On November 11, 1940 temperatures were very warm in the Midwest, approaching 70 degrees in parts of Illinois. A massive blizzard and temperatures down below 0F moved in over a few hours, and dozens of hunters froze to death in Minnesota, Iowa and other Midwestern states.
12 Nov 1940, Page 1 – The Algona Upper Des Moines at Newspapers.com
During the next few days search parties retrieved frozen hunters from islands and the icy waters. Some of those lucky enough be stranded on islands survived the storm, but lost hands or feet due to severe frost bite.
