Weather

Hail storm occurs

Apr 15, 2026

It’s Severe Weather Awareness Week, and Monday afternoon and evening brought severe weather to Lake City and the surrounding area. There was hail, heavy winds and rain, lightning and thunder. On Tuesday morning social media was full of photos of windows, vehicles, homes and other property damaged...

Blizzard dumps 1.5 feet of snow on Lake City

Mar 18, 2026

Over a foot and a half of heavy, wet snow brought Lake City to a virtual standstill over the weekend. Events like Saturday’s Fire and Ice Jamboree fundraiser for the Lake City Music Boosters were postponed. Lake City Public Schools called off in-person classes Monday and started two hours late on...

Ice, while it lasts

Feb 18, 2026

A February heatwave has melted much of the snow cover in and around Lake City and caused the closure of the city’s ice skating rink. Lake Pepin ice thickness, meanwhile, is being monitored in anticipation of the beginning of the commercial navigation season on the river. Ice measurements begin...

Busting a winter myth: exploding trees

Jan 28, 2026

We Minnesotans are no strangers to extreme winter weather. In recent years, various buzzwords for cold weather phenomena have had their viral moments: polar vortex, bomb cyclones, sun dogs and light pillars. But just when we thought we’d heard it all, a new contender has entered the ring:...

Street dept. terrific in storm’s wake

Aug 6, 2025

Once again we had terrific service from our great Lake City Street Department after the latest storm. Thanks a lot.

Overnight storm causes damage, outages

Jul 30, 2025

Hundreds of people were left without electricity following an overnight storm Monday, July 28. High winds brought down branches and trees and caused other damage. Xcel Energy, which serves customers in the area, reported several local outages Tuesday morning on its online outage map at www....

A summery weekend

May 14, 2025

Remember winter? Neither do we. Lake and lake-adjacent activities proved popular over a warm Mother’s Day weekend. Sailboats, speedboats, pontoons, and fishing boats were out on the water. Bathers and anglers occupied local beaches. Even the splash pad at Ohuta Beach was operating. Playground...

Storm recedes, rainbow emerges

Apr 30, 2025

Sue Davidson took this photo of a vivid rainbow that appeared following the thunderstorm Monday night.

Compost site opens Friday, marina still weeks from opening

Mar 26, 2025

Spring things keep happening around the area. The first tow of the season passed through town early last week, and the relocated community garden is soliciting interest from potential gardeners (see related stories). A forecast blizzard on Wednesday of last week led to a school cancellation but...

Cold weather was no joke

Jan 22, 2025

It was so cold overnight Monday, Jan. 20, and into Tuesday, Jan. 21. How cold was it? It was so cold that the National Weather Service included Wabasha County in an “Extreme Cold Warning” overnight on Jan. 20 and lasting until noon Tuesday. With windchills possibly dipping into the 30s below zero...