Minnesota Weather: Record For Snowiest February Broken, More Snow Expected This Weekend
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – It's official. This is the snowiest February ever recorded in the Twin Cities.
By noontime Wednesday, the snowstorm swirling over Minnesota had dumped 7.8 inches on the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where the metro's official snow totals are measured.
7.8" as of noon in the Twin Cities which pushes our February snowfall total to 30.4"
That makes this the *snowiest February on record* and the *10th snowiest month any time of year* in the Twin Cities. Wow!
— Matt Brickman (@Matt_Brickman) February 20, 2019
The Wednesday morning snow put the Twin Cities over 26.5 inches of snow, all-time the February snow record set back in 1962. The metro is now at 30.4 inches of snow, and counting. (By the way, the last time Minnesota saw over 30 inches of snow in a single month, the Metrodome roof collapsed.)
Indeed, the snow was so heavy at the airport Wednesday that it had to close all of its runways temporarily until conditions improved, prompting delays. As of writing, only one runway is open.
Just the threat of another snowstorm Wednesday prompted hundreds of schools across Minnesota to cancel or delay classes. Among the districts that closed schools were Minneapolis Public Schools and St. Paul Public Schools.
The heaviest snow hit the Twin Cities during the morning rush and lasted for hours. Commuters had to deal with snow-covered roads and low visibility. Metro Transit reported bus delays, and the Minnesota State Patrol reported more than 300 crashes and spinouts on state roads.
Troopers are responding to crashes and vehicles off the road across the state.
???? Slow down.
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???? Lights on.#mnwx pic.twitter.com/VbCRC7bG0U— MN State Patrol (@MnDPS_MSP) February 20, 2019
The snowstorm is expected to leave the Twin Cities with up to 10 inches of snow by Wednesday evening.
Already, both Minneapolis and St. Paul have declared snow emergencies, with rules slated to go into effect Wednesday night.
Looking ahead, there's no snow-melting warmup in the future. Only more snow.
Light snow is expected in the Twin Cities Friday and another significant snowstorm (possibly even bigger than Wednesday's) is tracking toward central Minnesota on Saturday.
According to meteorologist Matt Brickman, this February is already one of the top 10 snowiest months the Twin Cities has ever seen. Additionally, if about seven more inches of snow falls in the next eight days, this month will be the snowiest the metro has experienced in more than 30 years.
As for the all-time monthly snowfall record, that's unlikely to be broken. That record was set in the wake of the 1991 Halloween Blizzard, when 46.9 inches of snow was recorded that November.
Top 10 Snowiest Months in the Twin Cities
1.) 46.9" Nov 1991
2.) 46.4" Jan 1982
3.) 40.0" Mar 1950
4.) 37.1" Mar 1965
5.) 36.8" Mar 1985
6.) 35.3" Jan 1967
7.) 33.6" Dec 2010
8.) 33.2" Dec 1969
9.) 33.1" Jan 1999
10.) 30.4" Feb 2019 (so far)— Matt Brickman (@Matt_Brickman) February 20, 2019