Boy's Basketball Tournament Snowstorm:
March 17-18, 2005

A low pressure area that originated in Idaho moved to the southeast and spread light snow across far southern Minnesota during the evening of March 17, 2005. The low pressure area was over eastern Nebraska by the morning of the 18th and over southern Iowa by afternoon. Heavy snows fell in a band approximately 100 miles wide from extreme northern Iowa to the south half of the Twin Cities metro area. Visibilities down to a quarter mile were observed over southern Minnesota into southwest portions of the Twin Cities during the day on Friday the 18th.

The hardest hit area so far has been along I-90 in southern Minnesota. 1-90 was closed during the afternoon of the 18th from Blue Earth to Luverne. The highest total reported was 21 inches at Kiester in Faribault County.

Below are statements from the National Weather Service about this snowstorm. Also see the Chanhassen National Weather Service web page on the storm


PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
245 AM CST SUN MAR 20 2005
...FINAL SNOWFALL TOTALS FROM FRIDAYS SNOWSTORM...

A RANKING OF SNOWFALL TOTALS RECEIVED FROM SNOWFALL OBSERVERS...
LAW ENFORCEMENT...AND STORM SPOTTERS FOLLOWS. 
A MAP OF THE HEAVY SNOWFALL BAND IS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE AT
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/TWINCITIES

LOCATION                COUNTY              SNOWFALL (INCHES)
---------------------------------------------------------------
KIESTER                 FARIBAULT               21.0
EASTON                  FARIBAULT               20.0    
GENEVA LAKE             FREEBORN                18.0
ST. JAMES 10S           WATONWAN                17.3
HOLLANDALE              FREEBORN                17.0
ALBERT LEA              FREEBORN                16.5   
LEWISVILLE              WATONWAN                16.0
ELLENDALE               STEELE                  16.0
FAIRCHILD               EAU CLAIRE (WI)         15.5              
FAIRMONT                MARTIN                  15.0
ST. JAMES               WATONWAN                15.0
MINNESOTA LAKE          BLUE EARTH              15.0
EAU CLAIRE              EAU CLAIRE (WI)         13.5 
MANKATO                 BLUE EARTH              13.5
ZUMBROTA                GOODHUE                 13.0
SHERBURN                MARTIN                  13.0
SPRINGFIELD             BROWN                   12.5    
WELCOME                 MARTIN                  12.0
WINNEBAGO               FARIBAULT               12.0
OWATONNA                STEELE                  12.0   
AUGUSTA                 EAU CLAIRE (WI)         11.5 
WASECA                  WASECA                  11.0 
FARIBAULT               RICE                    11.0
DURAND                  PEPIN (WI)              10.5 
MERIDEAN                DUNN (WI)               10.0   
GOODHUE                 GOODHUE                 10.0   
FALL CREEK              EAU CLAIRE (WI)          9.3
NORTHFIELD              RICE                     8.5   
MORGAN                  REDWOOD                  8.0   
RED WING                GOODHUE                  8.0
ST. PETER               NICOLLET                 8.0
NEW ULM                 BROWN                    8.0   
INVER GROVE HEIGHTS     DAKOTA                   7.8
FARMINGTON              DAKOTA                   7.5
BAY CITY                PIERCE (WI)              7.5
PRIOR LAKE              SCOTT                    7.0   
NEW PRAGUE              LE SUEUR                 7.0  
LAKEVILLE               DAKOTA                   7.0 
REDWOOD FALLS           REDWOOD                  7.0  
WOODBURY                WASHINGTON               7.0 
COTTAGE GROVE           WASHINGTON               6.5 
EDEN PRAIRIE            HENNEPIN                 6.5 
MONTGOMERY              LE SUEUR                 6.5
CHANHASSEN (NWS)        CARVER                   6.3
HENDERSON               SIBLEY                   6.0
GLENCOE                 MCLEOD                   6.0
CHIPPEWA FALLS          CHIPPEWA (WI)            6.0
MENOMONIE               DUNN (WI)                6.0 
STANLEY                 CHIPPEWA (WI)            5.9    
HASTINGS                DAKOTA                   5.8    
ST. PAUL HIGHLAND PARK  RAMSEY                   5.7 
CHASKA                  CARVER                   5.7
GIBBON                  SIBLEY                   5.5 
WINTHROP                SIBLEY                   5.5 
BLOOMER                 CHIPPEWA (WI)            5.5
CEDAR FALLS             DUNN (WI)                5.5   
MINNEAPOLIS INTL ARPT   HENNEPIN                 5.3 
JIM FALLS               CHIPPEWA (WI)            5.1    
EDINA                   HENNEPIN                 5.0
BROWNTON                MCLEOD                   5.0
RIVER FALLS 2N          ST CROIX (WI)            5.0
ST. PAUL EAST SIDE      RAMSEY                   4.8
BALDWIN                 ST CROIX (WI)            4.0
OLIVIA                  RENVILLE                 4.0 
GAYLORD                 SIBLEY                   4.0    
ST. PAUL LAKE COMO      RAMSEY                   3.5
LADYSMITH               RUSK (WI)                3.5
RIDGELAND               DUNN (WI)                3.0  
STILLWATER              WASHINGTON               3.0
HECTOR                  RENVILLE                 2.5
CANBY                   YELLOW MEDICINE          2.5
WEYERHAEUSER 15N        RUSK                     2.5
WATERTOWN               CARVER                   2.0
NEW HOPE                HENNEPIN                 1.9
WINSTED                 MCLEOD                   1.8
FRIDLEY                 ANOKA                    1.5
DAWSON                  LAC QUI PARLE            1.3

