Another type of anniversary: 80 years ago today was the Armistice Day Blizzard of November 11 & 12, 1940

Nov. 11, 2020 . . . Eighty years ago, the morning of November 11, 1940, dawned with unseasonably high temperatures.  However, as the day progressed the temperature sharply dropped and the wind picked up.

The sky began releasing rain, sleet and snow.

The intense early-season snowfall surprised and caught many people off guard.

The end result: A fast-moving, raging blizzard that created snow drifts that crippled communication and transportation.  The weather switched so rapidly that people were not dressed appropriately for the cool front that moved in.

Minnesota recorded 27 inches of snow at Collegeville and the Twin Cities had 16 inches.

The cold was described as severe.  It was difficult to breathe, as the air was so moisture laden it was described by those who survived as a “thick-like syrup”.  The cold just “seared the lungs”.

Duck hunters who were out at the time were the ones who were especially ill-prepared for what was to come.

Many hunters claimed that the animals were well aware of the upcoming weather shift, as they quickly scurried and moved rapidly.  There were hundreds upon hundreds of ducks that were in the area and on the move across the skies.

Hunters could have easily shot their limit, had they not been so focused on their on survival due to the weather instead.

Several hundred duck hunters had taken time off from work and school to take advantage of the ideal hunting conditions.  The weather forecasters had not predicted the severity of the oncoming storm, and as a result many of the hunters were not dressed for the cold weather.

Many hunters along the Mississippi River were stranded and they froze to death when the temperature moved in.  Other hunters who tried to make it to shore, drowned.

Duck hunters constituted about half of the 49 death in Minnesota.

During the blinding snow, in Watkins, Minnesota, a passenger train and a freight train collided, killing two people.  The residents in Watkins formed a human chain to lead the remaining passengers to safety!

Navigating in the Twin Cities was rough as well.  There are many stories local people have told.

Here are the Top 5 Minnesota weather events of the 20^th century:

#1 – 1930s Dust Bowl

#2 – 1940 Armistice Day Blizzard

#3 – 1991 Halloween Blizzard (which is in the Village book)

#4 – 1997 Red & Minnesota River Flooding

#5 (a tie) – 1965 Fridley Tornado Outbreak (read my book “Pea Soup & Tomatoes”) & 1965 Mississippi & Minnesota River Flooding