The March 22-23 snowstorm is the first Boys Basketball "Tournament Snowstorm" since 2005.
Spring may have arrived on the calendar, but the landscape looked more like winter on March 23 across much of central Minnesota. A low pressure system over Nebraska on Tuesday, March 22 moved to the east across Iowa on March 23. The first wave of moisture was rain and some thunderstorms that spread across Minnesota in the early hours of March 22 and lifted northward into central Minnesota during the day. Fog and light rain persisted across southern Minnesota for the rest of the afternoon, with blustery conditions.
Round two began during the evening of the 22nd, with ice pellets falling over the Twin Cities and began to accumulate in an icy slush over the heart of the metro by late evening. The ice pellets changed over to wet heavy snow overnight and some thunder and lighting were observed with the wet heavy snowflakes. The snow fell at a moderate rate during the morning rush our and there were numerous car crashes on roads. The wet snow gradually tapered off during the day on the 23rd. The heaviest snowfall reported so far was 11 inches near Isle in Mille Lacs County. The Twin Cities International Airport measured 4.5 inches, making this snowstorm a "Tournament Snowstorm."
In addition to snow, very strong winds were reported with this storm system. One of the strongest gusts was 70mph in Duluth on the Blatnik Bridge. The Duluth International Airport had a gust to 56mph.
Listed below are Public Information Statements and Storm Summaries from the National Weather Service.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1240 PM CDT THU MAR 24 2011
...SNOWFALL TOTALS FOR WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA
FROM MARCH 22ND AND 23RD WINTER STORM ...
THE TOTALS BELOW ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE FINAL AMOUNT FOR
EACH LOCATION.
SNOW REPORTS LISTED BY AMOUNT
INCHES LOCATION ST COUNTY TIME
------ ----------------------- -- -------------- -------
11.00 REDWOOD FALLS MN REDWOOD 0500 AM
11.00 5 N ISLE MN MILLE LACS 0752 AM
11.00 HOLCOMBE WI CHIPPEWA 0800 AM
10.80 12 N BRUCE WI RUSK 0729 AM
10.30 LITTLE FALLS MN MORRISON 0630 AM
10.20 3 N ALEXANDRIA MN DOUGLAS 0800 AM
10.00 RICE LAKE WI BARRON 0900 AM
10.00 BARRON WI BARRON 0621 PM
10.00 RUSH CITY MN CHISAGO 0800 AM
10.00 BLOOMER MN CHIPPEWA 1240 PM
9.90 JIM FALLS WI CHIPPEWA 0700 AM
9.80 ELK MOUND WI DUNN 0700 AM
9.50 HUTCHINSON MN MCLEOD 0825 AM
9.50 MONTEVIDEO MN CHIPPEWA 0700 AM
9.50 HUTCHINSON MN MCLEOD 0800 AM
9.00 3 NE RUSH CITY MN CHISAGO 0700 AM
9.00 3 S ST FRANCIS MN ANOKA 1204 PM
9.00 CARLOS MN DOUGLAS 0530 AM
9.00 MENOMONIE WI DUNN 0515 PM
8.80 CLAYTON WI POLK 0842 AM
8.50 ANDOVER MN ANOKA 0900 AM
8.50 MORA MN KANABEC 0700 AM
8.20 2 N MENOMONIE WI DUNN 1210 PM
8.20 BOWLUS MN MORRISON 0724 AM
8.00 WATSON MN CHIPPEWA 0900 AM
8.00 LEAF VALLEY MN DOUGLAS 0806 AM
8.00 9 NNE BIRD ISLAND MN RENVILLE 0730 AM
8.00 BLOOMER WI CHIPPEWA 0800 AM
7.60 1 N CAMERON WI BARRON 0556 AM