$$
SEB/DWE/KME/TDK

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
1030 AM CST FRI MAR 18 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....


0800 AM     SNOW             GREGORY                 43.23N 99.43W 
03/18/2005  3.0 INCH         GREGORY            SD   CO-OP OBSERVER  

0800 AM     SNOW             CENTERVILLE             43.12N 96.96W 
03/18/2005  2.0 INCH         TURNER             SD   CO-OP OBSERVER  

0900 AM     SNOW             MADISON                 44.01N 97.11W 
03/18/2005  5.5 INCH         LAKE               SD   CO-OP OBSERVER  

1015 AM     SNOW             4 N CURRIE              44.13N 95.67W 
03/18/2005  9.5 INCH         MURRAY             MN   TRAINED SPOTTER 


PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
1011 AM CST FRI MAR 18 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....


1008 AM     SNOW             WINDOM                  43.87N 95.12W 
03/18/2005  10.0 INCH        COTTONWOOD         MN   TRAINED SPOTTER 



PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
930 AM CST FRI MAR 18 2005
...CURRENT SNOWFALL TOTALS FOR IDES OF MARCH SNOWSTORM...

HERE ARE THE LATEST SNOWFALL REPORTS THAT HAVE BEEN RECEIVED 
BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FROM OUR COOPERATIVE SNOWFALL OBSERVER NETWORK.

...AS OF 900 AM...

       
STATION...          COUNTY...               AMOUNT IN INCHES...

CHANHASSEN          CARVER                  1.0
SPRINGFIELD         REDWOOD                 5.5
CANBY               YELLOW MEDICINE         1.0
GLENCOE             MC LEOD                 1.0
FAIRMONT            MARTIN                  6.5
WINNEBAGO           FARIBAULT               6.0
REDWOOD FALLS       REDWOOD                 5.5
ST. PETER           NICOLLET                4.0
NEW ULM             BROWN                   5.0 
NEW PRAGUE          LE SUEUR                1.0
FARIBAULT           RICE                    4.0
ST. JAMES           WATONWAN                11.0
MANKATO             BLUE EARTH              6.0
WASECA              WASECA                  9.0
OWATONNA            STEELE                  7.0
ALBERT LEA          FREEBORN                12.5
WELLS               FARIBAULT               8.5

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URL: http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/snow050318.htm
Last modified: March 21, 2005