Cotton Ball Sized Snowflakes Fall Across The Northland On Sunday

We were bracing for another round of snow this last weekend on what has been a very white end of 2025 and start of 2026. Starting with our first snowstorm before Thanksgiving, we've had several clippers come through. Sunday's snow totals didn't amount to much in The Northland, but the size of the snowflakes was remarkable.

Just after 1 PM, snowflakes that looked larger than cotton balls were falling from the sky. There wasn't much wind, and they floated down and coated the ground in no time. They were so large that it made me double-take when I looked out the window. I called over to my wife and kids to take a look!

Minutes later, I got a text from my father, who lives nearby, and he said, "Holy SH%^T! Snowballs are falling from the sky!"

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The weather event was very close to the National Weather Service Duluth, MN forecast, which called for an hour of heavy snow at 2 pm.

Local TV anchor Dan Wolfe from KBJR 6 captured video of the large snowflakes and posted them on social media.

What causes giant snowflakes?

The air temperature must be close to freezing for giant snowflakes to form. With it being just at freezing, it causes the edge of ice crystals to melt, which forms a film that attracts more snowflakes. The calm wind also helps keep the giant snowflakes clumped together. It's a phenomenon that is pretty rare, as conditions have to be perfect. A slight change of temperature, warmer, and it's freezing rain.