A historic late season snow storm is wrapping up across Minnesota. It was an impressive storm for any time of the winter, but unbelievable for May. Records were shattered as the storm dumped some of the highest snow totals ever recorded in the month of May anywhere in the state. The state record for daily snow during May is one foot. Many locations in southeast Minnesota set daily snowfall records for May 2nd.
Snow was triggered by cold air funneled in from the north and west behind a cold front, and enhanced along the jet stream flowing north to south across the state. The heavy, wet, narrow band of snow snapped trees and power lines. Had the snow band shifted 50 miles to the northwest, a greater portion of the Twin Cities would have shared in the brunt of the storm. It was a challenging storm to predict snow totals as it is May after all, and the models were indicating the snow band would set up somewhere near or on top of the Twin Cities metro where 3 million people could be impacted.
The highest reported amount was 18 inches in Blooming Prairie. An interesting note with this total is that it is not considered an official source, so it probably will not be included in the state record books. According to the National Weather Service, “Only meteorological observations from weather stations that are recognized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as official (including Climate Reference Network, Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow Network, Historical Precipitation Network, Surface Observation Network and Cooperative Observation Network stations) are considered for state records.” Therefore, Dodge Center will likely go into the record books as the state record at 15.4 inches once it is confirmed by the State Climatology Office. Here is a look at some other totals from across the area:
| Report Time (UTC) | Location | County | ST | Mag. (Inches) | Source |
| Thu May 2 16:45:00 CDT 2013 | Blooming Prairie | Steele | MN | 18.0 | emergency mngr |
| Thu May 2 12:30:00 CDT 2013 | 2 E Owatonna | Steele | MN | 15.5 | public |
| Thu May 2 14:57:00 CDT 2013 | 2 NW Rochester | Olmsted | MN | 15.5 | public |
| Thu May 2 12:00:00 CDT 2013 | 1 WNW Dodge Center | Dodge | MN | 15.4 | coop observer |
| Thu May 2 19:40:00 CDT 2013 | Zumbrota | Goodhue | MN | 15.1 | trained spotter |
| Thu May 2 12:00:00 CDT 2013 | SW Ellendale | Steele | MN | 15.0 | cocorahs |
| Thu May 2 13:00:00 CDT 2013 | SW Ellendale | Steele | MN | 15.0 | cocorahs |
| Thu May 2 16:45:00 CDT 2013 | OAK Center | Wabasha | MN | 15.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 13:37:00 CDT 2013 | Kasson | Dodge | MN | 14.5 | public |
| Thu May 2 14:50:00 CDT 2013 | 7 WSW Hayfield | Dodge | MN | 14.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 14:53:00 CDT 2013 | 2 N Oronoco | Olmsted | MN | 14.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 21:10:00 CDT 2013 | 1 S Maple Springs | Wabasha | MN | 14.0 | public |
| Fri May 3 00:12:00 CDT 2013 | Grand Meadow | Mower | MN | 14.0 | public |
| Fri May 3 00:43:00 CDT 2013 | 4 W Simpson | Olmsted | MN | 13.9 | public |
| Thu May 2 12:52:00 CDT 2013 | Kasson | Dodge | MN | 13.5 | public |
| Thu May 2 13:00:00 CDT 2013 | 4 SE RED Wing | Goodhue | MN | 13.5 | cocorahs |
| Thu May 2 16:30:00 CDT 2013 | Pine Island | Goodhue | MN | 13.5 | public |
| Thu May 2 18:49:00 CDT 2013 | Rochester Airport | Olmsted | MN | 13.5 | coop |
| Thu May 2 21:48:00 CDT 2013 | Oronoco | Olmsted | MN | 13.2 | public |
| Thu May 2 09:45:00 CDT 2013 | Owatonna | Steele | MN | 13.0 | trained spotter |
| Thu May 2 10:00:00 CDT 2013 | 4 SE RED Wing | Goodhue | MN | 13.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 12:17:00 CDT 2013 | Kasson | Dodge | MN | 13.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 15:20:00 CDT 2013 | 2 NE Berne | Dodge | MN | 13.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 16:30:00 CDT 2013 | SE RED Wing | Goodhue | MN | 13.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 17:00:00 CDT 2013 | Rochester | Olmsted | MN | 13.0 | broadcast media |
| Thu May 2 18:06:00 CDT 2013 | Claremont | Dodge | MN | 13.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 12:00:00 CDT 2013 | 2 SSE Claremont | Dodge | MN | 12.8 | cocorahs |
| Thu May 2 11:38:00 CDT 2013 | 2 NE Berne | Dodge | MN | 12.5 | public |
| Thu May 2 12:13:00 CDT 2013 | 2 SSE Claremont | Dodge | MN | 12.5 | public |
| Thu May 2 13:30:00 CDT 2013 | 3 NNW Nerstrand | Rice | MN | 12.5 | nws employee |
| Thu May 2 15:40:00 CDT 2013 | 1 S Maple Springs | Wabasha | MN | 12.5 | public |
| Thu May 2 16:55:00 CDT 2013 | 1 NW Rochester | Olmsted | MN | 12.3 | public |
| Thu May 2 12:00:00 CDT 2013 | 4 W Simpson | Olmsted | MN | 12.1 | coop observer |
| Thu May 2 13:00:00 CDT 2013 | 3 NE Stockholm | Wright | MN | 12.0 | cocorahs |
| Thu May 2 13:00:00 CDT 2013 | Stockholm | Wright | MN | 12.0 | co-op observer |
