Minnesota’s Biggest Snowstorms Ever Now Revealed

While southeast Minnesota was the home to some of the biggest snowfall totals in the state during our late-season blizzard last weekend, where does this snowstorm rank on the list of the biggest snowstorms of all time in here in the North Star State?

Most winters here in the Land of 10,000 Usually-Snow-And-Ice-Covered Lakes are filled with cold weather and snow. Lots of snow. Although that wasn't really the case in the winters of 2024 and 2025, the winter of 2026 is apparently making up for it.

Breaking Down the March 2026 Blizzard Snowfall Totals

That massive winter storm that rolled through the North Star State Saturday night and Sunday morning, March 14th and 15th, dropped around a foot of snow or more in parts of southeast Minnesota, including Rochester, and dumped around 20 inches in places like Zumbro Falls, Wabasha, and Reed's Landing.

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That storm then continued pushing eastward behind the Cheddar Curtain into Wisconsin, where parts of central Wisconsin, like the village of Weston, are still digging out from over 2 FEET of snow!

While we're used to getting snow here in Minnesota and Wisconsin, it was just last year that parts of the country that *don't* normally see any snow in the winter, actually did. Do you remember when a historic snowstorm hit places like New Orleans?

Comparing Minnesota Winter Records to National Snow Events

A January 2025 snowstorm hit the Gulf Coast area of the country and dumped around 8 inches of snow on the city of New Orleans. That happened to be way more than we had on the ground in Minnesota at the same time. When was the last time the Big Easy was snowier than the Bold North?!?

SEE ALSO: Can You Legally Pass a Snowplow on the Highway in Minnesota?

And, it wasn't just Minnesota that didn't see a lot of snow last year, either. The National Weather Service in Anchorage, Alaska, noted that their area only saw 3.8 inches of snow throughout much of December and January, which is around 2 feet less than normal-- and far less than the amount of snow that fell in and around Louisiana.

But, historically, of course, the North Star State *has* been home to some huge snowstorms. Has anyone heard of the Halloween Blizzard of 1991? (Spoiler alert: Minnesotans of a certain age LOVE to talk about this storm, and with good reason, as you'll see below.) Or maybe the Big Snowstorm of 2010 that collapsed the roof of the Metrodome in Minneapolis? Or how about the Big Mess of January 2023?

The Top 25 Largest Snowfalls in Minnesota History

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has compiled a list of the Top 25 Snowfalls to hit the Twin Cities. They scoured Minnesota weather records dating all the way back to 1884 to compile the following snowy list. See how many of these big winter storms YOU remember:

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TOP 25 SNOWSTORMS TO HIT THE MINNESOTA (TWIN CITIES)

1. 28.4 inches: 1991 October 31 - November 3 (Halloween Blizzard)
2. 21.1 inches: 1985 November 29 - December 1 (Thanksgiving Weekend)
3. 20.0 inches: 1982 January 22 - 23
4. 17.4 inches: 1982 January 20 - 21
5. 17.1 inches: 2010 December 10 - 11 (Final "Domebuster")
6. 16.8 inches: 1940 November 11 - 13 (Armistice Day)
7. 16.7 inches: 1985 March 3 - 4
7. 16.7 inches: 1940 March 11 - 14 (tie)
9. 16.5 inches: 1982 December 27 - 28
10. 16.0 inches: 1917 January 20 - 21
10. 16.0 inches: 1999 March 8 - 9 (tie)
12. 15.8 inches: 2018 April 13-16 (Thunder Blizzard)
13. 15.3 inches: 1886 November 16-18
14. 15.1 inches: 2023 January 2-5 (Big Mess)
15. 14.7 inches: 1985 March 31
16. 14.3 inches: 1991 November 29 - 30 (Black Friday)
17. 14.1 inches: 1952 March 22 -23
17. 14.1 inches: 1983 November 27 - December 1 (tie)
19. 14.0 inches: 1899 March 10-12
20. 13.8 inches: 2011 February 20-21
21. 13.6 inches: 1966 March 22-23
21. 13.6 inches: 1983 April 14 
23. 13.4 inches: 2023 February 21-23 
24. 13.1 inches: 1983 December 13-15
25. 13.0 inches: 1907 April 27-28