Snowfall coming, but it's too warm to stick
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Twin Cities residents will likely wake up to snowflakes Wednesday morning, but don't expect them to stick to the ground as temperatures remain above freezing.
Why it matters: The metro's first significant snowfall usually happens around Nov. 19, but it's looking like we will get a late start this year.
What they're saying: National Weather Service meteorologist Brent Hewitt told Axios that Wednesday's snow should serve as a wakeup call.
- "Do I have my snow kit in the car? Do I have a shovel in the car? Those are things I would ask myself tomorrow, just to prepare for the upcoming winter.
- "It is Minnesota. It's not going to be like last year, where it never did anything. That's very rare."
Flashback: Last winter was the warmest on record in the Twin Cities, and we got less than 30 inches of snow. A normal winter brings 51 inches.
- There was only snow on the ground for two or three weeks, wiping out most winter recreation.
The big picture: University of Minnesota researchers predicted in 2022 that due to climate change, the state's winter temperatures would increase by about 11 degrees by 2100, reducing the days of snow cover by 55.
State of play: The ground is still not frozen in the Twin Cities, but that could soon change as the NWS is predicting overnight temperatures to dip into the 20s this week and next. Daytime highs will be in the 30s.
- "It's been so warm this fall that it's going to be kind of a shock to people who go out there when it's in the 30s and windy," Hewitt said.
What's next: Hewitt said there's a weather system or two coming to the central U.S. next week, but as of Tuesday morning, the models were too noisy to predict if that will mean significant snow for the Twin Cities.
- AAA is expecting a record year for Thanksgiving travel next week.
What we're watching: The National Weather Service will put out its long-range forecast for December, January and February on Thursday.
- That should give us a better idea of how much snow and cold air to expect this winter.