Blizzard in Cottonwood, Minnesota

Two episodes of extended blizzard conditions occurred over a slightly less than 24 hour period, with a slight improvement in conditions during the late afternoon to early evening. Gusty northwest winds from 35 to 50 mph were concurrent with light to moderate snowfall, which totaled 3.0 inches at Windom. With frequent whiteout conditions reported, travel was not advised.

A potent winter storm moved from Kansas northeastward to the Great Lakes on December 28 into the morning hours of December 29. The system brought a leading and more prominent band of snowfall during the morning and midday on December 28, followed by a break in precipitation. As the system deepened during the evening, the band of snowfall wrapped back southward through far eastern South Dakota, southwest Minnesota, and northwest Iowa. When the current and previous snow combined with winds gusting from 40 to 60 mph, widespread blizzard conditions developed from southwest Minnesota into northwest Iowa. State Departments of Transportation advised no travel across southern Minnesota and portions of Iowa from late morning on the 28th through mid-morning of the 29th. Numerous roadways were closed due to numerous crashes. Total snowfall reached as high as 2 to 5 inches in much of southwest Minnesota into northwest Iowa, with 1 to 2 inches along the Missouri River and Interstate 29 corridors and lesser amounts toward the mid James River valley.