Rochester Set New Snowfall Record on Thursday

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Rochester, Mn (KROC-AM News) - Even though the brunt of this week’s winter storm hit northeastern Minnesota, Rochester still managed to set a new snowfall record yesterday.

The National Weather Service put the official snowfall total at the Rochester Airport at 4.8 inches, which surpassed the previous record of 4.2 inches from 1940. La Crosse also set a new snowfall record for the date with 6 inches of new snow accumulation.

The snowfall totals along the north shore of Lake Superior were about 5 times higher and it is still snowing today. The Duluth National Weather Service office is reporting 22 inches of accumulation on Wednesday and Thursday. There have been a number of reports of 2 feet or more of snow near Duluth, while the highest snowfall totals reported to the National Weather Service have been near Silver Bay at around 30 inches.

Forecasters are predicting another 3-5 inches of snow in Duluth this afternoon and possibly another inch or two tonight. The responsible storm system has also left thousands of homes and businesses in northern Minnesota without power. At last report, approximately 30,000 utility customers in 7 counties were still without electrical service.

Travel conditions throughout Minnesota remain difficult. In southeastern Minnesota, the State Department of Transportation is reporting that many major highways are still completely covered by snow and ice, including most stretches of I-90 between Austin and La Crosse. The worst conditions are currently found in south-central and western Minnesota where the vast majority of major roadways are completely snow-covered. The best travel conditions are in central Minnesota. Most of the major highways in the St. Cloud area are described as having dry pavement.

The National Weather Service says the storm system that created the slippery conditions will soon be pulling colder air into the region. The Rochester area could see sub-zero cold by Monday morning, while the morning low on Wednesday could be close to -15 and the high temperature that afternoon may not even reach five above.