Monday Clipper: Snow then milder

A shot of snow Monday morning has laid down yet another fresh coating of white in most of Minnesota. Today's snowfall makes it 15 of the past 17 days with at least a trace of snow in the metro and most of "Minne-snow-ta" in January.

Here are some snow totals from the morning snow burst.

Deephaven (west metro) 1.3"

Mankato 2.5"

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Two Harbors 3.1"

Tofte 3"

Finland 6.2"

International Falls 1.9"

Duluth 1"

Rochester .5"

La Crosse 1.2"

Snow will continue to focus on northeast Minnesota and Wisconsin today with additional 1" to 3" totals common. Occasional snow may fall in southern Minnesota and the Twin Cities with up to another 1" in some areas.

Milder air pushes north:

Some milder air will push north into southern Minnesota today with this system, before cold air pushes south again tonight and Tuesday. Temperatures may push 30 in southern Minnesota today.

Note the huge temperature contrast from north to south...with -20s pooling in central Canada.

More details on the snow system. (original post 12:08 am)

System & track: Albert Clipper tracking through from NW to SE

Timing: Quick burst of snow early Monday morning. Snow may be "on and off" at times the rest of the day.

Intensity/duration/accumulation: Light to moderate snow pulse early morning. Occasional snow (intermittent) through the day. Total accumulations 1" to 2" in metro. 3" to 6" possible in southern Minnesota and much of Wisconsin. 2" to 4" possible in northern Minnesota.

Primary impact: Metro: Snowy AM drive. Some snow may linger for PM drive.

Expect more traffic hassles today, and allow extra time (again) to get around. At least the MLK Holiday means there should be a little less traffic on the roads, and the kids will love playing in snow when the temps push 30 degrees by late afternoon!

How fast does snow fall?

Have you ever stopped to think how fast snow falls? It turns out snow falls about 3mph on average. That's about as fast as you walk. Snow can form at 5,000 or 10,000 feet above ground level, so a snowflake that falls from 8,000 feet may take 30 minutes to reach the ground.

That's a leisurely stroll to land on your driveway where you can shovel it.

Arctic air still on the way:

It will turn colder as the first taste of arctic air pushes south Tuesday. Lows may plunge to -10 in the metro by Wednesday morning...and -15 in the outer suburbs. It still looks like the coldest shot of air comes Thursday into Friday morning. Temperatures should plunge below zero Thursday...and could hit -15 to -20 Friday morning. Stay tuned as we tweak the magnitude off this week's arctic cold snap.

PH