Looking Back at the Armistice Day Storm of 1940! (credit: This Day in Weather History)

DISCUSSION: As we look back 76 years ago today, there was quite an impressive weather event which unfolded across the Midwestern United States.  This event unfolded as the result of a low pressure system quickly approaching this region from points to the northwest of there.  As this low pressure system approached both northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin, the warm front which was supplying warm air into these areas overnight from 10 to 11 November quickly passed through.  As it did so, the air temperatures rapidly plummeted from the lower 50's to lower-to-middle teens within 6 to 12 hours. This rapid drop in temperature facilitated a fairly rapid change in precipitation type from liquid to frozen when rain quickly changed to sleet and then to snow soon after that time.  As a result of this rapid change in surface conditions, many people were caught completely off-guard with no substantial notice of this forecast prior to embarking on their outdoor excursions.  Unfortunately, some people even lost their lives in the process of them not being aware of the rapidly changing weather conditions which quickly came into place.

To learn more about other past historic weather events from all over the world, be sure to click here!

~Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz