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On This Day in 1947: Rare Late Season Snow in Upper Midwest
May 27, 2021 at 01:52 PM EDT
By WeatherBug's Ali Husain
A late season snowstorm put a damper on planned Decoration Day festivities for some Midwesterners in 1947.
Decoration Day, now called Memorial Day, is a holiday that many people consider an informal start to summer; pools open and grills get dusted off. In 1947, the snow shovels were out instead.
On the morning of the May 28, 1947, a cold, Canadian high-pressure pushed south into the northern Plains, bringing below freezing temperatures to the Northern Tier. In Bismarck, N.D., the mercury dropped to 23 degrees, the coldest temperature ever recorded for after May 20.
At the same time the cold air was diving south, a deepening low-pressure system was pushing east across Kansas. Snow began to fall on the evening of May 27, not letting up until early on May 29. Harrison, Neb., was hit the hardest, logging a full foot of snow.
Although the snow melted quickly, this snowstorm set records across the region in both the temperature and snowfall categories. Not only was this the latest snow ever reported for most of the Upper Midwest, but some of the hardest hit places also recorded their largest May snowstorm to date. Gays Mills, Wis., got a whopping 10 inches of snow, a record that still stands for the city's largest May snowstorm.
Even though this Memorial Day weekend will be cool in the Upper Midwest, it won’t be cold enough to bring any snow, but rain could be on the table. If you’re planning to travel this weekend, be sure to check out our Weekend Travel Outlook to get ahead of the weather and traffic.
Source: weather.gov
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Story Image: Snowfall map from the May 27-29, 1947 snowstorm (NWS La Crosse).
Decoration Day, now called Memorial Day, is a holiday that many people consider an informal start to summer; pools open and grills get dusted off. In 1947, the snow shovels were out instead.
On the morning of the May 28, 1947, a cold, Canadian high-pressure pushed south into the northern Plains, bringing below freezing temperatures to the Northern Tier. In Bismarck, N.D., the mercury dropped to 23 degrees, the coldest temperature ever recorded for after May 20.
At the same time the cold air was diving south, a deepening low-pressure system was pushing east across Kansas. Snow began to fall on the evening of May 27, not letting up until early on May 29. Harrison, Neb., was hit the hardest, logging a full foot of snow.
Although the snow melted quickly, this snowstorm set records across the region in both the temperature and snowfall categories. Not only was this the latest snow ever reported for most of the Upper Midwest, but some of the hardest hit places also recorded their largest May snowstorm to date. Gays Mills, Wis., got a whopping 10 inches of snow, a record that still stands for the city's largest May snowstorm.
Even though this Memorial Day weekend will be cool in the Upper Midwest, it won’t be cold enough to bring any snow, but rain could be on the table. If you’re planning to travel this weekend, be sure to check out our Weekend Travel Outlook to get ahead of the weather and traffic.
Source: weather.gov
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Story Image: Snowfall map from the May 27-29, 1947 snowstorm (NWS La Crosse).