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[ Tony Krosschell ] On November 11
of each year, Americans celebrate
Veterans Day acknowledging
the services and sacrifices
of the men and women
of the American Military.
Originally known as Armistice Day,
the history of Veterans Day
dates back to 1919,
the one year anniversary of
the signing of the armistice
between the Allied forces
and Germany that effectively
ended World War I.
But in the minds of many
Minnesotans, Armistice Day
evokes something different.
The memories of the powerful
winter storm that exploded
over Minnesota and much of
the Upper Midwest on
November 11, 1940.
A storm remembered today
as the Armistice Day Blizzard.
The weather during the autumn
of 1940 had been pleasant
and on Monday, November 11,
Minnesota residents awoke
to temperatures in the 50's.
Although forecasts called for
cold and windy conditions moving
in, many Twin Cities workers
left their coats at home
as they headed off Monday morning
to begin their work week.
Around lunch time, temperatures in
southern Minnesota dropped off
significantly as cold rain rapidly
changed from sleet to snow.
By mid-afternoon wind and snow
were blowing through the streets
of downtown Minneapolis.
Some businesses closed their
doors early sending workers out
into the storm and by nightfall,
public transportation
had come to a standstill.
Motorists abandoned their cars as
howling winds and drifting snow
forced stranded travelers to
take refuge in temporary shelters.
Those fortunate enough to
make it home, spent the night
watching the snow pile up
outside their windows.
On the morning of the 12th,
citizens across the State from
Madison to Hibbing began the
long process of digging out.
More than 16 inches of snow
had fallen in Minneapolis.
While areas outside the
Twin Cities were contending
with drifts as high as 20 feet.
Highways were clogged with
abandoned vehicles and downed
lines left many Minnesotans without
electricity and telephone service.
Buried automobiles and impassible
roads forced people to come up
with other forms of transportation.
Slowly, details of tragedy
began filtering in.
Twenty-five miles southwest of
St. Cloud in the town of Watkins,
a train collision had killed
two railroad employees while
dozens of rescued passengers sought
refuge with local townspeople.
Meanwhile, a more serious
situation was unfolding
in southeastern Minnesota.
Pleasant weather during the
early part of Armistice Day made
for ideal hunting conditions.
Large flocks of ducks following
their regular migration pattern
funneled down the Mississippi
River valley attracting many
hunters out into the bottom
lands of the river basin.
Weather conditions along
the Mississippi deteriorated
so rapidly that numerous hunters
became stranded along the banks
and islands of the river.
Trapped overnight without shelter
or winter clothing, many hunters
succumbed to exposure.
More than 150 people lost their lives
during the Armistice Day Blizzard.
Forty-nine of those deaths
occurred in Minnesota with
nearly half that number being
duck hunters who froze to death
along the Mississippi River valley.
The impact of events of November
11th and 12th, 1940 led to a change
in Minnesota weather forecasting.
Just a day and a half before the
storm, the Minneapolis Tribune's
printed forecast mentioned colder
temperatures with snow flurries
without any indication
of an impending blizzard.
Twin Cities' forecasts at the
time came directly out of
the U.S. Weather Bureau's Chicago
office which happened to be closed
as the storm rapidly intensified
on the evening of November 10th.
In the aftermath of the blizzard,
the Chicago office increased its
operation to 24 hours while the
Weather Bureau allowed its
Twin Cities branch to begin
issuing local forecasts.
During the past 70 years,
other notable storms have
swept across Minnesota.
However, the severity, surprise,
and death toll of the Armistice
Day Blizzard resonates with
many as the worst winter storm
in Minnesota history.
From the Minnesota Historical Society
Collections Department,
I'm Tony Krosschell.