I took this shot just as I was heading to work…as the heavier, accumulating snow was just getting underway. I’ll have more pictures to feature coming up today at 5, 6, & 10

Posted under Viewer Pics

With low confidence in the track of this weekend’s storm, a Winter Storm Watch remains in effect for southern Minnesota and north Iowa. With the track projected bya  couple of our typically trustworthy computer models, we’re looking at a good potential of a 6″+snow along and south of I-90. One big fly in the ointment right now is the European computer model which is projecting the storm to dump a wintry mix farther to the south…possibly centered as far south of I-80. With this kind of uncertainty comes a difficult call for this weekend’s snowfall forecast.

Be sure to check out our all-new Precision Stormtracker! It’s an interactive radar that combines Microsoft Virtual Earth with radar and stormtracking capabilities.

For now, keep a close eye on the forecast for this weekend if you’re planning on traveling. We’ll know a whole lot more by Noon Saturday and will have that information here on our weather blog.

Posted under KTTC, winter weather

For Rochester, MN with thanks to the NWS La Crosse

Because we like to keep cleaner records, our meteorological winter begins December 1st and ends the last day of February. It’s nice to say that winter’s over…now if only the weather would catch up with that, eh?

This past meteorological winter of ’08-’09 in Rochester was colder and snowier than normal. It sure seemed cold (because it was), but you may (or may not) be surprised that our average temperature this winter was not even close to being as cold as other winters in Rochester, e.g. 1978-79, ’77-’78, ’35-’36 just to name a few. This past winter was the 24th coldest winter on record and the coldest since 2000-’01.

The statistic that surprised me the most was of this being the 3rd snowiest winter in Rochester’s recorded weather history. Our snowfall records in Rochester date back to 1893. Most of this winter’s snowfall came in the month of December when we recorded a whopping 28.6″ of snow…17″ above the climatological average snowfall for the month. January received 9.8″ of snow (2.1″ below January’s average), and February, 8″, which is pretty much right on the nose for February’s average.

For the record, March is the 3rd snowiest month in Rochester, but we can typically count on spring weather kicking in by the last week of March. Bring it on, I say.

Posted under climate, Rochester, winter weather

11:20pm Update: No change to report with the going forecast except that north-central Iowa has been added to the Winter Storm Warning, and that does include Mason City. Certainly by Thursday morning there will be a change in status to the northeast Iowa headline. Don’t expect snow on the ground for your morning commute, but your afternoon/evening commute will be a different story…

As of this afternoon, much of Minnesota is now under a Winter Storm Warning in anticipation of Thursday’s winter storm. Accumulations of snow along and north of I-90 look to be in the 4-7″ range from Winona to Rochester to Albert Lea. North of Rochester, along a line from Red Wing to Faribault I think there will be some higher snowfall totals…perhaps up to around 10″ of snow. North Iowa is under a Winter Storm Watch because warmer air being drawn into this storm system will likely keep precipitation as rain and/or sleet a bit too long to make for heavier snowfall totals.

Timewise, I’m looking at the onset of this system near Rochester in the 10am-Noon timeframe and a bit earlier west of Rochester near I-35.

More to come through today and Thursday. Do plan on there being travel problems during the peak of this storm system, which I expect to be between Noon and 6pm in southeast Minnesota.

Posted under KTTC, winter weather

3pm Update:  Dodge, Olmsted, and Winona counties have been upgraded from the previously issued Winter Weather Advisory to a Winter Storm Warning.  This means snowfall expectations are rising…look for amounts in the 5-7″ range in these counties by Friday morning.  6-12″ totals by Friday morning are looking good south of I-90.  Snow will be convective at times, meaning intense snowfall rates, low visibility…and thunder.

Posted under KTTC, weather, winter weather

If you have/had plans of heading into central to northern Minnesota or North Dakota this weekend, you’ll want to double-check the weather.

Winter Storm Warnings and Blizzard Warnings have been posted for central to northern Minnesota and westward into North Dakota. Visit the following links for the latest warnings, conditions, and forecast.

Duluth NWS
Grand Forks NWS
Twin Cities NWS

Posted under KTTC, winter weather