Largest Snow Event of the Season in Rochester – More on the Way
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - While the snowfall total in Rochester from the "clipper" storm that swept through Minnesota last night and this morning was far smaller than the 7-8 inches reported in central Minnesota, it still represented the largest single event snowfall total this winter at the Rochester Airport.
The National Weather Service is reporting 2.5 inches of accumulation at its weather station at the Rochester Airport. Looking back, the previous high mark for snow from a single weather event this winter was 2.1 inches on January 12th.
The modest snowfall from last night and this morning also exceeded the overall snowfall total for the entire month of February when only 1.4 inches of snow was recorded at the Rochester Airport. So far, January was the snowiest month of the entire winter with just over 7 inches of accumulation.
The National Weather Service is currently predicting a major storm will hit Minnesota at the end of the weekend and into early next week. While the exact track of the low pressure center remains uncertain, forecasters are currently predicting that the Rochester area could see 5-9 inches of additional snow starting Saturday night and running through Sunday.
The snow is expected to transition to rain Sunday night and into Monday, which has raised concerns about the risk for ice accumulations. Power companies serving the region have been preparing for the possibility of downed power lines if significant icing occurs and is accompanied by strong winds.
