Blizzard in East Polk, Minnesota

AWOS station KFSE, located at Fosston MN airport, recorded low visibility and gusty winds through the morning and into the early afternoon. Blizzard persisted from 815am to 215pm with a peak wind gust measured at 44mph at Fosston. Several wind gusts ranging from 60 to 72 mph were recorded in the area.

A strong clipper type system moved through the Northern Plains and upper Midwest, and brought hazardous winter impacts and high winds to eastern North Dakota and northwest and west central Minnesota. Initially rain and freezing rain fell ahead of the snow, followed by flash freeze conditions as light to moderate snow developed and brought 1 to 4 inches of snowfall to northwest Minnesota, with a localized region of heavier snow over the Northwest Angle in Lake of the Woods County. Peak winds were in the 60 to 72 mph range during this evening and combined with falling snow to produce blizzard conditions in the Red River Valley of northwest Minnesota. The icy roads at the onset of the event exacerbated difficult to impossible travel as blizzard conditions developed.