Winter Weather — Renville, Minnesota

2026-01-21 · Renville, Minnesota

Event narrative

The combination of very strong winds and light snow showers resulted in reduced visibility from blowing snow. Occasional near blizzard conditions were reported at the height of the storm. The AWOS at KOVL noted visibility as low as 1/2 mile and wind gusts between 30 to 40 mph.

Wider weather episode

A strong arctic cold front shifted winds out of the northwest, increasing gusts to around 30 to 45 mph across the region. At the same time, 1/2 to 2 inches of light fluffy snow fell across the entire region. The strongest wind gusts and greatest snow amounts were measured across southwest and southern MN during the afternoon and evening, resulting in occasional periods of near-blizzard conditions with visibilities as low as 1/2 to 1/4 mile.

The strongest measured wind gusts on January 21 were:

42 mph at KMOX in Morris, MN.

41 mph at KCNB in Canby, MN.

40 mph at KSTP in St Paul, MN.

39 mph at KMIC in Crystal, MN.

39 mph at KRWF in Redwood Falls, MN.

38 mph at KFRM in Fairmont, MN.

38 mph at KULM in New Ulm, MN.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1310990. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.