 Herman, Mich., located in the Upper Peninsula, reported the first
snowfall in the Midwest this year, with 0.1 inches recorded on Oct.
19. Generally, locations farther north will experience an earlier
onset of snowfall each season.The earliest median date for the
first snowfall in the Midwest is Oct. 10. The median date is
determined such that half the years are before this date and half
occur after this date. The median dates and normal snowfall values
were calculated using data from 1981 to 2010.
In Minneapolis, Minn., the median date is early in the season, on
Nov. 4. Green Bay, Wis., and Des Moines, Iowa, generally receive
their first snowfall around Nov. 10. The median date of first
snowfall in Chicago is Nov. 20.
Farther to the south, the first snowfall of the season typically
occurs in late November and early to mid-December. Indianapolis,
Ind., and Champaign-Urbana have a median date for the first snowfall
on Nov. 25 and 30, respectively. St. Louis, Mo., generally receives
their first snowfall around Dec. 1 and Lexington, Ky., on Dec. 4.
Based on climatology, it is highly probable that residents in the
northern latitude cities of Minneapolis, Minn., and Green Bay, Wis.,
will see snowfall in November. Minneapolis has experienced November
snowfall in 94 percent of the years on record, and Green Bay has
experienced November snowfall in 90 percent of the years since
records began in 1886.
The central Midwest also has a good chance of seeing snowfall in
November. Des Moines, Iowa, and Indianapolis, Ind., have experienced
November snowfall in about 75 percent of the years on record.
Even though St. Louis, Mo., and Lexington, Ky., are located
farther south, they too experience snowfall in November. In fact,
Lexington has received measurable November snowfall in 58 percent of
the years since records began in 1887.
So, how much November snowfall is normal across the Midwest? The
November snowfall normal is 8.8 inches in Minneapolis and 4 inches
in Green Bay.
Located farther to the south than Green Bay but downwind of Lake
Michigan, Big Rapids, Mich., generally experiences a snowier
November, with a normal snowfall of 4.9 inches. The higher November
snowfall normal in Big Rapids reflects the influence of lake-effect
snowfall, which occurs when cold, Canadian air masses move across
the Great Lakes while water temperatures are still relatively warm.
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November snowfall normals decrease moving farther south: 2.9
inches in Des Moines, Iowa; 1.3 inches in Chicago; 0.8 inches in
Champaign-Urbana and in Columbus, Ohio; 0.7 inches in Indianapolis,
Ind., and St. Louis, Mo.; and 0.3 inches in Lexington, Ky.
The snowiest November on record for Minneapolis occurred in 1991,
when they received 46.9 inches of snowfall. Minneapolis received two
record-breaking snowstorms that November, both of which remain on
the "Top 14 Largest Snowfalls in the Twin Cities" list (No. 1 and
No. 13), according to the Minnesota Climatology Working Group.
Green Bay has sustained their record for snowiest November for
121 years, since 1889, when 21.3 inches was recorded.
The Great Appalachian Storm of November 1950 produced significant
damage and record-breaking snowfall totals for the Appalachian
region and eastern United States. During this storm, Columbus, Ohio,
and Lexington, Ky., recorded a total of 15.2 inches and 9.7 inches,
respectively, making 1950 the snowiest November on record for both
locations.
The Midwestern Regional Climate Center is a cooperative program
of the Illinois State Water Survey and the National Climatic Data
Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S.
Department of Commerce.
[Text from file received from
the Illinois
State Water Survey]
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