Image courtesy of NWS Chanhassen
In a winter short on snowstorms (through mid-January), the southern quarter of Minnesota picked up a healthy blanket of snow on Friday January 18, 2019.
Heavy snow moved out of South Dakota on Friday morning and set up a nearly stationary band, running along and south of the Minnesota River in western Minnesota, and extending from northern Iowa up into the far southern Twin Cities area. Accumulations were greatest along and near Interstate 90 in far southern Minnesota, where totals of 6-12 inches were common. The highest estimated total was 15 inches near Heron Lake in Cottonwood County (southwestern Minnesota). Accumulations of 1 to 5 inches extended north of the heaviest snow, towards Marshall, Mankato, Northfield, right up to the 35-E and 35-W split in Dakota County.
The following snowfall totals were collected and published by the Twin Cities/Chanhassen office of the National Weather Service.
...SNOWFALL REPORTS... Location Amount Mapleton 12.5 in Winnebago 12.0 in 3 NNE Manchester 11.0 in Albert Lea 10.5 in Sherburn 10.0 in Granada 9.0 in Blue Earth 9.0 in Sherburn 8.5 in New Richland 8.5 in Albert Lea 8.5 in Amboy 8.0 in Glenville 8.0 in Ellendale 8.0 in 8 NE Myrtle 7.0 in St. James 6.0 in Fairmont 6.0 in Albert Lea 6.0 in Owatonna 5.7 in Mankato 5.0 in Redwood Falls 5.0 in Nerstrand 4E 4.9 in Waseca 4.8 in Sveadahl 5NNW 4.7 in New Ulm 3SE 4.6 in St. James 4.5 in Springfield 1NW 4.5 in Albert Lea 4.0 in Waseca 4.0 in Mankato 4.0 in St. Peter 6WSW 4.0 in Montevideo 4.0 in Dawson 4.0 in Milan 1NW 3.8 in St. Peter 3.7 in New Prague 3.5 in Montgomery 3ENE 3.5 in Faribault 3.5 in Canby 3.5 in Clara City 3.5 in Le Center 5NNW 3.5 in Bird Island 7SSE 3.4 in Cannon Falls 3.3 in 6 N Henderson 3.3 in Winthrop 3.2 in Mankato 3.0 in Bird Island 3.0 in 1 N Appleton 2.6 in Vasa 3ENE 2.6 in 8 NE Myrtle 2.5 in 1 ENE Northfield 2.5 in Carver 1W 2.4 in Stockholm 2NE 2.3 in Jordan 1SW 2.2 in Lakeville 2.1 in Vasa 5NNE 2.1 in Mankato 2.0 in Olivia 2.0 in 1 SW St. Peter 2.0 in Prior Lake 1WSW 2.0 in Veseli 1W 2.0 in Red Wing 2.0 in Hutchinson 5N 1.8 in Hutchinson 1.7 in Lakeville 1.6 in Apple Valley 3ESE 1.6 in Lonsdale 1.5 in Prior Lake 1.5 in Glencoe 3NW 1.5 in Glencoe 1.5 in 8 NE Myrtle 1.3 in Shakopee 1.3 in Victoria 1WSW 1.3 in Burnsville 1.1 in Waconia 1.1 in Mankato 1.0 in Willmar 5N 1.0 in 2 WSW Ellsworth 1.0 in Hastings (L/D 2) 1.0 in Chaska 0.9 in 1 SW Chanhassen 0.5 in Observations are collected from a variety of sources with varying equipment and exposures. We thank all volunteer weather observers for their dedication. Not all data listed are considered official.