How Rare Is It To Get This Much Snow in Minnesota This Early?

Well, that was unusual. Of course, I'm talking about the dumping on us on Tuesday. And for memory purposes -- that's Tuesday, October 20th, the year 2020. Remember those numbers 10-20-20. Because while it wasn't the 1991 Halloween blizzard (which we'll never forget) it was significant enough snowfall for parts of Minnesota to shatter records, this early, in the month of October.

My wife and were looking outside, just taking in the beautiful snow that was covering our new backyard. Then she said, "I can't remember seeing snow this early before and especially this amount." I said I couldn't either, so let's look it up. That IS one of the main reasons for the internet right?

It was no surprise that the search confirmed our suspicions -- at least for us personally. There are others that live in different parts of Minnesota that might remember something different. And in this state, where you live can impact your experience significantly.  Typically, it's going to be more in northern Minnesota this time of the year. But Central and Southern Minnesota have had their occasional, significant mid-October snowfalls.

According to the Minnesota Climatology Office and the Minnesota DNR:

Statewide, there's been Octobers in recent years with significant snow, mostly confined to the northern half of the state. As recently as October 26, 2008 there was windswept snow with 3.3 inches near Dalton in Otter Tail County...A larger storm also hit northeast Minnesota on October 27-28, 2003. The largest October snowstorm in recent years that hit farther south was on October 20-21, 2002. This storm dropped eight to nine inches in a narrow band over central Minnesota with the heaviest total being 9 inches at Little Falls. - MN State Climatology Office

 

So Little Falls is basically telling many of us Central Minnesotans -- hold our beer.