Minnesota Sees Glimpse Of Winter, But Why Did Snowflakes Accumulate So Quickly In Some Areas?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota is seeing a brief glimpse of winter-like conditions Friday, with snowflakes falling hard in some areas.
Some areas, like St. Augusta, reported a half an inch of snow accumulation on the grass Friday morning. A somewhat unusual sight in mid-October.
So, what causes these conditions?
According to meteorologist Mike Augustyniak, it has to do with the way air is moving upward, causing perfect conditions for a certain type of snowflake, called dendrites, to form. Here's his explanation.
At least twice a day @NWSTwinCities (and other @NOAA sites) launches a weather balloon to sample the temperature, humidity, & wind vertical profile. Today's weather balloon shows the -12 to -16 temperature layer is right where lift is centered; dendrites form at those temps pic.twitter.com/aOB7wH2pVv
— Mike Augustyniak (@MikeAugustyniak) October 16, 2020
From Alexandria to Minneapolis, many people are seeing snow and posting it on social media -- even the governor chimed in. Here are some of the sights and sounds:
The first snow has arrived in downtown #minneapolis. #weather #minnesota #snowstorm @weatherchannel @kare11 @WCCO pic.twitter.com/CyDmV3rBMX
— Clancy✨ (@sparklecht) October 16, 2020
#shakopee pic.twitter.com/4D25MKiRwT
— papadff (@papadff) October 16, 2020
10 miles north of Alexandria pic.twitter.com/9nEtlq1p1W
— Timmy (@uppnorth10) October 16, 2020
Snowing in Rogers. pic.twitter.com/QXcOsG1erF
— The Udee (@DirkUdee) October 16, 2020
It's snowing in Minneapolis this morning!!@WCCO @erinreportsTV pic.twitter.com/qw8SZvrPhg
— Rich Bracken (@richbracken1) October 16, 2020
