Blizzard in North Clearwater, Minnesota

A strong Colorado Low lifted into the Great Lakes on Sunday, February 24th. Not much snow fell over eastern North Dakota or the northwest quarter of Minnesota, but strong northwest winds lasted for much of the day, which produced ground blizzard conditions in open country. Winds gusted up to 50 mph for many locations. The highest wind in the local area was at Baudette, Minnesota, with a 55 mph wind gust. This is a rare occurrence, since higher wind gusts are harder to come by in the densely treed areas of northwest Minnesota. However, it resulted in big impacts for dozens of anglers who were caught out on Lake of the Woods. These people were stranded on the lake until rescuers could reach them on Monday the 25th.