Winter Storm and Blizzard clips southeast Minnesota on December 19th and 20.
A low pressure area that originated near the Oklahoma Panhandle on December 19th moved quickly to the northeast and by early afternoon on December 20 was located near Chicago. Heavy snow fell in a swath across Iowa and southern Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota as well. Snowfall totals of 3 to 6 inches were common south and east of a line from Fairmont to Red Wing. Snow totals rapidly fell off northwest of this line to only about a half inch measured in the central Twin Cities area. The highest snowfall total found so far in Minnesota from this storm was 9.7 inches at Minnesota City in Winona County.
The biggest culprit with this storm were the strong winds that swept in behind the storms' wake. This caused blizzard conditions across southeast Minnesota. Despite the difficult driving conditions, highways and Interstates in Minnesota generally stayed open during the day of December 20. Interstate 35 was closed from the Iowa State Line to Albert Lea.
Listed below is a Public Information Statement from the National Weather Service.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
245 PM CST THU DEC 20 2012
...UPDATED SNOWFALL TOTALS...
LOCATION SNOWFALL TIME LAT/LON
MINNESOTA
...DODGE COUNTY...
MANTORVILLE 7.5 1230 PM
...FILLMORE COUNTY...
SPRING VALLEY 3SW 8.0 0230 PM
HIGHLAND 6.0 0230 PM
PETERSON 1S 5.4 1230 PM
...HOUSTON COUNTY...
RENO 3SW 4.9 1120 AM
LA CRESCENT 1N 4.7 0100 PM
...OLMSTED COUNTY...
ROCHESTER AIRPORT 7.0 1200 PM
DOVER 3S 7.0 0230 PM
ROCHESTER SE SIDE 6.0 1030 AM
ROCHESTER WEST SIDE 6.0 1030 AM
ROCHESTER KTTC TV 5.6 0910 AM
...WABASHA COUNTY...
LAKE CITY 7.5 1030 AM
WABASHA 7NW 6.0 1100 AM
WABASHA 5S 4.0 0130 PM
...WINONA COUNTY...
MINNESOTA CITY 9.7 1100 AM
ST CHARLES 5N 6.5 1200 PM
ALTURA 5W 6.0 0700 AM
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
852 AM CST THU DEC 20 2012
...MOST OF OVERNIGHT STORM TOTALS FOR SOUTHERN MINNESOTA AND WEST
CENTRAL WISCONSIN...
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
------ ----------------------- -- -------------- -------
8.00 AUGUSTA WI EAU CLAIRE 0655 AM
5.50 1 SW DURAND WI PEPIN 0800 AM
5.50 2 SSE ALBERT LEA MN FREEBORN 0800 AM
5.20 SW ELLENDALE MN STEELE 0800 AM
5.00 1 WNW WELLS MN FARIBAULT 0800 AM
4.30 1 N OWATONNA MN STEELE 0526 AM
RELAYED VIA WCCO.
4.00 3 SE ALBERT LEA MN FREEBORN 0800 AM
4.00 1 E OWATONNA MN STEELE 0716 AM
3.80 1 NE MINNESOTA LAKE MN BLUE EARTH 0712 AM
3.50 1 NE FAIRMONT MN MARTIN 0800 AM
3.50 1 SW EAU CLAIRE WI EAU CLAIRE 0700 AM
3.50 FARIBAULT MN RICE 0700 AM
3.00 WINNEBAGO MN FARIBAULT 0800 AM
3.00 4 ESE RED WING MN GOODHUE 0800 AM
2.80 MANKATO MN BLUE EARTH 0529 AM
A LOT OF DRIFTING
2.60 ELK MOUND WI DUNN 0746 AM
2.50 MANKATO MN BLUE EARTH 0636 AM
FLURRIES FINAL REPORT...KEYC.
2.30 NORTHFIELD MN RICE 0800 AM
2.30 MENOMONIE WI DUNN 0535 AM
2.20 4 NNE MENOMONIE WI DUNN 0700 AM
2.10 4 E MANKATO MN BLUE EARTH 0712 AM
KTOE
2.00 1 SE STANLEY WI CHIPPEWA 0800 AM
2.00 6 WNW ELLSWORTH WI PIERCE 0800 AM
2.00 1 SSW RIVER FALLS WI PIERCE 0800 AM
2.00 1 W VESELI MN RICE 0800 AM
2.00 6 SSE RIVER FALLS WI PIERCE 0800 AM
2.00 5 ESE NEW PRAGUE MN RICE 0716 AM
2.00 1 W BALDWIN WI ST. CROIX 0700 AM
2.00 1 NW EAU CLAIRE WI EAU CLAIRE 0700 AM
2.00 HASTINGS MN DAKOTA 0600 AM
2.00 2 NNW RED WING MN GOODHUE 0600 AM
LOCK AND DAM 3
1.80 3 N BOYCEVILLE WI DUNN 0800 AM
1.80 EAU CLAIRE WI EAU CLAIRE 0430 AM
STILL SNOWING...WQOW.
1.70 1 N HAMMOND WI ST. CROIX 0800 AM
1.70 WNW FAIRMONT MN MARTIN 0800 AM
1.50 2 SW CANNON FALLS MN GOODHUE 0800 AM
1.50 4 ENE NICOLLET MN NICOLLET 0800 AM
1.50 6 WSW ST PETER MN NICOLLET 0800 AM
1.50 2 SE CHETEK WI BARRON 0800 AM
1.50 12 N BRUCE WI RUSK 0716 AM
1.50 3 ENE MONTGOMERY MN RICE 0716 AM
1.50 1 NNE NEW PRAGUE MN SCOTT 0700 AM
1.50 1 SSW LONSDALE MN RICE 0655 AM
1.50 3 SE LAKE ELMO MN WASHINGTON 0655 AM
1.40 1 ENE INVER GROVE HEIGH MN DAKOTA 0800 AM
1.40 1 ENE INVER GROVE HEIGH MN DAKOTA 0800 AM
1.40 3 NW JIM FALLS WI CHIPPEWA 0600 AM
1.40 MADELIA MN WATONWAN 0544 AM
1.30 3 WNW LADYSMITH WI RUSK 0800 AM
1.30 2 N WOODBURY MN WASHINGTON 0716 AM
1.30 CLEAR LAKE WI POLK 0700 AM
1.20 FARMINGTON MN DAKOTA 0517 AM
RELAYED FROM WCCO
1.00 2 N APPLE VALLEY MN DAKOTA 0800 AM
1.00 3 SW EAGAN MN DAKOTA 0800 AM
1.00 3 NE BURNSVILLE MN DAKOTA 0716 AM
1.00 3 W ELLSWORTH WI PIERCE 0700 AM
1.00 CREDIT RIVER MN SCOTT 0640 AM
1.00 4 ESE CLAYTON WI BARRON 0640 AM
0.60 1 SE HENDERSON MN SIBLEY 0800 AM
0.60 6 SSE MINNEAPOLIS MN HENNEPIN 0600 AM
MSP
0.60 3 ESE NEW ULM MN NICOLLET 0600 AM
0.50 4 ENE MONTICELLO MN SHERBURNE 0655 AM