New All-Time Winter Snowfall Record Likely for Twin Ports as Icy Mix Ends as Snow
Paul, make it stop! If only I had the technology. Like you, I am an irritated and bewildered spectator. The latest in a conga-line of storms will whip up powerful 40-50 mph wind gusts today with a period of freezing rain and sleet, capable of fender benders and even sporadic power outages. In fact, a significant amount of ice may build up on highways, trees and powerlines today as surface temperatures hover at, or just below 32F. The map above shows the European model solution for total snowfall by Saturday morning, with heaviest amounts north and west of the Iron Range.
An icy mix will change over to mostly snow on Friday in the Twin Ports. All we need is .4" to break the all-time snowfall record of 131.5". I suspect Duluth-Superior will pick up at least a couple inches of slush by Saturday, smashing the old record. Ah, the joys of winning Olympic Gold. And yeah - we got our winter weather boasting rights back. No kidding.
Icy Headaches: Exhibit A. I'm not convinced the Twin Ports will pick up .8" of glaze ice today, but all it takes is one or two tenths of an inch of freezing rain to turn some roads and bridges into an ice skating rink. Be careful out there. A changeover to mostly-snow is likely Thursday night with light snow and flurries continuing into Friday, even part of Saturday. Old Man Winter just can't quit us, it seems.
The Duluth National Weather Service is keeping score. All it will take is another half inch of snow for the Twin Ports to set a new, all-time snowfall record.
Take a bow, Brainerd. You just set a new all-time snowfall record of 85.3". Snowfall records date back to 1948. But wait, there's more...
Data above is for Spooner, Wisconsin, where 93.9" means third place in the snowfall department, a number which will also go up with more snow in the forecast.
The coveted Golden Snow Shovel Award goes to Bayfield, Wisconsin, which SMASHED the old record of 150.3" by more than 21". Holy snow blower!
Winter at this latitude is not for the faint of heart, and the 2022-23 season is setting new records for all-time snowfall. Is this a fluke or a trend? Hard to say, but a brewing El Nino warm phase in the Pacific Ocean may lower the potential for heavy snow next winter, according to experts.
Only one thing is certain: we sure got our money's worth of snow this year!
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