Are Signs Now Pointing To A Brutal Winter For Minnesota This Year?

Shifts in weather patterns thousands of miles away could have Minnesota bracing for a very different season this year. Are they setting the stage for a winter that’s colder, snowier, and harsher than we’ve seen in years?

Minnesota's 'Lost Winter' May Be Over, But Is A Polar Vortex Coming Back?

Living here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, we're used to cold, snowy winters, right? Why, many of us sit back and laugh every year when we see news stories about Old Man Winter throwing a dusting of snow at other states, especially those in the south, which then forces the entire state to shut down.

We're hearty up here in the Bold North! We may not all like winter, but we know how to get through it, right? Right! Except for the last couple of winters, that is.

SEE ALSO: Minnesotans Reveal The Best Part About Fall-- And It's Not PSL!

The Last Two Winters Were Warmer Than Average With Less Snow in Minnesota

According to data from the National Weather Service, the winter of 2023-2024 in Minneota was *the* warmest on record in the Twin Cities, with temperatures ranging from 8 to 12 degrees above normal. It was a similar story across other parts of the state, as well, like in Rochester, where it was just under 10 degrees warmer than normal.

And, we got way less snow that year, too. In fact, the 2023-24 winter was extremely low in snowfall for many parts of the Gopher State. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), most areas in the state had received less than 50 percent of their normal snowfall by the end of February. The DNR even calls it the 'Lost Winter of 2023-2024.'

It was a similar story last year during the winter of 2024-2025, the National Weather Service said, when much of Minnesota was still warmer than average and saw very little snow, as well. In fact, Rochester finished the winter with just 12.5 inches of total snowfall, nearly 23 inches below average!

Will a 'Warm Blob' Over the Pacific Ocean Mean a Brutal Winter for Minnesota?

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But that could all change this winter, if you believe these changing patterns over the Pacific Ocean. MPR Meteorologist Paul Huttner says that a heat wave over the Pacific Ocean that developed this summer (called the 'warm blob') could be large enough to alter the jet stream this winter, which would allow colder, snowier weather to make its way to Minnesota.

Huttner notes that the last time a similar pattern developed over the Pacific Ocean was back in late 2013 and early 2014. That coincides with the most recent 'Polar Vortex' winter here in Minnesota that featured bone-chilling cold and much more snow.

Minnesota Due for a Brutal Winter? Here's Why Experts Say Maybe

In case you need a refresher on just how brutal that Polar Vortex winter was here in the North Star State, the Minnesota State Climate Office noted that the Twin Cities shivered through 53 nights of subzero temperatures that winter, along with shoveling 70 inches of snow! Could that be returning again this winter? Huttner's not completely sold...yet:

There is no guarantee that this winter will turn colder and snowier than normal across Minnesota. But if the warm blob affects jet stream patterns in the same way as 2013-14, we could see a rigorous winter with plenty of cold and snow in Minnesota.

I'm likely in the minority here, but I'd like to see a good 'ol' fashioned winter this year in Minnesota, packed with a lot of snow and some sub-zero temperatures. It would help our state's economy when it comes to skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, and other winter activities that have mainly vanished in the past two years.

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