Blizzard in West Polk, Minnesota

AWOS station KCKN, located at Crookston airport, recorded blizzard conditions and wind gusts up to 59 mph.

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.