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1991 Halloween blizzard

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Southeast Minnesota comprises the corner of the U.S. state of Minnesota south of the Twin Cities metropolitan area extending east, and part of the multi-state area known as the Driftless Area . Rochester is the largest city in the area; other major cities include Winona , Owatonna , Faribault , Northfield , Austin , and Red Wing .

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66-619: The 1991 Halloween blizzard was a powerful storm that caused a period of heavy snowfall and ice accumulation, which affected parts of the Upper Midwest of the United States, from October 31 to November 4, 1991. Over the last week of October 1991, a large storm system over the Atlantic Ocean ( 1991 Perfect Storm ) blocked most of the weather patterns over the eastern half of the United States, and in turn, moisture from

132-401: A rainband ), when temperature is near freezing at the surface. The strong convection that develops has enough moisture to produce whiteout conditions at places which the line passes over as the wind causes intense blowing snow. This type of snowsquall generally lasts less than 30 minutes at any point along its path, but the motion of the line can cover large distances. Frontal squalls may form

198-778: A Thursday night. Schools in Minong, Wisconsin (40 miles southeast of Superior) were closed even the Monday following the storm. Twenty-two people died in this storm, twenty in Minnesota and two on the Mississippi River near La Crosse. Additionally, a cooling effect from the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines that June is thought to have contributed to the storm's development. The combination of volcanic cooling, early-season cold air, and atmospheric conditions created

264-433: A cirque (corrie or cwm), a typically armchair-shaped geological feature, which collects snow and where the snowpack compacts under the weight of successive layers of accumulating snow, forming névé. Further crushing of the individual snow crystals and reduction of entrapped air in the snow turns it into glacial ice. This glacial ice will fill the cirque until it overflows through a geological weakness or an escape route, such as

330-649: A crystal morphology diagram, relating crystal shapes to the temperature and moisture conditions under which they formed, which is summarized in the following table. Dendrites Hollow prisms Needles Solid plates Dendrites Solid plates Prisms Nakaya discovered that the shape is also a function of whether the prevalent moisture is above or below saturation. Forms below the saturation line tend more toward solid and compact while crystals formed in supersaturated air tend more toward lacy, delicate, and ornate. Many more complex growth patterns also form, which include side-planes, bullet-rosettes, and planar types, depending on

396-447: A droplet has frozen, it grows in the supersaturated environment—one where air is saturated with respect to ice when the temperature is below the freezing point. The droplet then grows by diffusion of water molecules in the air (vapor) onto the ice crystal surface where they are collected. Because water droplets are so much more numerous than the ice crystals, the crystals are able to grow to hundreds of micrometers or millimeters in size at

462-589: A few molecules in the droplet need to get together by chance to form an arrangement similar to that in an ice lattice. The droplet freezes around this "nucleus". In warmer clouds, an aerosol particle or "ice nucleus" must be present in (or in contact with) the droplet to act as a nucleus. Ice nuclei are very rare compared to cloud condensation nuclei on which liquid droplets form. Clays, desert dust, and biological particles can be nuclei. Artificial nuclei include particles of silver iodide and dry ice , and these are used to stimulate precipitation in cloud seeding . Once

528-568: A hemisphere's fall , winter, and spring, the atmosphere over continents can be cold enough through the depth of the troposphere to cause snowfall. In the Northern Hemisphere, the northern side of the low-pressure area produces the most snow. For the southern mid-latitudes , the side of a cyclone that produces the most snow is the southern side. A cold front , the leading edge of a cooler mass of air, can produce frontal snowsqualls —an intense frontal convective line (similar to

594-485: A highly porous, sintered material made up of a continuous ice structure and a continuously connected pore space, forming together the snow microstructure". Almost always near its melting temperature, a snowpack is continually transforming these properties wherein all three phases of water may coexist, including liquid water partially filling the pore space. After deposition, snow progresses on one of two paths that determine its fate, either by ablation (mostly by melting) from

660-435: A minimum extent of 2 million square kilometres (0.77 × 10 ^  sq mi) each August to a maximum extent of 45 million square kilometres (17 × 10 ^  sq mi) each January or nearly half of the land surface in that hemisphere. A study of Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent for the period 1972–2006 suggests a reduction of 0.5 million square kilometres (0.19 × 10 ^  sq mi) over

