We have a Winter Weather Advisory in the forecast for southeast Minnesota tonight, but what's the earliest in the fall season it's ever snowed?

Well, it depends on what we're actually calling 'snow'. Reports of flurries, like we had back in early October, aren't really what the weather-folk call 'measurable snow.' So it's kind of a grey area. You might well have already seen some furious flurries this fall, but because it didn't stick on the ground, it doesn't officially count as our first snow.

In fact, according to ABC-6 morning meteorologist Cindy Morgan, the earliest date there was measurable snow at Rochester International Airport was... September 26th! Yikes. That's a little early, isn't it?!? Thankfully that wasn't this year.

And even though the National Weather Service's Winter Weather Advisory tonight is calling for 1 to 3 inches of snow for our neck of the woods, it IS November already, so I guess we shouldn't be too surprised. I remember a few years ago when we got several inches of snow on Veteran's Day (November 11th), and it then pretty much stuck around all winter.

Sometimes, though, we don't get snow until much later. In fact, Cindy says the latest in the season RST has seen measurable snow was... December 19th. Now, that seems a little late, doesn't it? I mean, you're under a week until Christmas at that point-- and hopes of a white Christmas were probably getting pretty grim.

So while those are the extremes, when is the average date we see some measurable snow here in Rah-Rah-Rochester? Well, Cindy reports that'd be... November 5th, which, means we're right on schedule this year.

If things were up to me, though, and I was named King of the Weather for Southeast Minnesota, I'd wait a little bit yet and pick the weekend before Thanksgiving for our first snow. That way, a little white stuff on the ground heading into the short Thanksgiving week would help us all get in the holiday spirit, but yet we could still enjoy some genuine Minnesota fall weather up until then.

Can somebody make that happen?!?

Listen to Curt St. John from 6 to 10 a.m. on Quick Country 96.5
and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 103.9 The Doc

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