Monday morning snow; snow football

I loved playing snow football when I was young.

My brothers and I liked to toss the football around and tackle each other, landing in several inches of fluff.

The pros seem to enjoy snow football too:

The Buffalo Bills hosted the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, with fat snowflakes filling the air.

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Buffalo, New York is known for its lake effect snows.

Cold air passing over Lake Erie picked up enough moisture to generate the heavy snow in Buffalo.

It works like this:

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NOAA

According to NOAA:

Lake effect snow is common across the Great Lakes region during the late fall and winter. Lake Effect snow occurs when cold air, often originating from Canada, moves across the open waters of the Great Lakes. As the cold air passes over the unfrozen and relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes, warmth and moisture are transferred into the lowest portion of the atmosphere. The air rises, clouds form and grow into narrow band that produces 2 to 3 inches of snow per hour or more.

Minnesota snow

Periods of snow are likely over much of Minnesota during the overnight hours Sunday night, and into Monday morning.

A bit of light freezing rain or freezing drizzle is also possible.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential snow pattern Sunday night and Monday:

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NOAA NAM simulated radar from Sunday evening through Monday, via tropicaltidbits

The color chart to the right of the loop refers to the strength of the signal that returns to the radar, not to the amount of snow.

Parts of the Twin Cities metro area could see snow accumulations of around one inch, and the Monday morning commute might be a bit slower than normal.

Two to three inches could accumulate in portions of northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin Sunday night into Monday.

This northern Minnesota snow graphic was posted late Sunday by the Duluth office of the National Weather Service:

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NWS Duluth

Updated weather information can be heard on the Minnesota Public Radio Network , and you can also see updates on the MPR news live weather blog.

You can check Minnesota road conditions at MNDOT.

I hope that you have a great week!