726-530: A mountain range results in adiabatic cooling, and ultimately condensation and precipitation. Moisture is gradually removed from the air by this process, leaving drier and warmer air on the descending, or leeward , side. The resulting enhanced snowfall, along with the decrease in temperature with elevation, combine to increase snow depth and seasonal persistence of snowpack in snow-prone areas. Mountain waves have also been found to help enhance precipitation amounts downwind of mountain ranges by enhancing

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792-488: A series of snow events, punctuated by freezing and thawing, over areas that are cold enough to retain snow seasonally or perennially. Major snow-prone areas include the Arctic and Antarctic , the Northern Hemisphere, and alpine regions. The liquid equivalent of snowfall may be evaluated using a snow gauge or with a standard rain gauge , adjusted for winter by removal of a funnel and inner cylinder. Both types of gauges melt

858-409: A short distance ahead of the surface cold front or behind the cold front where there may be a deepening low-pressure system or a series of trough lines which act similar to a traditional cold frontal passage. In situations where squalls develop post-frontally, it is not unusual to have two or three linear squall bands pass in rapid succession separated only by 25 miles (40 kilometers), with each passing

924-478: A single-month record for most snowfall in the Twin Cities and Duluth. Snowfall Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere —usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout its life cycle, starting when, under suitable conditions, the ice crystals form in

990-419: A snow fall or seasonal snowpack, or by transitioning from firn (multi-year snow) into glacier ice . Over the course of time, a snowpack may settle under its own weight until its density is approximately 30% of water. Increases in density above this initial compression occur primarily by melting and refreezing, caused by temperatures above freezing or by direct solar radiation. In colder climates, snow lies on

1056-608: A snowpack can create flow fingers and ponding or flow along capillary barriers, which can refreeze into horizontal and vertical solid ice formations within the snowpack. Among the measurements of the properties of snowpacks that the International Classification for Seasonal Snow on the Ground includes are: snow height, snow water equivalent, snow strength, and extent of snow cover. Each has a designation with code and detailed description. The classification extends

1122-416: A snowslide or snowslip) is a rapid flow of snow down a sloping surface. Avalanches are typically triggered in a starting zone from a mechanical failure in the snowpack (slab avalanche) when the forces on the snow exceed its strength but sometimes only with gradually widening (loose snow avalanche). After initiation, avalanches usually accelerate rapidly and grow in mass and volume as they entrain more snow. If

1188-630: A substance denser than névé , yet less dense and hard than glacial ice . Firn resembles caked sugar and is very resistant to shovelling. Its density generally ranges from 550 to 830 kilograms per cubic metre (34 to 52 lb/cu ft), and it can often be found underneath the snow that accumulates at the head of a glacier . The minimum altitude that firn accumulates on a glacier is called the firn limit , firn line or snowline . There are four main mechanisms for movement of deposited snow: drifting of unsintered snow, avalanches of accumulated snow on steep slopes, snowmelt during thaw conditions, and

1254-534: A swath approximately 100 mi (160 km) wide from south central Minnesota, northeastward into northwestern Wisconsin and into the Minnesota Arrowhead . A more narrow band of 2+ ft (60+ cm) of snow fell from the Twin Cities to Duluth and northward. Areas of southern Minnesota and Iowa along and south of the I-90 corridor did not see as much snow, but instead saw a major ice storm . Though

1320-470: A variety of shapes, basic among these are platelets, needles, columns and rime . As snow accumulates into a snowpack , it may blow into drifts. Over time, accumulated snow metamorphoses, by sintering , sublimation and freeze-thaw . Where the climate is cold enough for year-to-year accumulation, a glacier may form. Otherwise, snow typically melts seasonally, causing runoff into streams and rivers and recharging groundwater . Major snow-prone areas include

1386-550: A very cold temperature inversion present. Snow clouds usually occur in the context of larger weather systems, the most important of which is the low-pressure area, which typically incorporate warm and cold fronts as part of their circulation. Two additional and locally productive sources of snow are lake-effect (also sea-effect) storms and elevation effects, especially in mountains. Mid-latitude cyclones are low-pressure areas which are capable of producing anything from cloudiness and mild snow storms to heavy blizzards . During

