Blizzard — East Polk, Minnesota

2019-03-14 · East Polk, Minnesota

Wider weather episode

A Colorado Low tracked into the Central Plains during the evening of Wednesday, March 13th, with an inverted trough extending northward along the Red River of the North. To the east of the trough, temperatures ranged in the middle 30s. Along the trough in the Red River Valley, temperatures ranged either side of 32 degrees. To the west of the Red River Valley, temperatures held in the mid to upper 20s. North winds became quite gusty during the early morning hours of Thursday, March 14th, and remained that way through the day, as the low pushed into the Great Lakes. Gusts up to 60 mph were recorded. Snowfall totals of 6 to 9 inches were reported over most of eastern North Dakota into far northwest Minnesota, with the exception of the Fargo-Moorhead to Wahpeton-Breckenridge corridor, which received more rain than snow. The combination of snow and wind resulted in whiteout conditions in open country and huge drifts of snow. This blizzard produced the greatest impacts of any of the numerous 2018-19 blizzards. Flights were cancelled at the Fargo and Grand Forks airports and many schools were closed on the 14th, and even the 15th. Interstate 29 was closed from Fargo to the Canadian border and Interstate 94 was closed from Bismarck to Fargo. Many other roads across the eastern half of North Dakota were closed and remained that way into the 15th before they could be cleared. Some motorists who tried to travel on these roads got stuck and had to be rescued. Ice accumulated on some power lines, and when the winds hit, they galloped, causing sporadic power outages.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 808140. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.