Snowstorm: January 6-7, 2010

A rather potent Alberta Clipper dumped over a half foot of snow over the already deep snow pack of southwest Minnesota. The newly fallen snow along with gusty winds, caused considerable blowing and drifting snow. I-90 was closed from the South Dakota border to Albert Lea on January 7, and I-90 was still closed west of Fairmont on January 8th. One of the reasons for closing I-90 was due to vehicles blocking the road because of the heavy drifting snow and large snow drifts between Worthington and Adrian in Nobles County. The National Guard was called out to help rescue stranded motorists. State offices in seven southwestern counties were closed on January 7th and reopened at 10am on January 8th. The Twin Cities had a pesky light snowfall, coupled with windy conditions which caused slow travel on the 7th. One of the highest snowfall amounts reported was 10 inches in Ivanhoe in Lincoln County.

This snowstorm added to an already deep snowpack in southwest Minnesota. On January 8th the snow depth at Fairmont was 31 inches, the deepest snow depth seen there since February 1979.

Below are Public Information Statements from the National Weather Service.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1009 PM CST THU JAN 07 2010

...PRELIMINARY SNOWFALL TOTALS FROM WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...

THE FIRST LOCAL APPRECIABLE SNOWFALL EVENT OF 2010 OCCURRED ON
JANUARY 6TH INTO THE 7TH. AN ALBERTA CLIPPER WEATHER SYSTEM
MOVED SOUTHEAST FROM NORTH DAKOTA INTO IOWA AND EASTWARD FROM
THERE. THIS PRODUCED SNOW ACROSS THE AREA...OCCASIONALLY HEAVY
IN WESTERN MINNESOTA ON WEDNESDAY. STRONG WINDS LASTED AFTER THE
SNOWFALL AND CREATED WIDESPREAD BLOWING AND DRIFTING IN OPEN
LOCATIONS INTO THURSDAY NIGHT.

THE TOTALS BELOW ARE SEPARATED INTO SNOW...AND ICE AND SLEET
CATEGORIES...THEN BY AMOUNT...AND ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE
FINAL AMOUNT FOR EACH LOCATION.


SNOW REPORTS LISTED BY AMOUNT

 INCHES  LOCATION                 ST  COUNTY           TIME
 ------  -----------------------  --  --------------   -------
  6.00   WELCOME                  MN  MARTIN           0658 AM
  6.00   DAWSON                   MN  LAC QUI PARLE    1230 AM
  5.00   4 N BOYD                 MN  LAC QUI PARLE    0815 AM
  5.00   FAIRMONT                 MN  MARTIN           0815 AM
  5.00   GRANITE FALLS            MN  CHIPPEWA         1235 AM
  4.50   FARIBAULT                MN  RICE             0612 PM
  4.50   MANKATO                  MN  BLUE EARTH       1110 AM
  4.00   RENVILLE                 MN  RENVILLE         0652 PM
  4.00   ST JAMES                 MN  WATONWAN         0102 PM
  4.00   BLUE EARTH               MN  FARIBAULT        0815 AM
  4.00   MORGAN                   MN  REDWOOD          0700 AM
  4.00   MORRIS                   MN  STEVENS          0100 AM
  3.50   NORTHFIELD               MN  RICE             0518 PM
  3.40   EAU CLAIRE               WI  EAU CLAIRE       0612 PM
                 MEASURED AT WQOW TV.
  3.10   ST PAUL                  MN  RAMSEY           0139 PM
  3.00   BRUCE                    WI  RUSK             0853 PM
  3.00   3 SE ALBERT LEA          MN  FREEBORN         0800 AM
  2.70   HAMMOND                  WI  ST. CROIX        0800 AM
  2.70   3 SE LAKE ELMO           MN  WASHINGTON       0800 AM
  2.50   WOODBURY                 MN  WASHINGTON       1256 PM
  2.50   CLAYTON                  WI  POLK             1010 AM
  2.20   MINNEAPOLIS              MN  HENNEPIN         0612 PM
                 MEASURED AT THE MINNEAPOLIS INTERNATIONAL
                 AIRPORT.
  2.00   BLOOMINGTON              MN  HENNEPIN         0308 PM
  1.30   CHANHASSEN               MN  CARVER           0612 PM
                 MEASURED AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
                 OFFICE.
  1.30   2 W PRIOR LAKE           MN  SCOTT            0451 PM
  1.30   MURDOCK                  MN  SWIFT            0815 AM
  1.00   WILLMAR                  MN  KANDIYOHI        0815 AM


PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD

STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL DATA IN INCHES...FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA 
...SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...NORTHWEST IOWA...AND NORTHEAST NEBRASKA 
...BEGINNING MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY JANUARY 6 THROUGH 10 AM THURSDAY 
JANUARY 7 2010. 


...SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA...
 
  CANTON                                   7.2 
  MADISON                                  7.0 
  1 SW BROOKINGS                           7.0 
  WESSINGTON SPRINGS                       6.8 
  DE SMET                                  6.5 
  5 NE SALEM                               6.0 
  SIOUX FALLS                              5.9 
  4 NE BRUCE                               5.6 
  PICKSTOWN                                5.6 
  2 SE YANKTON                             5.5 
  MENNO                                    5.5 
  MARION                                   5.2 
  HURON                                    5.2 
  GAYVILLE                                 5.0 
  MITCHELL                                 4.9 
  GREGORY                                  4.0 
  FLANDREAU                                4.0 
  WHITE LAKE                               2.5 


...SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...
 
  IVANHOE                                 10.0 
  WINDOM                                   8.0 
  4 N CURRIE                               7.5 
  2 NNE WORTHINGTON                        6.0 
  MARSHALL                                 6.0 
  2 NE LAKEFIELD                           5.0 


...NORTHWEST IOWA...
 
  SHELDON                                  7.5 
  CHEROKEE                                 7.5 
  SIOUX CITY                               6.6 
  1 N SPENCER                              6.5 
  AKRON                                    6.5 
  SPENCER                                  6.5 
  EVERLY                                   6.0 
  ROCK VALLEY                              6.0 
  LE MARS                                  6.0 
  SIOUX CENTER                             5.8 
  SPIRIT LAKE                              5.5 
  3 NE BATTLE CREEK                        4.6 
  OCHEYEDAN                                4.0


Last modified: July 5, 2016
For more information contact: [email protected]

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