Spring Snowfall of April 21, 2002

The flip-flopping trend of extremes in weather continued in April with a storm bringing up to a half-foot of snow over parts of Minnesota. Many places in Minnesota from Duluth to the Iowa border saw at least a coating of snow. This snow came after highs in the 80's and 90's just a week before. The snow began in the early morning hours on Sunday April 21 and continued throughout the day. The heaviest accumulations were on grassy surfaces. The snow also accumulated on trees and created a landscape for fitting for December than late April. The 6.6 inches of snow did not make the top 10 heaviest snowstorms in April for the Twin Cities, but it did push the monthly snowfall to the third all time snowiest Aprils from 1891 to 2002


The Top Ten Snowiest Aprils in the Twin Cities from 1891-2002
-------------------------------------------------------------
1.) 21.8...1983   
2.) 16.9...1928   
3.) 14.2...2002 
4.) 13.0...1893/1907   
5.) 11.7...1908  
6.) 11.0...1923 
7.)  9.8...1984  
8.)  9.6...1957  
9.)  9.3...1949  
10.) 9.2...1929  

Listed here are some Public Information Statements from the National Weather Service regarding snowfall from this storm.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
205 PM CDT SUN APR 21 2002

MOST OF THE SNOW WAS MELTING AS ITS FELL...HOWEVER DEDICATED WEATHER 
OBSERVERS HAVE BEEN TRACKING SNOWFALL AMOUNTS HOURLY...SO FAR 
SNOWFALL TOTALS HAVE RANGED FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES SNOWFALL TOTALS OVER 
PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL ...CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND WEST 
CENTRAL WISCONSIN. 
HERE ARE THE LATEST SNOWFALL TOTALS AS OF 200 PM...

CITIES         SNOWFALL AMOUNTS    COMMENT
CHANHASSEN NWS   5.5 INCHES         
ELLSWORTH        4.0 INCHES
HENDERSON        3.0 INCHES
BUFFALO          1.0 INCH
REDWOOD FALLS    3.0 INCHES

NWS/JVM 

 
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
213 PM CDT SUN APR 21 2002
PRELIMINARY SNOWFALL TOTALS ACROSS THE AREA
 
LOCATION                   COUNTY              SNOWFALL(IN)   
 
...MINNESOTA...

DODGE CENTER               DODGE                  1.0
MANTORVILLE 3E             DODGE                  3.0
HIGHLAND                   FILLMORE               1.5
RENO 3SW                   HOUSTON                0.5
LYLE 2NE                   MOWER                  1.5-2.0
AUSTIN                     MOWER                  3-3.5
DOVER 3S                   OLMSTED                1.5
ROCHESTER                  OLMSTED                4.0
THEILMAN                   WABASHA                1.0
KELLOGG 7SW                WABASHA                3.0
KELLOGG 4S                 WABASHA                2.0
WABASHA 5S                 WABASHA                1.0
ROLLINGSTONE               WINONA                 3.0
...WISCONSIN...          
NWS LA CROSSE              LA CROSSE              2.0



PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
234 PM CDT SUN APR 21 2002
MOST OF THE SNOW WAS MELTING AS ITS FELL...HOWEVER DEDICATED WEATHER 
OBSERVERS HAVE BEEN TRACKING SNOWFALL AMOUNTS HOURLY...SO FAR 
SNOWFALL TOTALS HAVE RANGED FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES SNOWFALL TOTALS OVER 
PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL ...CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND WEST 
CENTRAL WISCONSIN. 

HERE ARE THE LATEST SNOWFALL TOTALS AS OF 230 PM...
CITIES         SNOWFALL AMOUNTS    

FOREST LAKE      2.0 INCHES
GILMAN           3.0 INCHES
8W OF ST CLOUD   6.0 INCHES
MILACA           3.0 INCHES
AMERY            1.0 INCH
RICE LAKE        1.0 INCH


PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
950 PM CDT SUN APR 21 2002

HERE ARE SOME SNOWFALL AMOUNTS CALLED INTO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE THROUGH 930 PM. 
NORTHEAST MINNESOTA                                                

LOCATION                        COUNTY         SNOWFALL                                             
NWS DULUTH                      ST LOUIS          1.7
2E BRAINERD                     CROW WING         1.8   
DEERWOOD                        CROW WING         1.0    
CLOQUET                         CARLTON           2.7  
MOOSE LAKE                      CARLTON           1.0  
                  
 
NORTHWEST WISCONSIN   
LOCATION                        COUNTY         SNOWFALL
BRULE                           DOUGLAS           1.0
MASON                           BAYFIELD          5.0    
GRANDVIEW                       BAYFIELD          3.0
CORNUCOPIA                      BAYFIELD          1.0
PHILLIPS                        PRICE             1.0

SS

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
738 AM CDT MON APR 22 2002

...7TH SNOWIEST APRIL AT LA CROSSE WISCONSIN SO FAR...
WITH 4.5 INCHES OF SNOW FALLING AT LA CROSSE YESTERDAY...THIS APRILS 
SNOW FALL NOW STANDS AT 8.5 INCHES. THIS PUTS THIS APRIL IN 
7TH PLACE FOR THE SNOWIEST APRIL IN LA CROSSE. MONTHLY SNOWFALL 
RECORDS AT LA CROSSE DATE BACK TO 1893. THE SNOWIEST APRIL OCCURRED 
BACK IN 1973 WHEN 17 INCHES OF SNOW FELL (16 OF THESE 17 INCHES FELL 
DURING THE APRIL 8-9 SNOW STORM). THE FOLLOWING TABLE IS THE TOP TEN 
SNOWIEST APRILS AT LA CROSSE...

              TOP 10 SNOWIEST APRILS IN LA CROSSE
                RANK       YEAR       SNOW FALL
                ----       ----       ---------
                  1        1973       17.0 INCHES
                  2        1910       12.4 INCHES
                  3        1909       10.8 INCHES
                  4        1952       10.2 INCHES
                  5        1928        9.7 INCHES
                  6        1993        9.4 INCHES
                  7        2002        8.5 INCHES
                  8        1911        7.1 INCHES
                  9        1945        7.0 INCHES
                 10        1962        6.6 INCHES  

-

Return Return to Minnesota Climatology Working Group Main page

mcwg@soils.umn.edu
URL: http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/snowstorm020421.htm
Last modified: April 23, 2002