Blizzard — Big Stone, Minnesota

1996-12-23 · Big Stone, Minnesota

Wider weather episode

Blizzard conditions developed across Big Stone and Traverse counties in the late afternoon and continued into the late evening. Four to six inches of new snowfall combined with the already deep snow cover and north winds of 20 to 40 mph caused widespread blizzard conditions and heavy drifting on area roads. Travel was signifcantly impacted if not impossible. A Milbank, South Dakota woman was killed following a head-on collision about 3 miles east of Ortonville on Highway 12. Poor road conditions and poor visibility caused the accident. Also, her husband sustained a broken leg in the accident and the couple's daughter sustained a broken back. The three people in the other vehicle received minor injuries. Some snowfall amounts include, 5 inches at Artichoke Lake, and 6 inches at Wheaton and Browns Valley.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5577270. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.