Blizzard — Olmsted, Minnesota

2025-12-28 to 2025-12-29 · Olmsted, Minnesota

Event narrative

The combination of falling snow and wind gusts of around 40 to 55 mph resulted in very low visibilities during the afternoon and evening hours on December 28th in portions of Olmsted County. During this period, a peak wind gust of 52 mph was observed at Rochester International Airport. Totals snow accumulations across the county ranged from 5 to 7 inches with the highest reported snowfall amount being 6.5 inches 3 miles north-northwest of Rochester.

Wider weather episode

An impactful winter storm brought strong winds and snow to portions of southeast Minnesota throughout the afternoon and evening hours on December 28th. Snowfall totals across southeast Minnesota ranged from 2 to 7 inches with the highest amounts being north of Interstate 90. In addition, the combination of wind gusts of 35 to 55 mph resulted in visibilities dropping to a quarter of a mile or less at times resulting in blizzard conditions.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1306888. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.