Halloween storm of '91

[Rebel SS]

Anyone remember this or was in this area then? I bet Dotch remembers it!
I'll never forget it. I was on night shift then, and was my day off. Went to bed around noon; woke up that afternoon at 5:00 PM. House was totally quiet.....normally, the wifey would be clanging around in the kitchen, making supper, the dog would be woofin' and running around....but, no sound...no smells of cooking. Pooch was conked out next to me on the bed.
Got up to see what the heck was wrong, didn't put my glasses on. Went to picture window, and I couldn't see anything except a big white blur. Put the glasses on, and...WTH?!??!?!??!  Solid, blinding snow. Just then, phone rings. Wife was trapped at work; as were many other Mayo staff. She said they're gonna call ya back in if ya can make it in....sure enough, Security calls ten minutes later and said they needed me back in.  %$#@! Somehow, I made it in with the Ranger...barely. Wife got a ride home in Secuity's 4WD about the time I was coming in....    What an unreal next few days.


https://kttc.com/2021/10/28/30-years-since-the-halloween-1991-blizzard-remembering-the-halloween-1991/

[Jerkbiat]

Oh, I remember it well. I was a young lad still living at my parents farm east of Rogers. I had taking some days off to hunt. The day it started I help the guy that hauled corn for us load the last truck for the season. As we were finishing the big snow flakes were starting to fall. So I unhooked the tractor from the auger and put it in the shed. Then I went across the road and talked to my Grandpa since he was outside. As we were talking we could 8-10 deer running around out in the neighbors hayfield. They knew what was coming. Little later my younger brother went out for a run and shortly after his girlfriend(now wife) called and she had spun out and was in an accident on the bridge over the Miss in Anoka. So I went and picked my brother up and then went and picked up his women. A buddy and I planned to go duck hunting the next morning and when I woke up to go hunting I couldn't believe how much snow we had. Called my buddy and said no go. So, I just happen to have a brand new snowmobile in the shed. So latter that day I got to try it out. My uncle sent me to town on the snowmobile to get beer. I couldn't believe all the semis parked along the road by the ruck stop in Rogers. All were stranded there. It was an amazing amount of snow, something like 3 feet in on dumping. Snow plow got stuck in front of our place. Uncle had to take the tractor and pull it out. The county had to bring in a big blower to clear the road it was drifted in so bad. I remember getting another big blast around Thanksgiving that year too. Oh the memeories.

[Gunner55]

 Sis & BIL went a week without power. All the ice snapped off power poles from just south of Clear Lake all the way up to their place which is ~ 1/2 between Austin & Albert Lea just off I 90. They bought a portable generator after that & my brother wired in a transfer switch for 'em. They now have a permanent 1 like we do here.

[mike89]

I was in a hot tub in Texas when it hit!!!   got home after wards seen all the aftermath... 

[glenn57]

I was in a hot tub in Texas when it hit!!!   got home after wards seen all the aftermath...

well.......i hope at least you had your BVD's on!!!!!!!!!

i dont have a clue what i was up to then. all i remember is i had my very first 4 wheel drive, a suburban, and i broke the trail going into where we deer hunted. think they only had about 8 inches up there!!!!!!!

[mike89]

I was staying at a hotel and it was outside so yuppers!!!   

[snow1]

Ill never forget....when forcaster's keep changing forcast/storm totals it's not good.

The day this storm hit I was in western minn goose hunting,local weather before day break called 2-4"s,later that day as the storm hit I headed towards kearny nebraska for opening pheasant season which is the first weekend in november,mid morning weather changed reported 4-6"s of snow forcasted,30mph nw winds kept the country hiways clear of snow drifts heading south,spent the night in sioux falls sodak and halloween partied down with stranded motorist's at the hotel that night  as the snow kept falling all night,interstate was closed down by day break heading west,12"s on the ground ,still snowing 30-40mph nw winds kept country hiways north/south clear ,drove straight south to  north platt then west to grand island neb then on to kearny nebraska,this storm ended with 12"s of snow in southern nebraska...made for a surpurb day pheasant hunting,infact stopped shooting pheasants the following day,it was to easy,all bunched up so just took pics and ran my dog for my host hunter's.following day another weather front rolled in,freezing rain first then it froze solid turned to more snow,we found bunches of frozen dead pheasants everywhere,following year's pheasant hunting in that part of nebraska was never the same.Back home my old lady said she was snowed in with 30"s of snow,drift's 10' high,had a great neighbor that dug her out.

[Steve-o]

I got snowed in at my girlfriend's place.  Now she's my wife. 

[glenn57]

I got snowed in at my girlfriend's place.  Now she's my wife. 

shotgun wedding??

[LPS]

I worked for the City of Mahtomedi then.  We got called in and plowed 16" of wet snow.  The ground wasn't frozen so the storm drains kept plugging with slush.  A mess.  When it was done the sun came out and was beautiful.  Our boss called us on the radios and said go home and rest cuz it's coming back.  I laughed at him.  It did come back just like a hurricane going the other direction.  We got another 16".  What a mess.  We were using front end loaders and busting ice off of roads all winter after that.  A friend died from shoveling there too.  He was well into his 80's.  I'm sure many did.

[Steve-o]

I got snowed in at my girlfriend's place.  Now she's my wife. 

shotgun wedding??

Not quite.  I guess I was settin' myself up for that comeback.    First one came along in 1995.

[Cooperman]

Snowfall totals for the Halloween Blizzard

[Rebel SS]

I got snowed in at my girlfriend's place.  Now she's my wife. 

Well, wasn't THAT convenient!!!!!!   

[snow1]

Small world LP, I was living in mahtomedi as well in 1991,we had a icefishing league out of the dug out bar that year,later years the flame bar.

