conditions. Much of southwest Minnesota, northwest Iowa, and far northeast Nebraska saw closed or impassible roads by the early morning of March 5.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1250881. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.