11/13/21: Snow on the way to Minneapolis/St. Paul

11/13/21: Snow on the way to Minneapolis/St. Paul

First off, hello! It’s been nearly a year but now that interesting weather is back in the picture, so am I.

Let’s jump right into it. We saw a massive storm system blast through on Thursday to Friday, leaving is soggy and colder. Ushering in what I’d call “November” in a way that only sunsets before 5 p.m. + thick clouds + damp conditions + wind can truly do.

What happens now is essentially a miniature version of that comes through — only we’re already cold enough for snow. Here’s what the European model is showing for later today:

850mb temperatures via ECMWF, courtesy of Pivotal Weather

That little swirl over Minnesota slides from about Fargo through central MN and onward, leaving us in the Twin Cities with our first measurable snow as it pulls in just enough moisture to produce snow.

Right now it’s looking like enough moisture for about 1-2 inches of snow in the Twin Cities metro area, with maybe a couple reports in the 2.5″ range nearby. The higher, 3-5″ possibilities, are going to be located more from Hickley to Brainerd and northwest of there.

Expect snow to start to show up this afternoon in Minneapolis, likely in the neighborhood of 3-4 p.m., with what appears to be two batches of accumulation, with lighter snow in between.

4 p.m. future radar, showing snow edging in.

By about 6 p.m. we’ll be in the snow shower vs. accumulating snow state, with more light accumulation kicking in by about 7-8 p.m.

By tonight we’ll see our first accumulations of the year. Be safe, and remember whether you’re walking, biking, or driving — these first snowstorms are when drivers make the most mistakes, so be cautious!



Published by Meteorologist Aaron Shaffer

Aaron graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences, and worked as a meteorologist in television for 8 years (NBC affiliates in Wyoming and South Dakota, and the CBS/Fox affiliate in Cedar Rapids, IA, prior to working at the cable weather station WeatherNation). While in Iowa, Aaron worked as a storm chaser and on-air meteorologist, where he went on dozens of storm chases and saw a number of tornadoes.