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1452-472: Is "the transformation that the snow undergoes in the period from deposition to either melting or passage to glacial ice". Starting as a powdery deposition, snow becomes more granular when it begins to compact under its own weight, be blown by the wind, sinter particles together and commence the cycle of melting and refreezing. Water vapor plays a role as it deposits ice crystals, known as hoar frost , during cold, still conditions. During this transition, snow "is

1518-429: Is not a requirement, as blowing snow can create a ground blizzard . Snowstorm intensity may be categorized by visibility and depth of accumulation. Snowfall's intensity is determined by visibility , as follows: Snowsqualls may deposit snow in bands that extend from bodies of water as lake-event weather or result from the passage of an upper-level front. The International Classification for Seasonal Snow on

1584-464: Is termed ocean-effect or bay-effect snow . The effect is enhanced when the moving air mass is uplifted by the orographic influence of higher elevations on the downwind shores. This uplifting can produce narrow but very intense bands of precipitation which may deposit at a rate of many inches of snow each hour, often resulting in a large amount of total snowfall. The areas affected by lake-effect snow are called snowbelts . These include areas east of

1650-645: The Great Lakes , the west coasts of northern Japan, the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, and areas near the Great Salt Lake , Black Sea , Caspian Sea , Baltic Sea , and parts of the northern Atlantic Ocean. Orographic or relief snowfall is created when moist air is forced up the windward side of mountain ranges by a large-scale wind flow. The lifting of moist air up the side of

1716-473: The Gulf of Mexico was funneled straight northward over the affected region. By the time the precipitation stopped falling, many cities in the eastern half of Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin had witnessed record early-season snowfall accumulations, while parts of southern Minnesota and northern Iowa were crippled by a large ice storm. Arctic air that was pulled southward behind the storm had combined with

1782-504: The Twin Cities had already recorded 8.2 in (20.8 cm) of snow. This not only set a record for the largest amount of snow on that date, but also for the most snow ever recorded in the Twin Cities during the month of October. As the storm system pushed its way northward, more communities in eastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin began to experience similar conditions; and thundersnow occurred as far north as Duluth . Over

1848-411: The movement of glaciers after snow has persisted for multiple years and metamorphosed into glacier ice. When powdery snow drifts with the wind from the location where it originally fell, forming deposits with a depth of several meters in isolated locations. After attaching to hillsides, blown snow can evolve into a snow slab, which is an avalanche hazard on steep slopes. An avalanche (also called

1914-808: The polar regions , the northernmost half of the Northern Hemisphere and mountainous regions worldwide with sufficient moisture and cold temperatures. In the Southern Hemisphere , snow is confined primarily to mountainous areas, apart from Antarctica . Snow affects such human activities as transportation : creating the need for keeping roadways, wings, and windows clear; agriculture : providing water to crops and safeguarding livestock; sports such as skiing , snowboarding , and snowmachine travel; and warfare . Snow affects ecosystems , as well, by providing an insulating layer during winter under which plants and animals are able to survive

1980-648: The 35-year period. The following are world records regarding snowfall and snowflakes: The cities (more than 100,000 inhabitants) with the highest annual snowfall are Aomori (792 cm), Sapporo (485 cm) and Toyama (363 cm) in Japan , followed by St. John's (332 cm) and Quebec City (315 cm) in Canada , and Syracuse, NY (325 cm). According to the International Association of Cryospheric Sciences, snow metamorphism

2046-410: The 70s from the middle Mississippi River Valley south into northern Texas, and into the 80s across much of central and southern Texas. Meanwhile, high temperatures remained below 20 °F (−7 °C) Fahrenheit across most of Montana and Wyoming . The contrast between the two air masses was stark, and by the morning of October 29 the cold front was about halfway through Texas. At 6 am CST,

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2112-460: The Ground defines "height of new snow" as the depth of freshly fallen snow, in centimeters as measured with a ruler, that accumulated on a snowboard during an observation period of 24 hours, or other observation interval. After the measurement, the snow is cleared from the board and the board is placed flush with the snow surface to provide an accurate measurement at the end of the next interval. Melting, compacting, blowing and drifting contribute to

