Power Outage in Loretto, MN

Winter Storm. This is a continuation of the winter storm that began on March 31. A wintry mix with a couple hours of very heavy snow and strong northwest winds produced hazardous driving conditions. Based on surrounding reports, radar, ASOS observations, and MNDOT road conditions, this event verified at 0100 CST on April 01, before the snow ended during the early morning hours of April 01. Co-op observers measured anywhere from 8 to 10 inches across the county. In addition to the heavy snow, gusty winds near 35 mph led to periods of whiteout conditions, power outages, and snow covered roads, which verified the winter storm.

April 01, 2023

A powerful late spring system produced a band of very heavy snow across the region on the evening of March 31, and ending during the early morning of April 01. Snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour combined with northwest winds of 30 to near 40 mph hour. This was a heavy, wet snow, and as a result there were widespread power outages with the highest snowfall amounts across eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. In some areas, recovery lasted multiple days before full power was restored.||A report from the fire chief in Stillwater Minnesota (Washington County) said this was a major event. They had whiteout conditions from 0100 to 0230 AM. The amount of trees down and power outages were significant. I have not experienced this during a winter storm during my career.||A few noteable snowfall amounts are:|13.0 inches near Oakdale in Washington County.|12.0 inches near Woodbury in Washington County.|12.0 inches near Monticello in Wright County.|12.0 inches near Medina in Hennepin County.|11.1 inches near Coon Rapids in Anoka County.|9.5 inches near Watertown in Carver County.|9.0 inches near North St Paul in Ramsey County.|9.0 inches near Eden Valley in Meeker County.|9.0 inches near Northfield in Dakota County.|8.5 inches near Prior Lake in Scott County.|8.4 inches near Winsted in McLeod County.|8.0 inches near Dundas in Rice County.|7.8 inches near Paynesville in Stearns County. |7.8 inches near New Prague in Le Sueur County.

April 01, 2023

A powerful late spring system produced a band of very heavy snow across the region on the evening of March 31, and ending during the early morning of April 01 (see corresponding entry for April). Snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour combined with northwest winds of 30 to near 40 mph hour. This was a heavy, wet snow, and as a result there were widespread power outages with the highest snowfall amounts across eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. In some areas, recovery lasted multiple days before full power was restored.||A report from the fire chief in Stillwater Minnesota (Washington County) said this was a major event, stating they had whiteout conditions from 0100 to 0230 AM. The amount of trees down and power outages were significant. I have not experienced this during a winter storm during my career.||A few notable snowfall amounts are:|13.0 inches near Oakdale in Washington County.|12.0 inches near Woodbury in Washington County.|12.0 inches near Monticello in Wright County.|12.0 inches near Medina in Hennepin County.|11.1 inches near Coon Rapids in Anoka County.|9.5 inches near Watertown in Carver County.|9.0 inches near North St Paul in Ramsey County.|9.0 inches near Eden Valley in Meeker County.|9.0 inches near Northfield in Dakota County.|8.5 inches near Prior Lake in Scott County.|8.4 inches near Winsted in McLeod County.|8.0 inches near Dundas in Rice County.|7.8 inches near Paynesville in Stearns County. |7.8 inches near New Prague in Le Sueur County.

March 31, 2023

Winter Storm. A wintry mix with a couple hours of very heavy snow and strong northwest winds produced hazardous driving conditions. Based on surrounding reports, radar, ASOS observations, and MNDOT road conditions, this event verified at 0100 CST on April 01, before the snow ended during the early morning hours of April 01. Co-op observers measured anywhere from 8 to 10 inches across the county. In addition to the heavy snow, gusty winds near 35 mph led to periods of whiteout conditions, power outages, and snow covered roads, which verified the winter storm.

March 31, 2023

A line of severe thunderstorms that developed across South Dakota and Nebraska during the afternoon of Thursday, May 12th, was a classic bow echo that surged north and east across western Minnesota. ||Temperatures in the mid to upper 90s along with dew points in the mid to upper 60s created ample instability for thunderstorms to develop ahead of a cold front, once the cap weakened during the evening. Despite fairly muggy dew points, the hot surface temperatures created inverted-V soundings that were primed for damaging wind potential. Thunderstorms came in three waves during the evening, as marginal shear values prohibited any long-lived or well-organized thunderstorms across the area.||Winds were measured by wind sensors at over 100 mph across portions of South Dakota, with a measured wind gust at Madison, Minnesota of 94 mph. There were also numerous measured wind gusts between 60 and 80 mph across west central and southwest Minnesota with embedded surges that produced a few tornadoes. The most concentrated area of damage based on reports of farm equipment, trailers, semis, trees, power lines, and other debris, occurred near the upper Minnesota River Valley, northward to Alexandria and Long Prairie.||Over Stevens County alone, structural damage was considerable as the majority of the damage was to farm outbuildings, sheds and grain bins. There were a few locations in the county where the main inhabited house or home structure did suffer loss of roof and siding and windows but those were more isolated in nature. Many locations had debris tossed a mile northeast from its parent location. Nearly 100% of the damage witnessed in Stevens county was consistent with a straight line wind event, with just one tornado crossing the southeast corner of the county. ||Ten tornadoes were confirmed this day, with two in Lac Qui Parle County, including a house in Bellingham that had much of its roof removed. In northwestern Swift County, a tornado tipped over trailers and various farm equipment was heavily damaged. Two tornadoes were in Todd County, including one that moved through Clarissa. Two more were in Morrison County, and one was on the east side of Lake Alexander, where many trees came down on vehicles, sheds, and cabins. A tornado also occurred in Douglas County, on the northwest side of Alexandria, where EF2 damage was noted. The ninth tornado touched down south of Lowry in Pope County and was caught on video, and the tenth was in northwestern Stearns County, affecting the north side of Sauk Centre, and it was also caught on video.

May 12, 2022

At 4:00 AM CST, 1 NE Maple Plain [Hennepin Co, MN] TRAINED SPOTTER reports TSTM WND DMG. SPOTTER CALLED IN TO REPOR… https://t.co/NXyD8PZYl9

@iembot_mpx - December 16, 2021 17:02

Wright-Hennepin is experiencing a power outage in Buffalo that is affecting 498 members. Crews are on their way to… https://t.co/6JgHVjOG2M

@Wright_Hennepin - February 07, 2021 01:15

What are the most frequent cause of power outages in the United States? Answer: Squirrels #funfacts… https://t.co/ZF6aQEZflu

@VisionStaffing - September 24, 2020 20:30

The National Weather Service says Sunday's wet snow may cause tree damage and power outages. https://t.co/rFS6LGi7PU

@StMichaelPatch - April 12, 2020 12:30

Wright-Hennepin is experiencing a power outage near St. Michael that is effecting 1,885 members. Crews are dispatch… https://t.co/zRmiEp422C

@Wright_Hennepin - March 01, 2019 04:00