A time-honored Minnesota tradition: Remembering the '91 Halloween blizzard

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (FOX 9) - This year’s Halloween, while chilly with temperatures in the 30s for trick-or-treating, but overall were much better conditions than the kids trick-or-treating back in 1991.

It’s a Halloween that tends to stick out in many Minnesotans’ memories.

“First year I couldn’t go trick or treating,” said Megan Clapp.

The stories seem to be retold every year. 

“We were surprising my dad for his 60th birthday, and we were just trying to get back to Madison, Wisconsin,” said Vickie Lund.

With the memories so vivid, it feels like it’s always 1991 on Halloween in Minnesota.

“I kind of expect it to happen again,” said Bill Warren.

The storm shattered records, dropping more than eight inches on Halloween in the Twin Cities and more than 18 inches the following day.

“And that’s how I felt cause I was out trying to go trick-or-treating and it was just snow on both sides of me,” said Rachel Christian.

It wasn’t just the snow with temps below freezing and the wind gusting some 60-70 mph. 

“It was just really dangerous driving,” said Lund.

If you were one of the lucky ones to dig your car out. If not – it was a snowed in kind of spooky day. 

“We sat and watched the snow come down in the hot tub,” said Warren.

One of the worst storms to hit on the holiday, the effects were felt long after the system passed with its stories – told years later. 

"Ton of fun, but for some reason everything just gets benchmarked against that," said Clapp. 

While the ‘91 storm was tough in the Twin Cities, it was even worse for trick-or-treaters in Duluth, where it started snowing in the afternoon there and didn’t stop until November 3. After 72 hours of consecutive snowfall, they got almost 37 inches.