Trick or Treating in Snowsuits?

It's been a while since I last posted - I guess I got wrapped up in the festivities and amazing colors of the autumn season!  Speaking of autumn, Halloween is just around the corner.  I though it might be kind of fun to have a bit of a flash back to 1991, when a good share of Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin were hit with what became known as the Halloween Blizzard of 1991.



Snowfall totals - Halloween Blizzard of 1991

 The Halloween Blizzard affected a good share of the Upper Midwest between October 31st and November 3rd, 1991.  During the days prior to Halloween, a large storm system over the Atlantic Ocean (this storm was the "Perfect Storm" that hit New England and was the topic of a movie not too long ago) blocked up the flow of weather patterns moving across the United States.  As a result of this "blockade", moisture from the Gulf of Mexico was able to surge northward and interact with an storm system that was parked over Minnesota, Iowa, and Western Wisconsin.  Cold Arctic air was also pouring into the same region from the north behind the system.  The result was a heavy snow pack that fell in large quantities.  Many locations in the eastern half of Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin saw record early-season snowfall accumulations (the image to the right shows the snowfall totals), while southern parts of Minnesota, northern Iowa, and western Wisconsin experienced a nasty ice storm.  The cold air that settled into the area immediately following the storm also produced many record low temperatures for the area.  In total, the storm system caused 100 injuries and even 22 deaths in the Upper Midwest.

I vividly remember this storm.  I was almost 6 years old and had begged my mother to take me out trick-or-treating around our neighborhood (What can I say, I was a naive little kid who liked candy!).  Reluctantly, she took me out in the 4-wheel drive pick up truck.  We went through town just fine, even though the main street was ice covered and I did slip a few times going up the main walk to a few houses.  When we got to the east end of town (at the east end of town, there's a hill that takes you down into a valley), there was a semi-truck that had skidded off the road, and was stuck in the ditch.  Needless to say, that was the final straw.  Mom had enough trying to drive around on the ice, and didn't want to take any more chances.  So we headed back home - and luckily got there safely.  We woke up that next day to a winter wonderland with a couple of inches of snow on the ground and ice in the trees.

Had I known then what I know now, I wouldn't have begged my mother to go out that frightful night (all though I did score tons of candy!).  Moral of the story - don't drive during a blizzard/ice storm unless it is absolutely necessary!

Well, that was a nice trip down memory lane.  I hope it jogged your memory as well.  Where were you during the Halloween Blizzard of 1991?  How did it effect your life?  Please post your comments and share with everyone!  ^_^