October 31

From NWS
1991
: A major winter storm pounded the upper Midwest from October 30th into November 2nd with some of the most severe effects occurring on Halloween. Snow moved into southern Iowa on the afternoon of the 30th and changed to mixed precipitation and ice on the morning of the 31st and continuing into late afternoon on November 1st. Total ice accumulations ranged from 1 to 2 inches from southwestern into north central Iowa and 2 to 3 inches across southern and southeastern Minnesota. In northwestern Iowa the precipitation fell as all snow, with total accumulations of 8 inches or more across the area ranging up to 15.0 inches at Estherville and strong winds producing blizzard conditions into November 2nd. The damage and hazardous travel conditions were so severe and extensive that 52 of the 99 counties in Iowa were declared disaster areas. Highways and interstates were closed across most of the state and Halloween festivities were cancelled at many locations. As the storm system moved further northeast it dumped 36.9 inches of snow at Duluth which is the largest storm total snowfall accumulation on record in Minnesota.

This Day in National/World Weather History …
 31 October 1991 → A severe winter storm dubbed the Great Halloween Mega Stormstruck the upper Midwest. Minnesota bore the brunt of the storm. Blizzard conditions occurred with wind gusts frequently to 50 mph. By the time the storm finally ended on November 2, Duluth received 37 inches of snow, Minneapolis 28 inches, and International Falls 18 inches. For Duluth and Minneapolis, this set new all time records for single storm totals. These two cities received nearly half their normal seasonal snows in this one storm.
 31 October 1994 → American Eagle Flight 4184 was completing its last turn in holding before being cleared for landing at O’Hare Airport in Chicago. After holding in pattern for an hour in wintry precipitation, enough ice accumulated on the aircraft that the plane became uncontrollable and crashed in Roselawn, IN. All 68 on board the ATR-72-212 aircraft were killed.
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Posted under Weather History

This post was written by Schnack on October 31, 2012

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