The Great Halloween Blizzard: 20 Years Later

Tonight, as children across Minnesota go trick-or-treating, it will certainly feel like winter is on its way, with temperatures dropping into the low 40s.

On Halloween night 20 years ago, winter was already here.

The day and night of Oct. 31, 1991, saw 8 inches of snow. Over the next three days, that total rose to 28.4 inches—a record for any Minnesota snow storm, in any month.

As a 4-year-old living in St. Paul, I wasn't going to let a blizzard get in my way. Dressed as a fireman—with plenty of warm clothes on under my shiny yellow coat—my dad and I traversed our neighborhood for nearly two hours. When the going finally got too tough, we stopped at a neighbor's house for some hot cocoa and called it a night.

That blizzard, and the stories that go with it, has become part of Minnesota lore (and has spawned a popular Facebook group). Now, on the storm's 20th anniversary, we want you to share your experience. Post a comment below about where you were—and what you did—on that snowy night. If you have photos and are a registered Patch user, feel free to attach them to this article (see below).

Special thanks to my dad (Patch user ) for sending me that old fireman costume, and for jogging my memory about that night—I was only 4, after all!