Power Outage in Slayton, MN

A prolonged period of freezing drizzle and light freezing rain accumulated to one-third to one-half inch on elevated and road surfaces at Slayton. One accident resulted from a snapped power pole.

The tornado formed around 2 miles west-southwest of Hadley, moving northeast through a farmstead shortly after touchdown and damaging trees and partially removing a roof from a metal outbuilding. After crossing Minnesota Highway 30, the tornado struck another farm, causing destruction of a barn, and resulting in damage to the house including blowing in a door and driving a 2x4 through the siding. The tornado reached Hadley three minutes after touchdown. Two garages were destroyed in town, along with damage to numerous trees. One final structure was grazed by the tornado just northeast of Hadley, blowing in the door and damaging the roof of a metal outbuilding. The tornado lifted around 2 miles northeast of Hadley after crossing 121st Street and damaging a power transmission pole. The average path width was 75 yards.

Blizzard conditions led to a shutdown of government offices and schools, and travel was not recommended with many roads closed due to the widespread whiteout conditions. Storm-total snowfall from 4 to 10 inches occurred, with 8.0 inches at Lake Wilson and 7.6 inches 4 miles northwest of Currie. With winds gusting at times from 40 to 50 mph, many areas had snow drifts of several feet, making roads impassable. Ice accumulation from one-quarter to one-third of an inch occurred, and helped to produce scattered power outages as snowfall and wind increased. Highway 59 and 30 were both closed on April 11 and early April 12 due to power lines down on the roadway. Damage costs are rough estimates due to utility costs.

Freezing rain and freezing drizzle of less than 0.05 inch caused icy roads, and accumulated lightly on trees, power lines, and other surfaces. Law enforcement agencies reported a few vehicles accidents on the ice, but no known injuries, with traffic being light because of the holiday.

High winds from a westerly direction followed a low pressure system which had brought Christmas Day rain and thunderstorms. There were several reports of power lines and branches down and resulting power outages, and traffic lights and some signs were damaged. The winds included a peak gust of 66 mph near Dovray.

Westerly winds behind a cold front reach sustained speed of 40 to 45 mph for several hours. A gust to 56 mph was measured at Slayton Airport. The high winds caused spotty power line and traffic light damage.

Freezing rain produced ice accumulations, estimated at one quarter inch. The freezing rain was followed by 1 to 2 inches of snow. Strong northwest winds produced some drifting snow. Roads were made very icy, there was damage to power lines and resulting power outages, and school classes were cancelled.

An extended period of precipitation began with freezing rain quickly producing heavy ice accumulations, ranging up to a half inch. The precipitation then changed to sleet and then snow, with sleet and snow accumulations reaching 9.4 inches at Slayton. Many branches, limbs, whole trees, and power lines were downed by the weight of ice and accompanying wind. Both urban areas and rural electric cooperatives suffered major power line damage. Trees and tree debris blocked many roads, and damaged several vehicles and homes. Major power outages were reported, affecting thousands of people. The winter precipitation made travel impossible in many areas, resulting in schools and businesses being forced to close.

Snow, beginning as rain and freezing rain, fell from just after noon on April 10th to the very early morning of April 11th. The snow accumulated 1 to 6 inches with the greatest accumulations over the northwestern part of the county. The snow was accompanied by north winds averaging around 30 mph and gusting to 45 mph. This produced blizzard conditions, with zero visibilities and drifting snow making travel impossible. Schools and numerous businesses were forced to close. A few power outages were reported as power lines fell from the weight of the wet snow and the strong winds.

New snowfall of 12 to 15 inches beginning early morning on March 1st and continuing into the night of March 2nd was accompanied by sustained winds of over 30 mph at times with gusts over 40 mph. The combination of new snow, wind, and an already existing fresh snow cover resulted in a blizzard with widespread near zero visibilities. Drifting snow with the storm helped make travel impossible to extremely difficult. As a result, some who did attempt to travel became stuck or slid off roads. Schools and school activities were cancelled and numerous businesses closed. A few power outages were reported as the heavy snow and strong winds brought down power lines. The blizzard conditions abated early on the morning of March 3rd.|

Widespread freezing rain produced ice accumulations near or above a quarter inch on February 24th. The icing made travel extremely difficult. The precipitation changed to snow late on the 24th, with snow accumulating 6 to 9 inches before ending by early afternoon on February 25th. The snow accumulations on top of the ice made travel impossible in places. The combination also caused tree branches and a few power lines to break, producing scattered power outages. Some weekend school activities were cancelled, as were several Sunday church services.