White Christmas widespread this year
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An arctic sun reflects off a 5" snow cover blanketing Lake Minnetonka near Bug Island Tuesday. (Photos by Paul Huttner)
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around Minnesota these days. It appears a white Christmas is a lock.
Local climate experts define a white Christmas as having at least 1" of snow cover on the ground on Christmas Day. That has occurred about 72% of the years since 1899 in the Twin Cities.
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International Falls has a 97% historical chance of a white Christmas. Though the period of record is not as lengthy as the Twin Cities, several locations in northern Minnesota have recorded a white Christmas in all years, corresponding to a 100% probability of a white Christmas. This includes Roseau, Isabella, Park Rapids, Tower, Virginia and Walker.
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Here are some other Minnesota cities and the historical probability of a white Christmas:
-Brainerd: 97%
-Duluth Airport: 98%
-Grand Marais: 89%
-Hutchinson: 64%
-Mankato: 68%
-Morehead: 84%
-Ortonville: 70%
-Owatonna: 71%
-Pipestone: 66%
-Redwood Falls: 61%
-Rochester: 78%
-St. Cloud: 74%
-Worthington: 76%
Lake Wilson in southwest Minnesota has the lowest historical probability of a white Christmas of any Minnesota reporting location at 57%.
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St. Louis Bay on Lake Minnetonka rests in a winter wonderland today.
Nationally, snow cover extends well south into Missouri right now. It's interesting to note the deepest snows are south of the Twin Cites and follow the storm track from Iowa into southern Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota.
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It looks like the snow ill stick around this year. Enjoy the winter wonderland!
PH