2178-413: The accumulated snow and report the amount of water collected. At some automatic weather stations an ultrasonic snow depth sensor may be used to augment the precipitation gauge. Snow flurry , snow shower , snow storm and blizzard describe snow events of progressively greater duration and intensity. A blizzard is a weather condition involving snow and has varying definitions in different parts of

2244-423: The atmosphere, increase to millimeter size, precipitate and accumulate on surfaces, then metamorphose in place, and ultimately melt, slide or sublimate away. Snowstorms organize and develop by feeding on sources of atmospheric moisture and cold air. Snowflakes nucleate around particles in the atmosphere by attracting supercooled water droplets, which freeze in hexagonal-shaped crystals. Snowflakes take on

2310-458: The avalanche moves fast enough some of the snow may mix with the air forming a powder snow avalanche, which is a type of gravity current . They occur in three major mechanisms: Many rivers originating in mountainous or high-latitude regions receive a significant portion of their flow from snowmelt. This often makes the river's flow highly seasonal resulting in periodic flooding during the spring months and at least in dry mountainous regions like

2376-592: The cold front had pushed east to the Texas shoreline with the Gulf of Mexico , and stalled in that location. As an upper-level shortwave trough approached the Southern Plains , it aided the development of an area of surface low pressure along the sharp temperature gradient near the Texas Gulf Coast . The development of low-pressure systems along coastal fronts in this fashion is relatively common in

2442-462: The cold. Snow develops in clouds that themselves are part of a larger weather system. The physics of snow crystal development in clouds results from a complex set of variables that include moisture content and temperatures. The resulting shapes of the falling and fallen crystals can be classified into a number of basic shapes and combinations thereof. Occasionally, some plate-like, dendritic and stellar-shaped snowflakes can form under clear sky with

2508-595: The college towns of Northfield and Winona . However, the area has become more diverse and more politically competitive. Until 2006, the state's only Independence Party legislator was from Southeast Minnesota, Sheila Kiscaden (IP-Rochester, now DFL-Rochester). Formerly a Republican, Kiscaden is now officially a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party . The area is one of several distinct regions of Minnesota . Additionally, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tim Waltz won

2574-448: The conditions and ice nuclei. If a crystal has started forming in a column growth regime at around −5 °C (23 °F) and then falls into the warmer plate-like regime, plate or dendritic crystals sprout at the end of the column, producing so called "capped columns". Magono and Lee devised a classification of freshly formed snow crystals that includes 80 distinct shapes. They documented each with micrographs. Snow accumulates from

2640-544: The contribution of snowmelt to river hydraulics and ground hydrology . In doing so, they employ a variety of instruments to observe and measure the phenomena studied. Their findings contribute to knowledge applied by engineers , who adapt vehicles and structures to snow, by agronomists , who address the availability of snowmelt to agriculture , and those, who design equipment for sporting activities on snow. Scientists develop and others employ snow classification systems that describe its physical properties at scales ranging from

2706-687: The cool season along the Texas Gulf Coast and along the Atlantic Seaboard near the Gulf Stream current. From October 30 – 31, this low-pressure system slowly became better organized over Texas, before it ejected north over the Mississippi River Valley . This meridional trajectory of a low pressure track (almost due north from the western Gulf) is climatologically favorable to produce very heavy snowfall in

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2772-450: The crystal facets and hollows/imperfections mean that the crystals often appear white in color due to diffuse reflection of the whole spectrum of light by the small ice particles. Micrography of thousands of snowflakes from 1885 onward, starting with Wilson Alwyn Bentley , revealed the wide diversity of snowflakes within a classifiable set of patterns. Closely matching snow crystals have been observed. Ukichiro Nakaya developed

2838-446: The difficulty of measuring snowfall. Glaciers with their permanent snowpacks cover about 10% of the earth's surface, while seasonal snow covers about nine percent, mostly in the Northern Hemisphere, where seasonal snow covers about 40 million square kilometres (15 × 10 ^  sq mi), according to a 1987 estimate. A 2007 estimate of snow cover over the Northern Hemisphere suggested that, on average, snow cover ranges from

2904-483: The expense of the water droplets by the Wegener–Bergeron–Findeisen process . These large crystals are an efficient source of precipitation, since they fall through the atmosphere due to their mass, and may collide and stick together in clusters, or aggregates. These aggregates are snowflakes , and are usually the type of ice particle that falls to the ground. Although the ice is clear, scattering of light by

