NOAA National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

SNOWFALL OF OVER 20 INCHES AND WINDS OVER 50 MPH HIT THE NORTHLAND LAST WEEKEND (FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 2). IT WAS FELT THE HARDEST IN DULUTH WHERE IT WILL BE REMEMBERED AS THE BLIZZARD OF 2007.

THE STORM BEGAN TAKING SHAPE ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28 AS A LARGE AND STRONG UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVED INTO THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES. AS A RESULT...SURFACE LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPED OVER THE OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS PANHANDLES. THIS SURFACE LOW MOVED EAST ACROSS NORTHERN OKLAHOMA WEDNESDAY EVENING, AND THEN MOVED TO EASTERN IOWA BY
THURSDAY MORNING, AND TO EASTERN WISCONSIN BY FRIDAY.

THE AREA OF HEAVY SNOW, WHICH INCLUDED MOST OF NORTHEAST MINNESOTA AND ALL OF NORTHWEST WISCONSIN, WAS NORTHWEST OF THE SURFACE LOW TRACK. THE SNOW WITH THIS STORM OCCURRED IN TWO SEPARATE WAVES. THE FIRST ROUND OF SNOW ARRIVED IN THE NORTHLAND WEDNESDAY EVENING, BEGINNING
IN AREAS FROM HINCKLEY TO HAYWARD BY 900 PM, THE TWIN PORTS AROUND MIDNIGHT, AND ACROSS THE IRON RANGE BY 300 AM.

SNOWFALL TOTALS WITH THE FIRST WAVE RANGED BETWEEN 2 AND 8 INCHES, WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS FROM MILLE LACS LAKE , EAST TO HINCKLEY, PINE CITY AND WASHBURN.

IN ADDITION TO THE FALLING SNOW WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING, EAST WINDS INCREASED TO 35 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS ACROSS ALL LOCATIONS ALONG THE SHORE OF LAKE SUPERIOR, RESULTING IN LOCAL WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. HOWEVER, THE WORST OF THE WIND WAS STILL TO COME.

THE SECOND, AND MOST INTENSE PART OF THE STORM, BEGAN MID
AFTERNOON THURSDAY AND CONTINUED THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. DURING THE PEAK OF THE STORM SNOWFALL RATES FROM 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR WERE ACCOMPANIED BY SUSTAINED WINDS OF 40 MPH, WITH FREQUENT GUSTS ABOVE 50 MPH. THUNDERSNOW WAS REPORTED FOR A PERIOD OF ABOUT 6 HOURS THURSDAY EVENING ALONG AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 35, INCLUDING THE
DULUTH-SUPERIOR METRO AREA.

THE MOST SEVERE CONDITIONS WERE EXPERIENCED WITHIN 10 TO 20 MILES OF LAKE SUPERIOR, INCLUDING TWO HARBORS, DULUTH-SUPERIOR, CLOQUET, THE BAYFIELD PENINSULA, AND THE GOGEBIC RANGE IN NORTHERN WISCONSIN. WIDESPREAD BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AFFECTED THESE AREAS, WITH WHITEOUT CONDITIONS AND ZERO VISIBILITY. IN THE TWIN PORTS AREA, THE CITIES OF DULUTH AND SUPERIOR PULLED SNOW PLOWS OFF THE ROADS BY LATE AFTERNOON, AND TRAVEL BECAME VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE
AS SUSTAINED WINDS INCREASED TO 40 TO 50 MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 60 MPH.

MINNESOTA POINT WAS CLOSED TO ALL TRAFFIC AS HUGE SNOWDRIFTS COVERED MINNESOTA AVENUE. THE LONG TRAJECTORY OF NORTHEAST WINDS ACROSS LAKE SUPERIOR RESULTED IN 10 TO 15 FOOT HIGH SNOW DRIFTS, AND FREEZING SPRAY COVERED MANY TREES, HOMES, AND POWER LINES. ALTHOUGH AREAS FARTHER AWAY FROM LAKE SUPERIOR DID NOT EXPERIENCE THE INTENSE
WINDS, SNOWFALL TOTALS OVER 20 INCHES WERE COMMON IN MOST AREAS ALONG AND EAST OF THE INTERSTATE 35 CORRIDOR BY THE TIME THE SNOW TAPERED TO FLURRIES FRIDAY NIGHT.

THE DULUTH SKY HARBOR AIRPORT SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF GREATER THAN 30 MPH FOR 28 CONSECUTIVE HOURS, WITH GUSTS GREATER THAN 40 MPH FOR 26 CONSECUTIVE HOURS.

AT THE DULUTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS WERE GREATER THAN 30 MPH FOR 19 CONSECUTIVE HOURS, WITH GUSTS GREATER THAN 40 MPH FOR 22 CONSECUTIVE HOURS.

- Dan Miller

Snowfall Totals and Peak Wind Reports