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.
June 17, 1992 - MPR’s Jon Gordon reports on the devastation left from multiple tornadoes that struck southwest Minnesota towns. Chandler and Lake Wilson were the worst hit.
June 17, 1992 - MPR’s Mark Zdechlik reports from Clarkfield, as the southwestern Minnesota town surveys the damage after severe storm and winds struck area.
June 17, 1993 - Mainstreet Radio’s Mark Steil visits Chandler on the anniversary of a major tornado that devastated the town and surrounding area. Steil details the recovery efforts in past year and remembrance on what was lost.
November 11, 1993 - William H. Hull, author of “All Hell Broke Loose: Experiences of Young People During the Armistice Day 1940 Blizzard,” talks about the stories he complied of the surprise storm that struck Minnesota on November 11, 1940. He also imparts the necessity to be aware of the speed of weather changes.
January 7, 1994 - MPR’s Gary Eichten talks with Todd Krause, forecaster at the National Weather Service, about the massive snowfall in Finland, Minnesota. The community is six miles inland from the North Shore and just northeast of Two Harbors.
February 10, 1994 - MPR’s Perry Finelli interviews Lt. Jay Dell on the ice conditions on Lake Superior, which has frozen over. In some areas the ice is 24-36 inches thick.
October 19, 1995 - MPR’s Leif Enger reports on how the timber industry in Becker County is dealing with the aftermath of an immense blowdown from windstorms that spanned from July 9th to 14th. The tree loss and change to forest landscape was massive.
February 2, 1996 - MPR’s Gary Eichten talks with officials in Embarrass, Minnesota about losing out on low temperature record to Tower, a town just to the north.
February 2, 1996 - MPR’s Chris Roberts talks with meteorologist Pat Flowers about the record-breaking cold temperatures across the state. Flowers says a warmup is coming…in July.
February 2, 1996 - MPR’s Gary Eichten discusses the record setting cold temperatures found throughout the state with meteorologist Mark Seeley, who explains the atmospheric scenario that created the frigid conditions.