In modern times weather information is more accurate and access to such information is abundant and often available in real-time. However, storms such as this remain unpredictable and care should always be taken each time you set off on a hunt.

The morning of 11 November 1940 brought with it unseasonably high temperatures. By early afternoon temperatures had warmed to the middle 60s ^oF over most of the affected region. However, as the day wore on conditions quickly deteriorated. Temperatures dropped sharply, winds picked up, and rain, followed by sleet, and then snow began to fall.

Along the Mississippi River several hundred duck hunters had taken time off from work and school to take advantage of the ideal hunting conditions. Weather forecasters had not predicted the severity of the oncoming storm, and as a result many of the hunters were not dressed for the impending extreme weather.

An intense low pressure system had tracked from the southern plains northeastward into western Wisconsin, pulling Gulf of Mexico moisture up from the south and pulling down a cold arctic air mass from the north. The result was a raging blizzard that would last into the next day. Snowfalls of up to 27 inches, winds of 50 to 80 mph, 20-foot snow drifts, and 50-degree Fahrenheit temperature drops were common over parts of the states of Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Transportation and communications were crippled, which exacerbated finding the dead and injured.

On the Mississippi River ducks started to fly like crazy treating hunter to shooting the likes of which they had never seen. However, hunters soon found themselves in trouble and took shelter on small islands in the Mississippi River, and the 50 mph winds and 5-foot waves overcame their encampments. Many were faced with the decision of either trying to cross the rough water in their boats or trying to survive outside in the freezing conditions until the storm passed. In many cases, both decisions proved fatal. Some stranded on the islands froze to death in the single-digit temperatures that moved in over night. Others that tried to make it to shore drowned when their boats capsized.

The storm was blamed for the sinking of 3 ships on the Great Lakes, a train crash in Minneapolis, and 154 deaths across the Midwest. Of the 49 deaths caused by the storm in Minnesota, most were duck hunters who had either drowned when their small boats swamped or froze to death right in their blinds.

I’m grateful to our nation’s veterans, in particular, those active servicemen and women who are currently protecting our freedoms. On this day I also give remembrance to the many duck hunters who lost their lives 66 years ago during the Armistice Day storm.

In modern times one might wonder if such a tragedy could occur again. Their story remains a powerful example of just how truly helpless man is against nature.

Be safe out there this year!

Check Out:

NOAA: Armistice Day Storm

The Winds of Hell : by Mark Steil, Minnesota Public Radio