Minimal Snow Depth
We've had minimal snowfall across the region through the end of November and thanks to warmer than average temperatures for much of the month, there is little snow on the ground. There might be a little snow late weekend or early next week, but it appears that we'll end the month of November and start December on a mostly brown note across the region.
Snowfall Departure From Average This Season
Our average snowfall in the Twin Cities through the months of October and November is typically around 6" to 7". Note that the Twin Cities has only had 3.2" so far this season (since July 1st), which is nearly -3.5" below average. Duluth has only had 3.0" of snow this season, which is more than -12.0" below average and the 24th least snowy start to any season on record.
Snowfall So Far This Season
It has been a pretty slow start to the snow season across the Midwest. Could this be a sign of El Nino? Perhaps. The storm track in an El Nino season is typically across the Southern US, while milder temperatures reside across the Midwest, both of which have been observed over the last several weeks. There are a lot of negative numbers across the region with the biggest deficits showing up in Duluth, MN (24th least snowy start to any season on record) and also in Marquette, which is nearly -20.0" below average (6th least snowy start to any season on record).
Warmer & Drier Start to November So Far
Despite being chillier as of late, this has been a fairly warm month with the average temperature in the Twin Cities running nearly +4.0F above average, which is on track for the 11th warmest November on record. Precipitation is running nearly -1.43" below average, which is on track for the 2nd driest November on record. We did manage to pick up close to 0.5" of snow at the MSP Airport this month, which will likely tie for the 15th least snowy November on record.
Twin Cities Average Snowfall
The 30-year average from 1993 to 2022 suggests that we typically see around 5.5" of snow during the month of November. The snowiest month tends to be in December with more than a foot falling. The 2nd snowiest month tends to be January with nearly 11" falling in the metro.
Weather Outlook Through Next Monday
Here's the weather outlook through next Monday, which shows very minimal precipitation over the next few days. There could be a little light snow across Southeastern Minnesota late weekend. There could be another light clipper that moves through the region on Monday with additional light snow accumulations. Stay tuned.
Snowfall Potential Through Next Monday
Here's a very early look at snow chances across the region through next Monday, which shows very light accumulations possible. The heaviest could be found along the Arrowhead of Minnesota, where up to a few inches of slush can't be ruled out. Stay tuned...
Drought Update
Heavy rains during the month of September have helped the drought situation quite a bit across the state. With that being said, nearly 18% of the state is still in a severe drought, which has improved from 34% nearly 3 months ago.