Minnesota Weather: Cities Digging Out Of 10+ Inches Of Snow; Another Storm Expected This Weekend
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The winter storm that dumped heavy, record-breaking snow on Minnesota Wednesday left some communities in southern Minnesota with more than a foot of fresh snow.
Meteorologist Matt Brickman says Belle Plaine, which is about 40 miles southwest of the Twin Cities, saw 12.8 inches of snow stack up. Other communities in the south metro, such as Lakeville and Bloomington, saw 10 inches of snow, and 11 inches reportedly piled up in the north metro, in Andover and Osseo.
Just realized we had more snow yesterday (8.9") than we average for the entire month of February (7.8") in the Twin Cities. #mnwx pic.twitter.com/PDo78ZDTwd
— Matt Brickman (@Matt_Brickman) February 21, 2019
The Wednesday storm was the biggest to hit the Twin Cities metro this season. The official reading at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 8.9 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
Indeed, the snow was so heavy during the late morning that the Twin Cities airport closed its runways for hours. Additionally, hundreds of schools cancelled and delayed classes, and the State Patrol reported more than 500 crashes and spinouts on Minnesota roads.
Both Minneapolis and St. Paul declared snow emergencies.
The snow Wednesday put the Twin Cities, and several other communities in Minnesota, well over the record for snowiest February in history.
The Twin Cities has seen 31.5 inches of snow so far this month. The previous record, set back in 1962, was 26.5 inches.
But before February ends, more snow is coming.
Friday is expected to bring light snow to the Twin Cities, and another major storm is tracking toward Minnesota Saturday night.
According to Brickman, it's too soon to say where exactly the weekend storm will hit. While it does appear to be a major winter storm, the brunt of it could still shift.
If major snow does fall in the Twin Cities, there's a chance this February could rank as one of the five all-time snowiest months the metro has ever seen.
The number to beat before March comes is 36.8 inches, which was set back in March of 1985.
We're highly confident in a powerful winter storm this weekend, but the storm track keeps shifting so we're still not sure who will get heavy snow, and who will get nothing #mnwx #wiwx pic.twitter.com/OsuG3VU9lb
— NWS Twin Cities (@NWSTwinCities) February 21, 2019