2970-681: The first congressional district in 2018. Many places in Southeast Minnesota, like Lanesboro , have become popular tourist destinations. The scenic Mississippi Valley to the Whitewater River and Root River in the Driftless Area (one of the few parts of the state not eroded by glaciers in the last ice age ) are among the most visited locations. 44°N 92°W  /  44°N 92°W  / 44; -92 This Minnesota state location article

3036-442: The gap between two mountains. When the mass of snow and ice is sufficiently thick, it begins to move due to a combination of surface slope, gravity and pressure. On steeper slopes, this can occur with as little as 15 m (49 ft) of snow-ice. Scientists study snow at a wide variety of scales that include the physics of chemical bonds and clouds ; the distribution, accumulation, metamorphosis, and ablation of snowpacks; and

3102-453: The ground all winter. By late spring, snow densities typically reach a maximum of 50% of water. Snow that persists into summer evolves into névé , granular snow, which has been partially melted, refrozen and compacted. Névé has a minimum density of 500 kilograms per cubic metre (31 lb/cu ft), which is roughly half of the density of liquid water. Firn is snow that has persisted for multiple years and has been recrystallized into

3168-412: The heavy snow pack to produce many record low temperatures. Between the blizzard and the ice storm, 22 people were killed and over 100 were injured. The 1991 Halloween Blizzard developed from a strong arctic cold front that pushed south and east through the central United States several days prior. On October 28, temperatures to the east of the cold front were above normal. High temperatures reached into

3234-445: The individual crystal to the aggregated snowpack. A sub-specialty is avalanches , which are of concern to engineers and outdoors sports people, alike. Snow science addresses how snow forms, its distribution, and processes affecting how snowpacks change over time. Scientists improve storm forecasting, study global snow cover and its effect on climate, glaciers, and water supplies around the world. The study includes physical properties of

3300-615: The lift needed for condensation and precipitation. A snowflake consists of roughly 10 water molecules which are added to its core at different rates and in different patterns depending on the changing temperature and humidity within the atmosphere that the snowflake falls through on its way to the ground. As a result, snowflakes differ from each other though they follow similar patterns. Snow crystals form when tiny supercooled cloud droplets (about 10  μm in diameter) freeze . These droplets are able to remain liquid at temperatures lower than −18 °C (0 °F), because to freeze,

3366-563: The material as it changes, bulk properties of in-place snow packs, and the aggregate properties of regions with snow cover. In doing so, they employ on-the-ground physical measurement techniques to establish ground truth and remote sensing techniques to develop understanding of snow-related processes over large areas. In the field snow scientists often excavate a snow pit within which to make basic measurements and observations. Observations can describe features caused by wind, water percolation, or snow unloading from trees. Water percolation into

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3432-552: The minimum pressure fell about 24 millibars in 24 hours, indicative of rapid deepening and strengthening of the cyclone. The low pressure eventually became occluded , weakened, and then continued to dissipate as it pushed east across northern Ontario in subsequent days. The precipitation from this system began falling as snow in Iowa late on October 30, and by the morning of October 31, it had changed over to ice and spread northward across southeast Minnesota . During Halloween day,

3498-502: The mountain West of the US or most of Iran and Afghanistan , very low flow for the rest of the year. In contrast, if much of the melt is from glaciated or nearly glaciated areas, the melt continues through the warm season, with peak flows occurring in mid to late summer. Glaciers form where the accumulation of snow and ice exceeds ablation. The area in which an alpine glacier forms is called

3564-522: The next two days the snow continued to fall, leading to additional snowfall of one to two feet (30 cm to 60 cm). By the time the snowfall ended on November 4, the storm had dropped 36.9 in (93.7 cm) on Duluth, the largest single snow storm total in Minnesota history at that time. The Twin Cities received 28.8 in (72.1 cm), setting a single-storm record for the metropolitan area. In all, at least one foot (30 cm) of snow fell in

3630-528: The perfect conditions for the blizzard. In eastern Minnesota, the Halloween Blizzard shattered many of the previous October snowfall records. The 8 inches that fell in the Twin Cities on October 31 was more snow than had ever been recorded in any October in its recorded history. November 1 saw similar daily records fall, but with a more wide reaching area from most of central Minnesota eastward to La Crosse and Eau Claire, Wisconsin . Following

