Minnesota weather is part of daily life, and it brings with it many “extremes.” This collection presents some of those…from the floods of the Red River Valley, the blowdown in the BWCA, the Halloween Blizzard, to the devasting tornado in St. Peter. But were a state of many meteorological dimensions, not just tornadoes and blizzards. Below are memories of oppressive drought, the creep of flood waters, nature driven fire, and those glorious 50-degree December day anomalies. While these stories may attempt to explain the why, where, and what of various weather events, what is striking is the undeniable power of the human experience in the face of it all.
July 11, 2000 - MPR’s Erin Galbally reports on record breaking floods that have divided downtown Austin, Minnesota. Heavy rains caused the Cedar River, Dobbins Creek and Turtle Creek to overflow into basements and roadways. Some in community find themselves without a home or belongings.
July 26, 2000 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews WCCO meteorologist Paul Douglas, who says the massive storm system on July 25, 2000 was unusual in a number of ways. For one thing, it produced many more tornado warnings than usual in Minnesota.
July 26, 2000 - MPR’s Tim Post reports on how residents of Granite Falls spent the day cleaning up and assessing damage after a tornado ripped through town on Tuesday night. Hundreds of homes were pulverized on the westside of town. Post talked with homeowners as they were allowed back into damaged areas of town to collect personal items.
July 26, 2000 - Mainstreet Radio’s Mark Steil reports on tornado that struck Granite Falls, Minnesota. Steil gets firsthand accounts of the storm. The tornado is the latest disaster for a city which has seen floods and job losses in the last few years.
November 10, 2000 - Mainstreet Radio’s Mark Steil presents a special report on The Armistice Day Blizzard. Steil talks with meteorologist Paul Douglas on how the storm formed and interviews numerous survivors who recollect on their experiences in the infamous storm.
November 10, 2000 - It's an event that's a part of Great Lakes lore. On November 10, 1975, The SS Edmund Fitzgerald, one of the biggest, fastest, and most powerful iron ore carriers at the time, sank in a fierce storm on Lake Superior. All 29 crew members went down with the ship. MPR’s Cathy Wurzer talks with Captain Dudley Paquette, the last living captain who sailed on Lake Superior during the infamous storm.
November 10, 2000 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews meteorologist Mark Seeley about the Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940. The storm brought strong winds which averaged over 25 mph for a 24-hour period and gusted over 60 mph. Rain turned to sleet and snow in the late morning on November 11th, and worsened to blizzard conditions very rapidly, as snowfall rates approached 4 inches per hour. The air temperature fell by as much as 40 degrees over 24 hours and inch thick ice coated poles and phone lines, breaking many of them. 49 Minnesotans perished; many duck hunters caught off-guard by the storm.
January 29, 2001 - Meteorologist Tony Zaleski details freezing rain engulfing the southern third of Minnesota, making for treacherous commutes. The National Weather Service predicts significant amounts of ice forming, an uncommon occurrence in Minnesota. Zaleski explains how an ice storm happens…even when it’s below freezing.
April 12, 2001 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews Winona resident Calvin Fremling, who shares memories of 1965 flood that threatened the town.
April 17, 2001 - MPR’s Marisa Helms reports on the status of flooding along rivers in Minnesota as some begin to crest. As officials and residents finish flood preparations, they now monitor dikes and levees, waiting to see what happens next. The Minnesota River has already crested in the Granite Falls and Montevideo area. The Mississippi River Flood of 2001 brought the 2nd to 3rd highest crests on record to many Mississippi River locations, including Lake City, Wabash, and Winona. The Mississippi River impacted the metro as well. It crested at 23.8 feet in St. Paul, submerging riverfront parks, the airport, and closing roads.