7.50 LITCHFIELD MN MEEKER 0640 AM
7.50 SAUK RAPIDS MN BENTON 0630 AM
7.50 STANLEY WI CHIPPEWA 1140 AM
7.20 FOREST LAKE 5NE MN CHISAGO 0700 AM
7.20 ST CLOUD SCSU MN STEARNS 0730 AM
7.10 ST CLOUD MN STEARNS 0100 PM
7.00 NW EAU CLAIRE WI EAU CLAIRE 0720 PM
7.00 1 NW COTTAGE GROVE MN WASHINGTON 0800 AM
7.00 NORTH BRANCH MN CHISAGO 1012 AM
7.00 ISANTI MN ISANTI 0937 AM
7.00 MELROSE MN STEARNS 0800 AM
7.00 BROWNTON MN MCLEOD 0530 PM
7.00 4 NW ONAMIA MN MILLE LACS 0800 AM
7.00 2 N GLEN FLORA WI RUSK 0700 AM
7.00 LONG LAKE MN HENNEPIN 0700 AM
6.10 3 NNW MINNEAPOLIS MN HENNEPIN 0900 PM
6.50 COON RAPIDS MN ANOKA 1040 AM
6.50 HAMBURG MN CARVER 0800 AM
6.30 RICE MN BENTON 0700 AM
6.00 INVER GROVE HEIGHTS MN DAKOTA 0630 PM
6.00 ONAMIA MN MILLE LACS 0842 AM
6.00 2 WSW RICE MN STEARNS 0700 AM
6.00 3 E EAST FARMINGTON WI POLK 0630 AM
6.00 3 WSW PRINCETON MN SHERBURNE 0600 AM
6.00 ROCKFORD MN HENNEPIN 0900 AM
6.00 1 E ST MICHAEL MN WRIGHT 0600 AM
5.90 LONG PRAIRIE MN TODD 0600 AM
5.60 2 N WILLMAR MN KANDIYOHI 0600 AM
5.50 DAYTON MN HENNEPIN 0700 AM
5.50 4 E ST FRANCIS MN ANOKA 0700 AM
5.30 ST STEPHEN MN STEARNS 0722 AM
5.20 EAU CLAIRE WQOW WI EAU CLAIRE 0900 PM
5.20 MURDOCK MN SWIFT 0745 AM
5.20 MONTICELLO MN WRIGHT 1207 PM
5.10 5 NNW MINNEAPOLIS MN HENNEPIN 1057 AM
5.00 DELANO MN WRIGHT 0900 AM
4.90 FRIDLEY MN ANOKA 0700 AM
4.70 4 SSW MINNEAPOLIS MN HENNEPIN 0700 AM
4.60 CHANHASSEN MN CARVER 0100 PM
4.50 MINNEAPOLIS ST PAUL APT MN HENNEPIN 0700 PM
4.50 4 NE WOODBURY MN WASHINGTON 0700 AM
4.50 2 NW ROSEVILLE MN RAMSEY 0600 AM
4.50 MILACA MN MILLE LACS 0730 AM
4.30 NORTH ST PAUL MN RAMSEY 0631 PM
4.00 GRANITE FALLS MN CHIPPEWA 1120 AM
4.00 SPRING VALLEY WI PIERCE 0800 AM
3.70 RICHFIELD MN HENNEPIN 0830 PM
3.50 WACONIA MN CARVER 0600 AM
3.50 3 WNW ROSEMOUNT MN DAKOTA 0700 AM
3.40 1 WSW LITTLE CANADA MN RAMSEY 0700 AM
3.30 2 W PRIOR LAKE MN SCOTT 0630 PM
3.00 BALDWIN WI ST CROIX 0700 AM
3.00 HASTINGS MN DAKOTA 0600 AM
2.60 EAU CLAIRE WI EAU CLAIRE 0527 AM
2.50 BURNSVILLE MN DAKOTA 1050 AM
2.50 1 W CARVER MN CARVER 0600 AM
2.50 3 WSW EDEN PRAIRIE MN HENNEPIN 0800 AM
2.30 ROSEMOUNT MN DAKOTA 0900 AM
2.20 CANNON FALLS MN GOODHUE 0600 AM
2.00 MORGAN MN REDWOOD 1106 AM
2.00 GAYLORD MN SIBLEY 0825 AM
2.00 1 E OWATONNA MN STEELE 0630 AM
1.40 FARMINGTON MN DAKOTA 0900 AM
1.20 JORDAN MN SCOTT 0530 AM
1.00 WASECA MN WASECA 0800 AM
1.00 NORTH MANKATO MN NICOLLET 0841 AM
0.80 3 ENE MONTGOMERY MN LE SUEUR 0530 AM
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
1256 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1253 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 6 NW DULUTH 46.84N 92.21W
03/23/2011 M56 MPH ST. LOUIS MN ASOS
8PM ON THE 22ND AIRPORT
1253 PM NON-TSTM WND GST CLOQUET 46.73N 92.49W
03/23/2011 M51 MPH CARLTON MN AWOS
1255AM 23RD
1253 PM NON-TSTM WND GST SUPERIOR 46.70N 92.06W
03/23/2011 M47 MPH DOUGLAS WI AWOS
535AM ON THE 23RD
1253 PM NON-TSTM WND GST DULUTH 46.78N 92.12W
03/23/2011 M70 MPH ST. LOUIS MN DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
BLATNIK BRIDGE 355 ON HTE 23RD.