Friday,  January 11, 2013 • Vol. 13--No. 176 • 11 of 36 •  Other Editions

Today in Weather History

1980:: A strong area of low pressure resulted in strong winds of 35 to 45 mph with gusts to 70 mph across Minnesota on the 11th and 12th. Blowing and drifting snow made roads hazardous or impassible. The strong winds also caused some damage. There were areas in western Minnesota that had a lot of blowing dirt.

1995:: A combination of an ice storm, heavy frost accumulation, and strong winds over a period of several days caused widespread damage to electrical systems resulting in power outages across central and north central South Dakota. The initial ice storm occurred on the 11th and the 12th. In the days following, widespread fog developed and resulted in heavy additional deposits of ice and frost on power lines and other surfaces. Much of the damage occurred when strong winds, mainly from the 16 through the 18th, caused the heavily weighted power lines and poles to collapse. Power outages lasted as long as eight days. Several electric cooperatives had never experienced damages of this magnitude. Some traffic accidents resulted from the icing and many vehicles slid off the roads. Property damage was estimate at 3.5 million dollars.

2009:: A vigorous and fast moving upper level system moved through the region and brought 1 to 5 inches of snow along with very strong northwest winds. The snow combined with winds gusting over 60 mph brought widespread blizzard conditions. Visibilities were frequently below a quarter mile with reports of whiteout conditions. In addition, Arctic air surging in resulted in the temperatures falling over 30 degrees from the late evening of the 11th to the mid afternoon of the 12th. Travel conditions were difficult, if not, impossible across the area and many schools were closed. The high winds in the blizzard also caused some damage across the area. The high winds ripped the secondary roof off the old shop building at the McIntosh school. The winds also blew down a building under construction in Pierre and ripped a part of the steel roof off the grandstand at the Sully County Fairgrounds. Some snowfall amounts included, 2 inches at McLaughlin and Onida; 3 inches at Pollock; 4 inches at Britton, Bryant, and Gettysburg. Some of the highest wind gusts included, 49 mph at Aberdeen; 55 mph at Eagle Butte and Mobridge; 56 mph at Pierre; and 63 mph 13 miles north of Vivian.

1898: A tornado outbreak swept through the Ozarks. The worst tornado was an F4 that ripped through the heart of Fort Smith, AR at 11:15pm. Fifty-two people were

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