3696-449: The precipitation spread to the north, where it fell mostly as rapidly accumulating snow. The snow continued to develop northward, eventually spreading into the Minnesota Arrowhead . Eventually all of the precipitation changed over to snow, and in some areas it would continue falling until November 4. The heavy snow began falling across east central Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin during the late afternoon hours of October 31. By midnight,

3762-464: The precipitation started out as snow in these areas, it changed over to ice during the day on October 31 and continued falling over the next day. Ice accumulations as high as 2–3 in (6 cm–9 cm) were recorded in these areas before the precipitation changed to snow. Up to 10 in (25.4 cm) of snow proceeded to fall on top of ice accumulations from the previous day, making travel even more treacherous. Up to 1 inch of ice accumulation

3828-488: The prior classifications of Nakaya and his successors to related types of precipitation and are quoted in the following table: All are formed in cloud, except for rime, which forms on objects exposed to supercooled moisture. Southeast Minnesota Southeast Minnesota is part of the state's first and second congressional districts. Culturally, it is distinct from the Twin Cities in being generally more conservative and staid, with several more diverse areas, such as

3894-401: The same point roughly 30 minutes apart. In cases where there is a large amount of vertical growth and mixing, the squall may develop embedded cumulonimbus clouds resulting in lightning and thunder which is dubbed thundersnow . A warm front can produce snow for a period as warm, moist air overrides below-freezing air and creates precipitation at the boundary. Often, snow transitions to rain in

3960-583: The storm Arctic air poured southward from Canada to produce many record low temperatures in these same areas. Bismarck, North Dakota , sank to −10 °F (−23 °C) on October 31, breaking their previous record low of 6 °F (−14 °C) by 16 degrees. Record snow and cold was recorded as far south as Nebraska and Colorado. The Arctic air also spread over Chicago, recording a low of 11 on November 4. Four weeks later on November 29 – 30, another large storm system dropped as much as 18 inches of snow over these same areas. These two storms combined to set

4026-568: The temperature in the western Texas city of Amarillo had dropped to 22 °F (−6 °C) with a strong northerly breeze. Farther east in Texas, the temperature was 64 in Dallas – a 42-degree temperature difference over about 300 miles (480 km). In the northern United States, morning lows were much colder. Temperatures were in the single digits across Montana and Wyoming and in the teens in North Dakota and South Dakota . By October 30,

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4092-406: The warm sector behind the front. Lake-effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when a cold air mass moves across long expanses of warmer lake water, warming the lower layer of air which picks up water vapor from the lake, rises up through the colder air above, freezes, and is deposited on the leeward (downwind) shores. The same effect occurring over bodies of salt water

4158-470: The weight of the ice downing power lines, and in some cases it took up to a week for the power to be restored. Many roads were closed both from the snow and ice, including long stretches of I-90, I-35 and I-29 in Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. Highway snow removal was hindered by record cold temperatures that followed the storm and transportation was hampered for many days. Nine hundred schools and business were closed in Minnesota alone. The storm occurred on

4224-497: The winter months because it allows copious amounts of moisture to flow north where it can interact with colder air. Cooler readings lingered at the very end of October across the Upper Midwest , and a re-enforcing pool of Arctic air was just beginning to push southeast through the western Canadian Provinces . On November 1, the low-pressure system moved north from western Illinois into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and

4290-551: The world. In the United States , a blizzard occurs when two conditions are met for a period of three hours or more: a sustained wind or frequent gusts to 35 miles per hour (16 m/s), and sufficient snow in the air to reduce visibility to less than 0.4 kilometers (0.25 mi). In Canada and the United Kingdom , the criteria are similar. While heavy snowfall often occurs during blizzard conditions, falling snow

4356-447: Was reported as far south as Omaha, Nebraska . Most of Minnesota, western Wisconsin and northern Iowa were heavily impacted by the storm. $ 63+ million in damages was reported from fallen power lines, and $ 5 million in crop damages were reported in Iowa. Eleven counties in southern Minnesota were declared federal disaster areas, and 52 counties in Iowa were declared disaster areas. At least 100,000 people lost power because of

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