Armistice Day Blizzard

On November 11, 1940, a rapidly deepening low-pressure system moved northeast from Kansas City, MO northeast through the Upper Mississippi River Valley and into the Upper Great Lakes. This low-pressure area produced the lowest pressure reading ever recorded up to this time at Charles City, IA (28.92 inches), La Crosse, WI (28.72 inches), and Duluth, MN (28.66 inches).

During the late morning and early afternoon, a strong cold front moved through the region. Behind this front, the weather became rather blustery and the temperature plunged to the single digits by the next morning. The rain turned to sleet and eventually to driving snow. Heavy snow fell across the Dakotas, much of Minnesota and Iowa, and northwest Wisconsin. The greatest snow total was 26.6 inches in Collegeville, MN. In addition, 30 to 50-mph winds caused considerable blowing and drifting of snow which trapped unsuspecting motorists.

Across eastern Iowa, which was in the warm sector, caused a tornado to spawn which ended up tracking one mile west of Davenport, Iowa. This severe weather occurred during the middle of the night.

The storm claimed a total of 154 lives and killed thousands of cattle in Iowa. More than a million turkeys, intended for Thanksgiving dinner, were killed by the storm in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and other states. The storm became known as the “Armistice Day Storm”.