A rare April blizzard struck the Upper Midwest this weekend, producing more than a foot of snow with wind gusts topping 50 mph. To no surprise, there were widespread travel problems with road closures, event cancellations and postponements. 753 flights were canceled at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, which shut down operations completely for eight hours on Saturday. Statewide in Minnesota, there were hundreds of accidents and more than a thousand spin-outs or reports of vehicles sliding off roads. Green Bay, Wisconsin recorded the heaviest snowfall in 129 years.
MSP: No flights leaving or arriving until 9 p.m. https://t.co/d7mKXw7fN6 pic.twitter.com/ptW5adfpMY
— KARE 11 (@kare11) April 15, 2018
Blizzard collapses dome at Vadnais Sports Center https://t.co/FOa6uKpG4x pic.twitter.com/h9I6x7bT3Q
— KARE 11 (@kare11) April 16, 2018
Throughout this weekend's storm, the state patrol has responded to 405 crashes, 911 spinouts or vehicles off the road, and 17 jackknifed semis.https://t.co/TVugwUts9r pic.twitter.com/X2CJa5b9h1
— KARE 11 (@kare11) April 15, 2018
The Minnesota Twins cancelled three baseball games from Friday to Sunday, a first at Target Field. Even with the final snowflakes falling Sunday evening, dozens of schools and some government offices will be opening late or closed today around the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.
MPS will be closed on Monday, April 16. All district offices, including the Davis Education Center and the Student Placement Services Office, will be closed. Minneapolis Kids sites will be closed and all Minneapolis Community Education evening classes are canceled as well.
— Minneapolis Public Schools (@MPS_News) April 16, 2018
Whole 3-game series between White Sox, @Twins postponed due to weatherhttps://t.co/7k9iWrajIL pic.twitter.com/LowQBgUy7o
— KARE 11 (@kare11) April 14, 2018
Just drove back from #TargetField to @kare11 in Golden Valley. Impossible to see the car in front of you at times. Cars and even a few SUVs stuck at every intersection. If your car isn't equipped to handle it, don't do it. pic.twitter.com/zCnXgaQaPs
— Brandon McCauley (@bpmccauley) April 14, 2018
The blizzard helped set several snowfall records in the Twin Cities. In an average year, Minneapolis and St. Paul typically see about 53″ of snow. Since January 1st, 70.3″ has fallen, the most to start a year. MSP International Airport recorded 14.9″ over the three day period, the record for the largest April snowstorm. An April monthly snowfall record has also already been set.
Because we're full of fun facts here at @NWSTwinCities, as of this evening we're sitting at 70.3" of snow at Minneapolis/St. Paul since January 1. This sets a new record for the all-time snowiest start to a calendar year in the Twin Cities! #mnwx pic.twitter.com/gGpAoXDAk2
— NWS Twin Cities (@NWSTwinCities) April 16, 2018
The 14.9" at Minneapolis/St. Paul sets a new record for the largest April snowstorm on record #mnwx
— NWS Twin Cities (@NWSTwinCities) April 16, 2018
We're only halfway through the month, and it's already the snowiest April on record for the Twin Cities! We beat April of 1983's record of 21.8" by 0.7" yesterday and it's still snowing! #MNwx pic.twitter.com/7Rt8kn2wQ3
— NWS Twin Cities (@NWSTwinCities) April 15, 2018
35 years ago, the area also experienced a blizzard. That was the last time both Hennepin (that includes Minneapolis) and Ramsey (including St. Paul) counties were both under Blizzard Warnings. Surprisingly, this storm did not make the top 10 for all-time snowstorms. It ranks in at number 11, with the most accumulation being the Halloween storm of 1991 which saw more than two feet of snow.
BREAKING: @NWSTwinCities tells me that this is the first time they have issued #blizzard warnings for both Hennepin and Ramsey Counties since (coincidentally) the April 14,1983 storm. Put another way — this is the first blizzard warning for the Twin Cities in 35 years #mnwx
— Mike Augustyniak (@MikeAugustyniak) April 15, 2018
Here's a look at the top 5 biggest snowfalls in the Twin Cities, it looks like our recent storm is the 11th biggest!! (Not of April but any month) pic.twitter.com/Sx1Qmjzfp3
— Sven Sundgaard (@svensundgaard) April 16, 2018
Here's a look at the approximate 3 day observed snowfall totals across the area (based upon reports received through 7 AM today). #mnwx #wiwx pic.twitter.com/rLoSoqx8E9
— NWS Twin Cities (@NWSTwinCities) April 16, 2018
For WeatherNation: Meteorologist Mace Michaels