It doesn’t matter whether you dress up as witch or superhero, vampire or ninja – every Minnesotan has spent at least one formative Halloween complaining about having to cover up their costume with bulky winter gear whilst trick-or-treating.
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| Minnesotan child trick-or-treating in the snow Courtesy: Eric Miller / Pioneer Press |
“What’s even the point in wearing a costume?” I remember grumbling one year as my Mulan costume was enveloped by my winter parka.
“Why does it have to be so cold on Halloween?” my brother followed up as his vampire cloak was exchanged for a jacket. As soon as the words are out of his mouth, we both know he has made a mistake.
“This is nothing compared to the Halloween Blizzard,” my father said as he poured the candy into a bowl for the trick-or-treaters. “Eight inches of snow, you could barely even get out of the door to go trick-or-treating.”
My brother and I exchanged eye rolls. We heard this story every year at Halloween.
The Halloween Blizzard of 1991 is every Minnesotan’s favorite story to tell – whether you personally experienced it (as my parents did) or just lived vicariously through it (as I am now).
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| Total snowfall (inches) from October 31 to November 31 Credit: Chanhassen National Weather Service |
The storm originally started on October 30, 1991 in Iowa. By the morning of October 31, it had moved to Minnesota and was snowing before noon. By midnight, the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport had reported 8.2 inches of snow, absolutely obliterating the previous record of 0.4 inches.
While jack-o-lanterns were covered in snow and kids’ costumes were eaten by snowsuits and parkas during the festivities of Halloween, the storm didn’t officially become a blizzard until November 1. By this point, an additional 18.5 inches of snow had fallen at the airport, and wind speeds averaged 30-50 mph with gusts up to 60 miles per hour on both November 1 and 2.
The day after Halloween, over 900 schools and businesses were closed. The governor of Minnesota declared eleven counties as federal disaster areas. At least 20,000 Minnesotans went without power because the weight of the ice and snow snapped so many power lines and poles. The National Guard was called in to help provide generators for rural farmsteads. Indeed, some rural areas went without power for a full week.
The National Guard armory (as well as a local mall in Albert Lea) were used as shelters for stranded motorists. A 180 mile stretch of 1-90 from the border of South Dakota to Rochester was closed for several days.
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| Selby Avenue on November 1, 1991 Courtesy: Joe Oden / Pioneer Press |
The Twin Cities didn’t even receive the brunt of the storm. At the end of this three day blizzard, the Twin Cities had 28.4 inches of snow while Duluth – a town several hours north – ended up with 36.9 inches.
So the next time you or a loved one complains about having to throw on a scarf and pair of mittens over your Halloween costume, just remember – at least it isn’t the Halloween Blizzard of 1991.
Sources:
“1991 Halloween Blizzard.” Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 2 Mar. 2023, www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/journal/9110_31_halloween_blizzard.html.
Report, Staff. “Photos: Remembering the 1991 Halloween Blizzard.” Twin Cities Pioneer Press, Twin Cities Pioneer Press, 31 Oct. 2021, www.twincities.com/2021/10/29/remembering-the-1991-halloween-blizzard/.
US Department of Commerce, NOAA. “1991 Halloween Blizzard/Ice Storm.” National Weather Service, NOAA’s National Weather Service, 31 Oct. 2022, www.weather.gov/arx/halloween1991.
Yang, Nancy. “Great Halloween Blizzard of ’91? Don’t Tell Us Again. Ok, Tell Us.” MPR News, MPR News, 29 Oct. 2021, www.mprnews.org/story/2021/10/27/great-halloween-blizzard-of-91-dont-tell-us-again-ok-tell-us.
This is a great blog post! I remember my mom telling me about the blizzard; she also experienced it personally, and got snowed in at a friend's house! I thought you did a great job incorporating a lot of facts, like the amount of money lost and the emergency responses implemented.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the way in which you told this story--I feel like many of us can relate to having our parents upstage our complaints with a "back in my day..." story. I also appreciate you sharing the harsh realities of this kind of blizzard. Sometimes when I hear about snowstorms I don't fully understand the dangers they pose, and I thought the facts and statistics you shared about loss of power and life helped paint a full picture.
ReplyDeleteThis is a well-structured blog and an interesting read. I especially appreciated the image and graphic that really demonstrated just how heavy the snowfall was. The points about the National Guard Armory serving as a shelter and the amount of snowfall obliterating the previous record really emphasize the damage the blizzard caused. Great work!
ReplyDeleteThe facts you use here paint a really vivid picture of the destruction snow storms can cause. Usually I associate a snowstorm with cancelled school and a day off, but your description of the monetary impact of the storm and the number of deaths it caused is a great reminder of how severely snow can effect us, even in communities that are usually prepared to handle heavy snowfall.
ReplyDelete