MPR’s Loren Omoto talks with William H. Hull, author of “All Hell Broke Loose : Experiences of Young People During the Armistice Day 1940 Blizzard.” Hull details the time period and recollections of those that lived through the storm.

The Armistice Day Blizzard is the defining blizzard of the 20th century in Minnesota and remains the storm against which all other blizzards in this state are compared to. It is infamous for how quickly the temperature dropped, followed by white out conditions and massive amounts of snow. The deaths and havoc from storm were due in part from a lack of accurate forecasting. The forecast structure changed afterward, with a greater emphasis on local forecasting, rather than a regional system.