Historic Snow Storm - Southeast Minnesota: May 1-3, 2013
Northfield, MN - May 2, 2013
photo credit: Emily Spoden
Overview
Over one foot of snow fell on southeast Minnesota on May 1 through May 3. The storm snarled roads, closed or delayed schools, and downed power lines. Daily and monthly snowfall records were set in numerous locations. The event will go into the record books as depositing Minnesota's heaviest 24-hour May snowfall totals ever.
Heavy May snow was reported in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. In Minnesota, the heaviest of the snowfall totals topped 14 inches in Steele, Dodge, Olmsted, Goodhue, and Wabasha counties. Snowfall totals in excess of eight inches were reported in Faribault, Freeborn, Mower, Waseca, Rice, Dakota, Washington, and Winona counties.
While May snowfalls are not uncommon in northern Minnesota, heavy May snowfall in southern Minnesota is rare. A quick scan of all historical Minnesota May daily snowfall totals greater than or equal to 3.0 inches indicates that May 1938 may have been the last time any southern Minnesota observer reported snowfall totals of similar magnitude.
Minnesota's previous record statewide daily May snowfall total was 12.0 inches. This threshold was reached twice: May 8, 1938 in Windom (Cottonwood County) and May 3, 1954 near Leonard (Clearwater County). The Minnesota State Climatology Office will now regard the May 2, 2013 snowfall measurement made in Dodge Center as the largest official 24-hour May snowfall total ever recorded in Minnesota. The Dodge Center snowfall observation made at 7:00 AM CDT on May 2 was 15.4 inches. More snow fell after observation time, adding up to a storm total of 17.2 inches.
A CoCoRaHS observer near Ellendale in Steele County measured 17.3 inches of snow and this establishes a new Minnesota State Record for a three day snowfall in May. Ellendale's May monthly total also was 17.3 inches and this falls just short of Minnesota's all-time monthly May snowfall record of 17.8 inches set in Virginia (St. Louis County) in 1954.
Our delayed spring may have provided an unlikely benefit. During a typical spring, leaves on southeast Minnesota trees are fairly well developed by this time. The additional leaf area would have captured more snow, creating more strain on branches, and perhaps amplifying the impact of downed limbs on power lines.
National Weather Service Products
National Weather Service Snow Reports
