Winter Storm Lola Was An Early-March Blizzard In Plains,Upper Midwest

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W​inter Storm Lola kicked off March 2025 with blizzard conditions in parts of the Plains and upper Midwest while also delivering the heaviest snowstorm of the season so far to Minneapolis-St. Paul.

(​MORE:Why Winter Storms Are Named)

T​he storm first brought snow to the Mountain West on March 3 and then made its trek through the Plains and upper Midwest with snow and high winds March 4-5.

T​he heaviest snowfall east of the Rockies blanketed central and southern Minnesota into northern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

M​inneapolis-St. Paul International Airport picked up 9.5 inches from Lola,making it the heaviest snowstorm of the season. Up to 13 inches of snow was measured south of the Twin Cities near Dennison,Minnesota. The town of Negaunee,Michigan,picked up 24 inches of snow.

H​igh winds in combination with the snow prompted the National Weather Service to issue blizzard warnings from eastern Colorado and parts of Nebraska to northwest Missouri,portions of Iowa,southeast Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

T​hat lead to whiteout conditions in portions of Iowa,Kansas,Nebraska,South Dakota and Upper Michigan,including reports of stranded motorists. Multi-vehicle pileups in Iowa shut down interstates.

T​he storm also produced major winds in areas that didn't see snowfall,especially on March 4. The maximum wind gust was 93 mph in Hugoton,Kansas. A gust to 86 mph was clocked in southeast Colorado.

March 4 was one of the windiest days in the 30+ year history of the Oklahoma Mesonet.

T​he highs winds lofted widespread blowing dust across parts of New Mexico and Texas.

P​erhaps most surreal was a plume of lofted dust from western Texas and eastern New Mexico that surged into Dallas-Ft. Worth,Waco,even College Station,Texas less than 12 hours after severe thunderstorms moved through on March 4.