‘Dry Slot’ Blamed for Less Snow Than Forecasted

If you're wondering what happened to all the snow we were supposed to get in Central Minnesota, the National Weather Service says you can blame the 'dry slot'.

"What the heck is a dry slot?", you might ask.

The NOAA defines it like this:

Dry Slot: A zone of dry (and relatively cloud-free) air which wraps east- or northeastward into the southern and eastern parts of a synoptic scale or mesoscale low pressure system. A dry slot generally is seen best on satellite photographs.

- NOAA

Skiers, snowmobiler's and just snow lovers in general can curse the 'dry slot' for not providing more of the white stuff to play in.

Here are some reported snow totals for St. Cloud and around Central Minnesota. For more, check out the National Weather Service interactive map.

(UPDATED)

• Brainerd: 5 - 7.6 inches
• Buffalo: 3 inches
• Clearwater: 7.1 inches
• Kimball: 6 inches
• Little Falls: 5 inches
• Long Prairie: 5 inches
• Milaca: 6 inches
• Otsego: 3.5 inches
• Paynesville: 5 inches
• St. Cloud: 4 - 5 inches