Where is all the snow?
If you are a Minnesota local you might have noticed this year’s winter season was very different. Here at Camp Foley, we definitely FELT the difference! What little snow we got was gone by January, there are no giant snow piles, icy sidewalks, or icicles hanging from any buildings. Looking on the bright side, the ice outs on the Lakes have been much earlier than usual, so don’t be too worried about Whitefish being cold this summer!
No snow on the ground on March 18th here at Foley
Check out this article from the Minnesota Department of Natural resources explaining the phenomenon.
Where on Earth did Minnesota’s winter go? The State Climatology Office has been looking for proof of this iconic season’s existence since early December 2023, but was only able to find are some traces of it that were left on the ground during mid-January, before melting away during yet another heatwave. A brief resurgence in mid- February brought snow and hope to southern Minnesota, but vanished within days, and a late-month flourish lasted 36 hours before being chased away by yet another warm spell.
The winter season can be defined meteorologically (December through February), astronomically (December 21 to March 21), or based on when we actually experience winter-like conditions, meaning cold and snow. By that latter definition, a typical winter lasts from November into March or even April, but this year, we’ve had only a total of about two weeks of it, and some of that was around Halloween!
Trees cast long shadows at Camp Foley, no snow on the branches… no leaves either
Instead, the winter has been dominated by warmth and snowlessness, with the December-through-February meteorological winter becoming the the warmest on record at almost all stations. Winter heatwaves in December, January, and February produced record high temperatures, record high minimum temperatures, all-time monthly high temperatures, and some “firsts” for winter warmth too. International Falls recorded its first January 50 F temperature in its history, and the Twin Cities broke its record for number of 50 F days for the season by early February, racking up 18 by the end of the month. St. Cloud and the Twin Cities both observed their longest January Thaw on record. Rochester and the Twin Cities both observed their warmest February day in recorded history.
Most areas in the state had received less than 50% of their normal snowfall through the end of February, and had observed 30-70 days since December 1 with no snow on the ground.
The warm conditions and the lack of snow reinforced each other. Snow cover reflects incoming sunlight, which prevents the ground from heating up and warming the air above it. Snow therefore prevents warming and promotes cooling of the local air mass, with stronger effects as the snow deepens. Bare ground, on the other hand, allows much more sunlight to reach the earth, which promotes warming of the air.
No Icy sidewalks here at Foley!
The differences in air temperature between bare and snow-covered can be significant. Looking at all winters since 1994, Milan in western Minnesota averaged nearly 23 degrees F when there was no measurable snow on the ground, versus 12 degrees F with 10+ inches of snow cover, and about 4.5 degrees F when snow depth was at least 20 inches. The lack of snow in 2023-24 definitely contributed to the many extremes of warmth observed in Minnesota.
You can read the rest of the article here!
Like your summer camp with out snow? We’ve got you covered! Check out more about Camp Foley here!