Seasonal snowfall through December 20th totaled only 1.5 inches at the Twin Cities International Airport. This was the 4th least snowiest astronomical autumn (fall equinox though winter solstice) on record. Few people alive remember the three "browner" autumn seasons, 1918, 1920, and 1923.

What does this say for the rest of the winter? One disturbing trend for snow lovers is that the five least snowiest autumn seasons maintained this trend throughout the winter. All five finished the snow season with much lower than normal snowfall totals. Normal snowfall for the Twin Cities is 55.9 inches. The only winter in the top 11 least snowiest autumn seasons with a snowier than normal winter was 1998-1999, and 16 inches of that came from a single storm in March.

Twin Cities Least Snowfall Totals through December 20 (inches)						
1891 - 2004 (114 years)						

Year   Snowfall     Rank    Season 	  Season Rank
       thru Dec             Snowfall      (1 = lowest)
       20	            Total
----------------------------------------------------
1918   1.0           1      25.4          14		
1920   1.2           2      20.6           6		
1923   1.4           3      32.4          29		
2004   1.5           4         ?           ?		
1904   1.7           5T     31.1          25		
1913   1.7           5T     22.5          10		
1907   2.1           7      52.2          75		
1931   2.3           8      46.6          63		
1965   2.5           9T     36.1          37		
1980   2.5           9T     21.1           7		
1998   2.5           9T     56.5          85

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URL: http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/meager_snow041221.htm
Last modified: December 27, 2004