OrdIowPitMsp

Low of 1F here this morning. Couldn’t get below zero in the UHI but many locations did.

The DNR here is exceptional. Maybe my expectations were low coming from IL but I’ve found the amount of publicly available data on all sorts of subjects is impressive. Sun angle matters, the difference in melting on a 38F day at 42N vs 45N surprised me.

I pulled that number directly from a page on the MN DNR who merged data from a handful of sites based on when that was the official obs spot going back to 1884. They have some really cool stats compiled. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/twin_cities/snowfall.html Here is the direct link to the file I pulled the 100 days of 1” stat from. I will concede that using data directly from the current NWS obs site at the airport is the proper methodology and 88 days is probably a more accurate “average” https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/natural_resources/climate/twin_cities/snowvar.html

Obviously the big ones that I’ve personally experienced and come to mind immediately for me are January 1999: probably the event that first got me interested in weather and being a snow weenie. I was 9 and the snow seemed impossibly deep. December 2000: Not sure which storm in an epic month for Chicagoland but I vividly remember struggling to walk down the block in the deep snow with my dad so we could borrow the neighbors snowblower. That was also the month that convinced my parents to put a heater in the garage. Not sure I’ll ever see a snowpack that deep outside a lake belt or mountain chain again. December 2009: Iowa, legit blizzard. Was in Iowa City so didn’t get the worst of it further west, but still ended up with nearly a foot of snow. GHD 1: again in Iowa City so didn’t get the worst impacts but still saw 12” totals and significant travel impacts. Winter 13/14: Working on graduate thesis in Iowa City. Seemed like we had something to track or sometimes 2-3 things at all times. Just a fun winter as has been said here countless times. GHD 2 (was living in PA at the time so missed out, but was partaking in a different Midwest weather forum at the time and felt like I lived it vicariously) Early March 2015: SE OH: Was working in the oilfield outside Woodsfield OH in the extreme SE corner of the state. Got blasted with 12-14” in about 8 hours. My little Honda Civic stood no chance driving those back holler Appalachian roads for days. Mid April 2018: Nearly 16” of snow. Blizzard conditions and thundersnow! Biggest April storm in MSP history. Skied legit deep powder midwinter conditions the next day which was very strange for April 17 in Minnesota. Note: I’ve been fortunate that in my short time in Minnesota I’ve experience the snowiest October (2020), February (2019) and April (2018) on Record.

I believe in Chicago it is 100 consecutive days of snowcover which is the record, not sure the average non consecutive days of 1” cover. MSP averages 100 non-consecutive days of snowcover per season. We are at 43 days with 1” of snowcover so far this season, and the record is 136 days of consecutive snow cover in 1964-65. @beavis1729

Fresh half inch of snow this morning. Nickel and diming our snowpack back up.

You live in IL. There’s a much more useful weedy plant you could try growing.

Math was always my weakest subject. I guess that’s why I’m a geologist not a meteorologist. Thanks for the help guys.

Basically outside Bo’s location none of us would be happy.

Source: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/twin_cities/snowfall.html Okay so technically this is calendar year not snow season.

I'd still rather live up in Two Harbors with @Brian D or in one of the snow belts, but coming from the Chicagoland area, MSP was a massive improvement in prolonged winter conditions.

Minneapolis average annual snowfall is 54" so I'm not sure where this 9" greater then Chicago is coming from, unless we are talking about median. Here is annual snowfall over the past 10 seasons. Yes we've had some big time clunkers but the retention is a much greater here then in the Chicagoland area. Also worth noting Minneapolis averages about 8" less of liquid equivalent precipitation so our climate is drier by comparison. 2019-2020 51.5 2018-2019 77.1 2017-2018 78.3 2016-2017 32.0 2015-2016 36.7 2014-2015 32.4 2013-2014 69.8 2012-2013 67.7 2011-2012 22.3 2010-2011 86.6 AVERAGE NUMBER OF DAYS * WITH SNOW "ON GROUND" * --------------- * DAYS INCHES * 100 ... 1 * 79 ... 3 * 54 ... 6 * 34 ... 9 * 24 ... 12

@beavis1729 I feel like I tell you this all the time but move to Minneapolis if you want more consistent snowcover and frozen lakes while still living in a large urban area.

Will be a typical dry and seasonable MSP winter week ahead with the exception of Wednesday. Might even get a below zero low tomorrow night or late week which have been severely lacking this year. Still have a crusty 7" snow depth but the "warm" 35F temps wrecked havoc on the deck snow which didn't have the frozen insulating ground. Puppy sighting in the upper left corner of the yard.