Even More Snow Expected This Week
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Just when it seemed like we were almost done digging out from the last Minnesota storm, a two-headed snow Hydra rears its (their?) ugly head this week.
Monday's snow was still falling as the Vikings and Bears took to the field at TCF Bank Stadium. But if the players looked quick on their feet, traffic had slowed down to a crawl around the metro area, if that.
The system was predicted to drop between 4 and 8 inches of snow on the Twin Cities. The snow was moving out of the metro area as of 6 p.m., but not before a number of communities declared snow emergencies.
Monday's snowstorm thankfully skipped over the morning commute and began around noon. The snow showers began in the southwest part of the state and moved in, bringing a bit milder temperatures.
Meteorologist Chris Shaffer said 7.5 inches of snow fell on Madelia, and North Mankato got 6 inches of snow.
Most of the Twin Cities received closer to 4 inches than 8. Some communities like Eagan were measuring slightly less, standing at 3.3 inches as of 5 p.m.
So far this year, we've seen 34 inches of snow compared to about 40.7 inches last year. But it appears as though we'll surpass that by Christmas Eve. In all, Shaffer said there has been trace snowfall or more on 14 of the 20 days so far this month.
The second storm will hit later this week and promises to make early holiday traveling a potentially dicey situation.
A later round of snow is expected for Thursday, with highs near 25 degrees. The forecast could change in terms of when that second snow will fall but if you have travel plans for the holidays, you may want to head out early. Tuesday and into Wednesday look to be the best for traveling this week.
Click here to see photos of Monday's storm and share your own.
WCCO-TV's Chris Shaffer Reports
