April 5-7, 2008 Heavy Snow Event Summary

Overview

A stationary front draped across central Minnesota on Saturday, April 5th set the stage for a heavy snow event over west central and northern Minnesota. The front separated cooler air north of the front and balmy air to the south. An area of low pressure developed along the front over southeast South Dakota on Sunday, April 6 and then moved sluggishly east-northeastward. By the early hours of Monday, April 7th the low was over the Twin Cities. There was plenty of moisture on hand for the storm, along with just enough cold air to create one of the heaviest snowfalls in recent memory. The snow began after dark on Saturday, April 5th and continued, heavy at times, through the day on Sunday, April 6th. The heaviest snow was in a path 100 miles wide from Aberdeen, South Dakota, northeastward through Fergus Falls, Bemidji, and then eastward through the Iron Range. By the afternoon of April 7, the low had drifted to northeast Wisconsin and the snow gradually tapered off over northeast Minnesota. Amounts were impressive. A band of one to two feet of snow fell from Itasca State Park to Babbitt. The heaviest three-day total reported was 32 inches, 5 miles north of Virginia by an unofficial National Weather Service Cooperative Observer. Dixon lake in Itasca County was not far behund with 29 inches. Along with the snow, some needed moisture fell over Wadena and Otter Tail Counties, as well as other parts of northern Minnesota. The heaviest one day snowfall total record for Minnesota in April is 28 inches. That was set during a snowstorm at the old Pigeon River Bridge crossing in Cook County along the Canadian border. On April 5, 1933, 28.0 inches fell in one day. The highest one-day total from this snowfall found so far was 5 miles north of Virginia with 20 inches for the 24 hour period ending at 8am April 7.

https://climate.umn.edu/img/journal/satellite080407.jpg

Caption

Radar
Storm Reports

Radar:

Storm Reports

 3-DAY SNOW TOTALS FOR MONDAY (04/07/08)
     AS OF 10:33 AM CDT

NORTH DAKOTA                                 3-DAY SNOW FALL
  LOCATION (COUNTY):                         AMT(IN)

  HAVANA (SARGENT)..............................7.5
  FARGO/MOOHREAD................................5.7
  FORMAN (SAGENT)...............................4.5
  LIDGERWOOD (RICHLAND).........................4.0
  WAHPETON (RICHLAND)...........................4.0
  LISBON (RANSOM)...............................3.5


MINNESOTA                                    3-DAY SNOW FALL
  LOCATION (COUNTY):                         AMT(IN)

  BEMIDJI 6S (HUBBARD).........................26.0
  PARK RAPIDS 10N (HUBBARD)....................24.0
  BEMIDJI (BELTRAMI)...........................22.0
  LONG LOST LAKE (CLEARWATER)..................22.0
  PARK RAPIDS (HUBBARD)........................20.0
  BLACKDUCK (BELTRAMI).........................20.0
  ITASCA U OF M (CLEARWATER)...................19.0
  NEW YORK MILLS 3NW (OTTER TAIL)..............14.0
  SEBEKA (WADENA)..............................14.0
  PHELPS MILL (OTTER TAIL).....................11.0
  NAYTAHWAUSH (MAHNOMEN).......................11.0
  WADENA (WADENA)..............................10.5
  BAGLEY (CLEARWATER)..........................10.0
  DETROIT LAKES/KDLM RADIO(BECKER).............10.0
  FERGUS FALLS/KBRF RADIO (OTTER TAIL)..........9.2
  PELICAN RAPIDS (OTTER TAIL)...................8.0
  SABIN (CLAY)..................................6.2
  ROTSHAY (WILKIN)..............................6.0
  MAHNOMEN (MAHNOMEN)...........................6.0
  BARNESVILLE 5NE (CLAY)........................5.5
  WASKISH (BELTRAMI)............................5.5
  FOSSTON (POLK)................................5.0
  TWIN VALLEY (NORMAN)..........................4.0
  ADA (NORMAN)..................................4.0
  DALTON 3S (OTTER TAIL)........................4.9
  ELBOW LAKE 5SE (GRANT)........................4.0
  RED LAKE (BELTRAMI)...........................4.0
  BRECKENRIDGE (WILKIN).........................4.0

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