Blizzard — Mille Lacs, Minnesota

2020-12-23 · Mille Lacs, Minnesota

Event narrative

A mixture of freezing rain, sleet, and snow started late Wednesday morning across the south part of the county. By mid to late afternoon, blizzard conditions developed and continued through the evening. Gusts of 35 to 40 mph were frequently achieved during the height of the event.

Wider weather episode

On Wednesday, December 23rd, blizzard conditions were observed across much of Minnesota as an intense weather system moved from west to east through the region. It produced several inches of snow with rates as high as 1-2 inches per hour at times, with a bit of rain falling ahead of the snow which led to ice-covered roadways. Temperatures plummeted with strong winds gusting as high as 50-65 mph out of the northwest behind the low-pressure system. Temperatures reached as high as the mid-40s during the morning before bottoming out in the single digits above zero to near zero by midnight.

A robust mid to upper-level trough approaching the region continued to strengthen before closing off, with a surface response in the form of a deepening low-pressure system. This combined with incredible mid-level lapse rates to produce significant lift and widespread precipitation, with an intense pressure gradient resulting in strong winds as the system moved eastwards.

Winds intensified alongside bands of heavy snow during the afternoon, which resulted in widespread blizzard conditions as visibilities dropped below 1/4 mile across the region and remained low for several hours. Snowfall diminished during the evening and into early Thursday morning but winds remained strong enough to support blizzard conditions into mid-morning Thursday in some spots.

Some of the higher wind speeds and snowfall totals during this event included:

Redwood Falls AP, 68 MPH

Crystal AP, 66 MPH

Madison AP, 63 MPH

Montevideo AP, 62 MPH

5 miles south of Marietta, 62 MPH

Fairmont AP, 61 MPH

2 miles west of Clara City, 61 MPH

Appleton AP, 60 MPH

Winsted, 58 MPH

Benson AP, 58 MPH

Granite Falls AP, 58 MPH

Minneapolis-St. Paul AP, 58 MPH

2 miles west of Coon Rapids, 9.5 inches

4 miles southeast of East Bethel, 9.5 inches

2 miles west of Excelsior, 9.0 inches

2 miles southwest of Maple Grove, 9.0 inches

Cannon Falls, 9.0 inches

MSP International Airport, 8.8 inches

1 mile west of Carver, 8.4 inches

NWS Chanhassen, 8.2 inches

Impacts included significant slowdowns to air travel at airports across the region including MSP, ice and snow-covered roads that led to no travel orders and closed highways, and even National Guard rescues at the Governor's request. This was exacerbated due to the timing of the system falling on December 23rd, which is one of the busiest overall travel days of the year before the holidays.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 928034. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.