Weather History Archive

Weather History November 11th

Local and Regional Events:

November 11th, 1982:

Wet snow and winds gusting to over 50 mph snapped almost a thousand power lines and poles. Snowfall amounts were 4 to 6 inches but ranged to nearly a foot or more in Brookings County. A wind gust of 75 mph was recorded in McCook County. Several semi-trucks jackknifed on ice-covered roads, and numerous other automobile accidents were reported due to the snow and strong winds.

November 11th, 2000:

Heavy snow of 6 to 14 inches fell across central and northeast South Dakota and west-central Minnesota on November 11th and 12th, causing driving difficulties throughout the region. Many vehicles became stuck in the snow or slid into ditches. There were also several accidents, and many events were canceled.  Some snowfall amounts include 14.0 inches in Miller; 13.8 inches near Mellette; 12.5 inches in Highmore; 11.5 inches near Iona; 11 inches in Wilmot; 10 inches in Aberdeen, near Bryant, and Artichoke Lake MN; 9.5 inches in Clark; and 9.0 inches in Clear Lake, near Onida, and Webster.

U.S.A and Global Events for November 11th:

1911: A powerful cold front, known as the Great Blue Norther of 1911, produced some of the most extreme temperature changes to the Nation's midsection. Ahead of the cold front, a warm and moist environment caused a severe weather outbreak with several strong tornadoes reported in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan. An estimated F4 tornado occurred from Janesville to Milton, Wisconsin, and caused extensive damage to several farms and killed nine people. The citizens of Janesville, Wisconsin, reported blizzard conditions with a temperature near zero within an hour of the tornado. Click HERE for more information, including temperatures maps from the National Weather Service Office in Louisville, Kentucky.

The image above of Virginia, Illinois, is courtesy of the Cass County, Illinois Genealogy, and History web page. More images from this weather event can be found HERE.

Wisconsin State Journal headline from this powerful cold front.

1940: An Armistice Day storm raged across the Great Lakes Region and the Upper Midwest. A blizzard left 49 dead in Minnesota, and gales on Lake Michigan caused shipwrecks resulting in 59 deaths. Up to seventeen inches of snow fell in Iowa, and at Duluth MN, the barometric pressure reached 28.66 inches. The blizzard claimed a total of 154 lives and killed thousands of cattle in Iowa. Huge snowdrifts isolated whole towns. Click HERE for more information, including pictures, from the NWS Office in La Crosse.

Click HERE for more This Day in Weather History from the Southeast Regional Climate Center.