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 945 AM CDT WED JUN 5 2013 ...1-DAY...2-DAY AND 3-DAY MAY SNOWFALL RECORDS SET IN MINNESOTA... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND THE MINNESOTA STATE CLIMATOLOGY OFFICE JUST RECENTLY CONFIRMED THAT THE SNOWFALL MEASURED AT DODGE CENTER MINNESOTA /DODGE COUNTY/ IN EARLY MAY OF 2013 ESTABLISHED A 1-DAY AND 2-DAY MAY SNOWFALL RECORD. THEY ALSO CONFIRMED THAT THE COCORAHS OBSERVER NEAR ELLENDALE /0.3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ELLENDALE/ IN STEELE COUNTY ESTABLISHED THE 3-DAY MAY SNOWFALL RECORD DURING THIS SAME SNOW STORM. ON MAY 2ND...THE DODGE CENTER COOPERATIVE OBSERVER RECORDED 15.4 INCHES OF SNOW. THIS ESTABLISHES A NEW MINNESOTA STATE RECORD FOR 1-DAY MAY SNOWFALL. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 12 INCHES AT WINDOM /MAY 8 1938/ AND LEONARD /MAY 3 1954/. FROM MAY 2ND INTO MAY 3RD...THE DODGE CENTER COOPERATIVE OBSERVER RECORDED 17.2 INCHES OF SNOW. THIS ESTABLISHES A NEW MINNESOTA STATE RECORD FOR 2-DAY MAY SNOWFALL. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 12 INCHES AT WINDOM /MAY 8 1938/ AND LEONARD /MAY 3 1954/. FROM MAY 2ND INTO MAY 4TH...THE ELLENDALE COCORAHS OBSERVER RECORDED 17.3 INCHES OF SNOW. THIS ESTABLISHES A NEW MINNESOTA STATE RECORD FOR 3-DAY MAY SNOWFALL. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 12 INCHES AT WINDOM /MAY 8 1938/ AND LEONARD /MAY 3 1954/. THOSE OF US IN THE CLIMATE COMMUNITY ARE EXCEEDINGLY GRATEFUL FOR THEIR DILIGENCE IN MEASURING SNOWFALL DURING THIS HISTORIC MAY SNOW STORM. BOYNE/MARGRAF/SPODEN PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 142 PM CDT THU MAY 2 2013 ...LATEST SNOWFALL REPORTS... LOCATION AMOUNT TIME/DATE LAT/LON MINNESOTA ...DODGE... DODGE CENTER 15.4 IN 0700 AM 05/02 44.03N/92.87W KASSON 14.5 IN 0837 AM 05/02 44.03N/92.75W BLOOMING PRAIRIE 14.0 IN 0950 AM 05/02 43.86N/92.97W PINE ISLAND 5WSW 13.0 IN 1020 AM 05/02 44.18N/92.75W CLAREMONT 13.0 IN 0106 PM 05/02 44.04N/93.00W ...FILLMORE... 1 ENE SPRING VALLEY 8.0 IN 1224 PM 05/02 43.69N/92.37W PETERSON 1S 5.0 IN 0101 PM 05/02 43.78N/91.82W SPRING VALLEY 5.0 IN 0756 AM 05/02 43.69N/92.39W PRESTON 4.0 IN 0800 AM 05/02 43.67N/92.07W PRESTON 1SSE 3.6 IN 0820 AM 05/02 43.66N/92.08W LANESBORO 3.5 IN 1101 AM 05/02 43.72N/91.97W HIGHLAND 2.0 IN 1019 AM 05/02 43.69N/91.89W ...MOWER... BROWNSDALE 10.0 IN 0856 AM 05/02 43.74N/92.87W AUSTIN 2SW 10.0 IN 0855 AM 05/02 43.64N/93.05W ADAMS 2S 8.5 IN 1022 AM 05/02 43.56N/92.71W ...OLMSTED... 2 NW ROCHESTER 15.5 IN 0957 AM 05/02 44.03N/92.50W 2 N ORONOCO 14.0 IN 0953 AM 05/02 44.19N/92.54W ROCHESTER 1NW 12.3 IN 1155 AM 05/02 44.02N/92.49W ORONOCO 11.5 IN 1026 AM 05/02 44.16N/92.54W EYOTA 11.5 IN 1111 AM 05/02 43.99N/92.23W 4 WSW RINGE 11.3 IN 1000 AM 05/02 44.10N/92.47W DOUGLAS 2N 10.0 IN 0928 AM 05/02 44.16N/92.57W 3 NE SALEM CORNERS 9.8 IN 0820 AM 05/02 44.01N/92.56W 1 SE ROCHESTER 9.5 IN 0931 AM 05/02 44.00N/92.46W PINE ISLAND 2S 9.0 IN 0929 AM 05/02 44.19N/92.65W ROCHESTER BELTLINE 5.2 IN 1256 PM 05/02 44.01N/92.47W ...WABASHA... OAK CENTER 15.0 IN 1145 AM 05/02 44.35N/92.40W READS LANDING 1W 12.5 IN 1040 AM 05/02 44.40N/92.17W HAMMOND 1S 10.0 IN 1144 AM 05/02 44.21N/92.37W PLAINVIEW 10.0 IN 1135 AM 05/02 44.16N/92.17W KELLOGG 4S 9.0 IN 1143 AM 05/02 44.24N/91.99W LAKE CITY 6.0 IN 0800 AM 05/02 44.44N/92.28W WABASHA 5S 5.2 IN 1235 PM 05/02 44.32N/92.05W ...WINONA... ST CHARLES 3N 11.5 IN 0104 PM 05/02 44.02N/92.07W 4 SW ELBA 10.0 IN 1100 AM 05/02 44.04N/92.06W LEWISTON 8.0 IN 0117 PM 05/02 43.99N/91.87W WINONA 3.5 IN 1127 AM 05/02 44.05N/91.66W GOODVIEW 2.0 IN 0933 AM 05/02 44.07N/91.71W DRESBACH 0.1 IN 1200 PM 05/02 ...STORM TOTALS FOR SNOWFALL EVENT WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... THANK YOU TO OUR COOP AND COCORAHS OBSERVERS...TRAINED SPOTTERS... OUR PARTNERS...AND THE PUBLIC FOR THESE SNOWFALL REPORTS. THE TOTALS BELOW ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE FINAL AMOUNT FOR EACH LOCATION.... SNOW REPORTS LISTED BY AMOUNT INCHES LOCATION ST COUNTY TIME ------ ----------------------- -- -------------- ------- 18.00 BLOOMING PRAIRIE MN STEELE 1145 AM 17.70 3 NE STOCKHOLM WI PEPIN 0800 AM 17.50 GOODHUE MN GOODHUE 0945 AM 17.00 RICE LAKE WI BARRON 0130 PM 16.00 1 NE CAMERON WI BARRON 1200 PM 16.00 MENOMONIE WI DUNN 0916 AM 16.00 6 WSW ELLSWORTH WI PIERCE 0800 PM 15.80 SW ELLENDALE MN STEELE 0700 AM 15.50 2 E OWATONNA MN STEELE 0730 AM 14.30 2 SE CHETEK WI BARRON 0700 AM 14.00 3 NW SPRING VALLEY WI ST. CROIX 1010 AM 13.50 4 SE RED WING MN GOODHUE 0800 AM 13.50 PINE ISLAND MN GOODHUE 1130 AM 13.50 4 NW ARKANSAW WI PEPIN 0800 AM 13.50 E OWATONNA MN STEELE 0630 AM 13.40 4 E NERSTRAND MN GOODHUE 0800 AM 13.40 1 NE ELK MOUND WI DUNN 0700 AM 12.90 2 WNW LADYSMITH WI RUSK 0700 AM 12.00 BALDWIN WI ST. CROIX 0700 AM 11.40 JIM FALLS WI CHIPPEWA 0700 AM 11.00 1 SSW RIVER FALLS WI PIERCE 0730 AM 10.90 HAMMOND WI ST. CROIX 0700 AM 10.20 CANNON FALLS MN GOODHUE 0813 AM 10.00 ALBERT LEA MN FREEBORN 0529 AM 10.00 WELLS MN FARIBAULT 0800 AM 10.00 OWATONNA MN STEELE 0800 AM 9.90 ZUMBROTA MN GOODHUE 0700 AM 9.40 WASECA MN WASECA 0800 AM 9.30 BLOOMER WI CHIPPEWA 0800 AM 9.30 EAU CLAIRE WI EAU CLAIRE 0700 AM 8.80 ROBERTS WI ST. CROIX 0700 AM 8.50 CHIPPEWA FALLS WI CHIPPEWA 0800 AM 8.00 2 SE COTTAGE GROVE MN WASHINGTON 0510 AM 7.80 NW PRESCOTT WI PIERCE 0800 AM 7.80 HASTINGS MN DAKOTA 1130 AM 7.50 AUGUSTA WI EAU CLAIRE 0800 AM 6.80 NORTHFIELD MN RICE 0830 AM 6.10 7 ESE ST CROIX FALLS WI POLK 0730 AM 6.00 4 W CORNELL WI CHIPPEWA 0800 AM 5.40 6 ESE DRESSER WI POLK 0800 AM 4.00 1 NNW SPRINGFIELD MN BROWN 0700 AM 4.00 3 SE LAKE ELMO MN WASHINGTON 0700 AM 3.90 BLUE EARTH MN FARIBAULT 0800 AM 3.30 1 N WOODBURY MN WASHINGTON 0700 AM 2.20 ROSEMOUNT MN DAKOTA 0800 AM 2.00 SHERBURN MN MARTIN 0730 AM