The Armistice Day Blizzard
A rapidly deepening low-pressure system moved northeast from Kansas City, MO, through the Upper Mississippi River Valley and into the Upper Great Lakes on November 11, 1940. This low-pressure area resulted in the lowest pressure readings ever recorded at Charles City, IA (28.92 inches), La Crosse, WI (28.72 inches), and Duluth, MN (28.72 inches) (28.66 inches). Blue skies and temperatures in the 40s and 50s marked the start of Armistice Day (now known as Veteran's Day). The weather forecast called for colder temperatures and a few flurries that morning. The weather was so nice that duck hunters in short-sleeved shirts rushed to the Mississippi River marshes early that morning.
A strong cold front passed through the region in the late morning and early afternoon. The weather became blustery behind this front, and the temperature dropped to the single digits by the next morning. The rain turned to sleet, then to driving snow. Gale-force winds and threatening waves trapped twelve duck hunters on the Mississippi River between St. Paul and Prairie du Chien. These hunters sought refuge on small islands and died from exposure. The next day, rescue efforts were hampered by ice that had formed over the previous night.
Heavy snow fell across the Dakotas, as well as much of Minnesota, Iowa, and northwest Wisconsin. Collegeville, Minnesota had the most snowfall with 26.6 inches. Furthermore, winds of 30 to 50 mph caused significant blowing and drifting of snow, trapping unsuspecting motorists.
Near Willmar, Minnesota, 20-foot drifts were reported. The blizzard killed 49 people in Minnesota, and gales on Lake Michigan caused shipwrecks that killed another 59 people. The storm killed 154 people and killed thousands of cattle in Iowa. The storm killed over a million turkeys in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and other states. The storm was dubbed the "Armistice Day Storm."
This storm, along with a slow-moving blizzard that would move across northern Minnesota in mid-March 1941, caused the Weather Bureau to rethink its forecasting procedures. Forecasting for the entire region had been directed by the Chicago office, but in the wake of this storm, responsibilities were distributed to regional centers to provide more timely and accurate predictions. This is one of the worst winter storms in American history.
Extratropical cyclone Blizzard Panhandle Hook
Formed: November 10, 1940
Dissipated: November 12, 1940
Lowest pressure: 971 mbar (hPa) (at Duluth, MN)
Maximum snowfall or ice accretion: 27 inches (68.6 cm) (Collegeville, MN)
Fatalities: 154 fatalities
Damage: $2.2 million (1940)
Areas affected: Midwestern United States