Olmsted storm history

Snow accumulations of under 1 inch led to slippery road conditions. A head on vehicle collision near mile marker 217 on Highway 14 in Olmsted County resulted in one fatality and two non-life-threatening injuries in one vehicle, while the driver of the other vehicle also suffered …

Minnesota State Patrol reported a fatal automobile accident near 08:45 AM CST on January 24th from a collision between a Freightliner M2 Straight truck and a Toyota Prius at the intersection of County Highway 30 and County Road 8 near High Forest Township. Nearby automated weathe…

Dense fog formed over Olmsted County during the morning of December 15th and reduced the visibility to less than a half mile. A six vehicle chain reaction accident occurred in the fog on U.S. Highway 52 north of Oronoco. One person was killed and four others sustained injuries.

One person was killed east of Rochester when a 40 foot pine tree was snapped off, fell and landed on the individual and his pickup truck.

An elderly lady wandered away from a senior living center on the southwest side of Rochester during the early morning of October 26th. She was later found in snow a few blocks away from the center after spending a few hours outdoors with air temperatures around 20 and wind chills…

One person was killed in a accident when the car they were driving collided with a tow truck parked on the shoulder of U.S. Highway 52 in Rochester. The accident report indicated roads were snow covered at the time of the accident. COOP and volunteer snow observers reported that …

In Rochester, one person died from hypothermia after being stranded outside a house during the morning of January 30th. The automated weather observing equipment at the Rochester airport recorded a low temperature of 29 below zero with wind chills as low as 60 below zero. Wind ch…

One person died in Rochester after suffering a heart attack while shoveling snow. COOP and volunteer snow observers reported that 6 to 8 inches of snow fell across Olmsted County. The highest reported total was 8.3 inches from the official NWS observations at the Rochester airpor…

An elderly woman that wandered away from a Rochester care facility died of exposure. Observations from the automated weather observing equipment at the Rochester airport indicated temperatures were in the lower 20s, freezing rain was falling and winds were sustained between 15 an…

One person was killed in a two car accident on State Highway 42 south of Elgin. The roads were icy at the time of the accident and the automated weather observing equipment at the Rochester airport was reporting freezing rain.

An elderly lady passed away after spending the night of December 2nd outdoors with temperatures in the teens and 20s. The lady had medical conditions that likely contributed to her death along with the exposure to the cold temperatures.

One person passed away from heat related causes in Stewartville. The victim had spent the day outside working in the yard and passed away that evening. A combination of prescription medications and the heat are believed to have lead to the death. The heat index was around 95 at t…

A two vehicle crash occurred on a snow covered roadway on February 3rd near Oronoco. A 23 year old male died and a 21 year old male was injured in the crash.

Snowfall caused difficult traveling conditions, which contributed to a fatal accident on Interstate 90 involving a semi-trailer and a van.

Fourteen participants from a cross country meet near Stewartville were treated for heat exhaustion with four transported to a hospital. Observations from the automated weather observing equipment at the Rochester airport indicated it was unusually humid with dew points in the low…

A total of ten people were injured in a three vehicle accident in Rochester. The first vehicle lost control on a snow covered road, slid into the path of a school bus and then collided with another vehicle. Seven children on the bus were injured in the accident. A light snow even…

Seven people were injured and transported to the hospital when a chartered school bus rolled over southeast of Rochester because of icy roads. The bus fishtailed around a corner, went into the ditch and rolled over. A period of very light freezing rain coated untreated roads with…

Freezing rain and sleet created a coating of ice on exposed surfaces leading to very slick roads and numerous accidents occurred across the county. The highest reported ice accumulation was 0.15 of an inch at the Rochester airport. At least a dozen people were treated at the Mayo…

The approach on the north side of the County Road 18 bridge going through Oronoco washed out as the Middle Fork of the Zumbro River flooded. The Lake Shady Dam was also damaged.

Flooding occurred on most of the rivers, streams, and creeks throughout the county. Water caused at least 20 road closures throughout the county, which included U.S. Highway 52 north of Oronoco as well as County Roads 105, 14, 31, 18, 5 and 133. Seven of the roads were damaged, 3…

Heavy thunderstorm rains caused widespread flash flooding in Rochester and surrounding areas across the county. Extensive damage was caused to sewer systems, water wells, roadways, parks, and flood control reservoirs. Highway 14 was closed east of Rochester due to wash outs and f…

Numerous streets were flooded. Sand bagging was needed with some street closures. Several nearby bridges were badly damaged and railroad tracks were bent out of place. Highway 14 was closed at Highway 42 due to flooding and residents of the Eyota trailer park were evacuated. In E…

The combination of falling snow and wind gusts of around 40 to 55 mph resulted in very low visibilities during the afternoon and evening hours on December 28th in portions of Olmsted County. During this period, a peak wind gust of 52 mph was observed at Rochester International Ai…

The combination of falling snow and high winds led to a period of very low visibility during the afternoon and evening on December 18th. Snow accumulations were generally around an inch or less. Additionally, a peak wind gust of 58 mph was observed at a Rochester International Ai…

This winter system brought between 1 to 3 inches of accumulations in Olmsted County with the highest report being 2.3 inches about 5 miles east-southeast of Douglas. Additionally, one vehicle accident occurred on the morning of December 10th when a vehicle lost control on Interst…

This significant winter storm brought between 6 and 9 inches of snow to Olmsted County between November 28th and November 30th. The highest snowfall report in the county was 8.9 inches 3 miles west-southwest of Chester. Additionally, two vehicle accidents occurred in the county d…

Broadcaster media reported quarter sized hail 5 miles north-northwest of Stewartville.

The public reported an 8 inch diameter tree limb snapped near Rochester.

The AWOS station K9MN Mayo Helipad reported a 58 mph wind gust.

The ASOS station KRST at Rochester International Airport reported a 76 mph wind gust.

The public reported a broken 10 inch diameter tree limb from a healthy tree about 3 miles south-southwest of Rochester.

A storm chaser reported whole trees knocked over in Oronoco.

The public reported dime sized hail 5 miles southwest of Rochester. The report was relayed via mPING.

The public reported quarter sized hail 3 miles east-northeast of Rochester. The report was relayed via mPING.

A trained spotter reported penny sized hail 3 miles northwest of Rochester.

Emergency management reported penny sized hail 3 miles east-southeast of Douglas.

The public reported quarter sized hail 2 miles east-northeast of Marion. The report was relayed via mPing.

The public reported nickel sized hail in Oronoco, Minnesota.

The combination of falling snow and strong winds allowed for visibilities to drop to a quarter mile or less resulting in blizzard conditions beginning during the morning hours on March 19th in Olmsted County. At the ASOS in Rochester, a 47 mph peak wind gust was measured during t…