[Rebel SS]

Snowfall totals for the Halloween Blizzard

God, yer pooch pics crack me up.....

[Cooperman]

Snowfall totals for the Halloween Blizzard

God, yer pooch pics crack me up.....

Well it is hunting season you know.

[Dotch]

Absotively I remember the Halloween storm Reb. Wrote about it in the last column and have included the MN Climatology Working Group link below. We were still on the natural gas farm tap so we didn't have to worry about running out of fuel so that was a plus. Furnace didn't run however with no electricity so we used the stove top for heat as we were melting snow for watering the sheep. Our yard had a few drifts in it but was able to grind thru them with my Chevy Luv 4x4. Can't remember where my black Lab Patti stayed during that whole ordeal. We'd torn the old barn down in '88 so thinking I must've had a place for her in the granary. She was such a great dog, very underappreciated. My wife hated her. Looked at her as competition I think but I digress. Made a mess out of the ash trees in the backyard. Due to the ice, branches & limbs fell out of them for years. Winter started and stayed after the Halloween storm. Another storm went thru around Thanksgiving. The following spring it snowed 4" on Memorial Day & froze on Father's Day. Good times.           

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/journal/9110_31_Halloween_Blizzard.html

[glenn57]

Absotively I remember the Halloween storm Reb. Wrote about it in the last column and have included the MN Climatology Working Group link below. We were still on the natural gas farm tap so we didn't have to worry about running out of fuel so that was a plus. Furnace didn't run however with no electricity so we used the stove top for heat as we were melting snow. Our yard had a few drifts in it but was able to grind thru them with my Chevy Luv 4x4. Can't remember where my black Lab Patti stayed during that whole ordeal. We'd torn the old barn down in '88 so thinking I must've had a place for her in the granary. She was such a great dog, very underappreciated. My wife hated her. Looked at her as competition I think but I digress. Made a mess out of the ash trees in the backyard. Due to the ice, branches & limbs fell out of them for years. Winter started and stayed after the Halloween storm. Another storm went thru around Thanksgiving. The following spring it snowed 4" on Memorial Day & froze on Father's Day. Good times.           

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/journal/9110_31_Halloween_Blizzard.html

you get all the good weather.

[glenn57]

Snowfall totals for the Halloween Blizzard

God, yer pooch pics crack me up.....

Well it is hunting season you know.

poor dog!!!

[LPS]

Small world LP, I was living in mahtomedi as well in 1991,we had a icefishing league out of the dug out bar that year,later years the flame bar.

Was a real nice town.  I visited the Public Works guys there a couple of years ago.  The young kid that I got along with great is now the Public Works Director.  He manages the High School Trap shooting team too I believe.  Bob Goebel.  Great guy! 

[snow1]

Small world LP, I was living in mahtomedi as well in 1991,we had a icefishing league out of the dug out bar that year,later years the flame bar.

Was a real nice town.  I visited the Public Works guys there a couple of years ago.  The young kid that I got along with great is now the Public Works Director.  He manages the High School Trap shooting team too I believe.  Bob Goebel.  Great guy!

Yeah,I remember Bob,been many years,sold him his first plow truck when I worked at polar chevrolet.Amazed he is still there.

Were you the guy driving around a 1 ton gray plow truck with a dump body? plowed for willernie as well

[LPS]

No we didn't take care of Willernie.  I knew some people that worked where you do.  One was Mike who was a salesman and lived in Mahtomedi and a mechanic who was the son of Rollie Young that retired soon after I started there in 87.  Aaron? 

[fishwidow]

Prime rib at the Piccadilly. Tough to beat. Too bad it’s gone. Also the Lakeside. Drove back to that when I was in the area a couple months ago. The building is still there but it’s a rundown wreck.

[LPS]

I read the water meter there every 3 months.  I walked out drooling every time.  Remember the Fargo movie and the Lakeside was in it? 

[Leech~~]

My son was going out as Batman.  I threw his snowmobile suit and helmet on him and he went around the block as a "Snowmobiler"   

[LPS]

How clever...   

[Rebel SS]

My son was going out as Batman.  I threw his snowmobile suit and helmet on him and he went around the block as a "Snowmobiler"   

If you woulda gone with him, the neighbors coulda said "Look; Batman and the penguin"....  

[fishwidow]

Woke up on the final snow day of the storm about 6:00 in the morning to spinning tires. The guy that delivered papers was stuck in front of my house in a small car. He lived down the road not too far, so I told him I’d blow a spot in my driveway and he could walk home and come back later for the car. Only problem was my snowblower was parked in the front of my garage with my car in the way. Drove the car out of the garage to get at the blower and it rode up on the snow with the wheels about two inches above solid ground. When it stopped snowing I started digging under the car. Had to use a jack and boards under the wheels to get it freed up. Roads were rutted and ugly until spring.

[Leech~~]

My son was going out as Batman.  I threw his snowmobile suit and helmet on him and he went around the block as a "Snowmobiler"   

If you woulda gone with him, the neighbors coulda said "Look; Batman and the penguin"....  

um, he was only like 5. So yes I had to walk him around smart ars! 

[snow1]

Prime rib at the Piccadilly. Tough to beat. Too bad it’s gone. Also the Lakeside. Drove back to that when I was in the area a couple months ago. The building is still there but it’s a rundown wreck.

YUP,The mahmoods bought the lakeside after they sold the shoe club resturant which had a killer prime rib,good friend was a cook at the shore club,he told me old man mahmood told him (the cook) to inject the prime with salt water solution on the "all the prime you can eat night" seems the salt water fills you up quicker or tells your body is full.

LP, yup you knew "mike Holly" Mike had a partime job with washington county running around white bear lake making sure the waterwell pumps were functioning back in the 80's to keep the lake level up...not sure where Mike is today,he was a good guy tho.