| Thu May 2 10:53:00 CDT 2013 | Conger | Freeborn | MN | 11.5 | public |
| Thu May 2 15:26:00 CDT 2013 | Oronoco | Olmsted | MN | 11.5 | public |
| Thu May 2 16:11:00 CDT 2013 | Eyota | Olmsted | MN | 11.5 | public |
| Thu May 2 18:04:00 CDT 2013 | 3 N Saint Charles | Winona | MN | 11.5 | public |
| Thu May 2 15:00:00 CDT 2013 | 4 WSW Ringe | Olmsted | MN | 11.3 | cocorahs |
| Thu May 2 13:00:00 CDT 2013 | 4 E Nerstrand | Goodhue | MN | 11.2 | cocorahs |
| Thu May 2 13:30:00 CDT 2013 | E Owatonna | Steele | MN | 11.1 | cocorahs |
| Thu May 2 12:29:00 CDT 2013 | Wells | Faribault | MN | 11.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 21:07:00 CDT 2013 | 3 SW Wykoff | Fillmore | MN | 11.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 12:00:00 CDT 2013 | 3 W Rochester | Olmsted | MN | 10.8 | cocorahs |
| Thu May 2 12:30:00 CDT 2013 | 4 SSW Zumbro Falls | Wabasha | MN | 10.5 | cocorahs |
| Thu May 2 19:01:00 CDT 2013 | 1 ENE Austin | Mower | MN | 10.5 | broadcast media |
| Thu May 2 10:29:00 CDT 2013 | Albert LEA | Freeborn | MN | 10.0 | trained spotter |
| Thu May 2 12:00:00 CDT 2013 | 1 S Austin | Mower | MN | 10.0 | coop observer |
| Thu May 2 12:29:00 CDT 2013 | Waseca | Waseca | MN | 10.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 12:29:00 CDT 2013 | Bricelyn | Faribault | MN | 10.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 12:40:00 CDT 2013 | 2 SW Austin | Mower | MN | 10.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 12:57:00 CDT 2013 | RED Wing | Goodhue | MN | 10.0 | trained spotter |
| Thu May 2 13:00:00 CDT 2013 | Wells | Faribault | MN | 10.0 | cocorahs |
| Thu May 2 13:38:00 CDT 2013 | 1 NW Rochester | Olmsted | MN | 10.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 13:55:00 CDT 2013 | 2SW Austin | Mower | MN | 10.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 13:56:00 CDT 2013 | Brownsdale | Mower | MN | 10.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 14:28:00 CDT 2013 | 1 W Oronoco | Olmsted | MN | 10.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 16:00:00 CDT 2013 | 4 SW Elba | Winona | MN | 10.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 16:35:00 CDT 2013 | Plainview | Wabasha | MN | 10.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 16:44:00 CDT 2013 | 1 SSE Hammond | Wabasha | MN | 10.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 13:20:00 CDT 2013 | 3 NE Salem Corners | Olmsted | MN | 9.8 | public |
| Thu May 2 12:00:00 CDT 2013 | 2 SW Genoa | Olmsted | MN | 9.6 | coop observer |
| Thu May 2 14:31:00 CDT 2013 | 1 SE Rochester | Olmsted | MN | 9.5 | broadcast media |
| Thu May 2 10:45:00 CDT 2013 | RED Wing | Goodhue | MN | 9.3 | trained spotter |
| Thu May 2 13:38:00 CDT 2013 | Oronoco | Olmsted | MN | 9.1 | public |
| Thu May 2 08:32:00 CDT 2013 | 2 NE Berne | Dodge | MN | 9.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 12:00:00 CDT 2013 | 2 SE Mantorville | Dodge | MN | 9.0 | cocorahs |
| Thu May 2 13:00:00 CDT 2013 | Waseca | Waseca | MN | 9.0 | co-op observer |
| Thu May 2 13:08:00 CDT 2013 | OAK Center | Wabasha | MN | 9.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 14:29:00 CDT 2013 | 5 NNW Genoa | Olmsted | MN | 9.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 16:43:00 CDT 2013 | 5 S Kellogg | Wabasha | MN | 9.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 15:22:00 CDT 2013 | 1 SSE Adams | Mower | MN | 8.5 | public |
| Thu May 2 10:10:00 CDT 2013 | Hastings | Dakota | MN | 8.4 | trained spotter |
| Thu May 2 12:00:00 CDT 2013 | Zumbrota | Goodhue | MN | 8.4 | co-op observer |
| Thu May 2 10:54:00 CDT 2013 | 5 S Farmington | Dakota | MN | 8.3 | trained spotter |
| Thu May 2 12:00:00 CDT 2013 | 3 SSE Hampton | Dakota | MN | 8.2 | cocorahs |
| Thu May 2 13:13:00 CDT 2013 | Cannon Falls | Goodhue | MN | 8.2 | co-op observer |
| Thu May 2 06:50:00 CDT 2013 | Owatonna | Steele | MN | 8.0 | trained spotter |
| Thu May 2 10:10:00 CDT 2013 | 2 SE Cottage Grove | Washington | MN | 8.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 12:00:00 CDT 2013 | 4 N Stewartville | Olmsted | MN | 8.0 | asos |
| Thu May 2 12:02:00 CDT 2013 | 4 W Simpson | Olmsted | MN | 8.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 13:58:00 CDT 2013 | 5N ST Charles | Winona | MN | 8.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 17:24:00 CDT 2013 | 1 ENE Spring Valley | Fillmore | MN | 8.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 18:17:00 CDT 2013 | Lewiston | Winona | MN | 8.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 22:13:00 CDT 2013 | Chatfield | Fillmore | MN | 8.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 22:13:00 CDT 2013 | Spring Valley | Fillmore | MN | 8.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 16:30:00 CDT 2013 | Hastings | Dakota | MN | 7.8 | public |
| Thu May 2 11:47:00 CDT 2013 | Oronoco | Olmsted | MN | 7.7 | public |
| Thu May 2 08:00:00 CDT 2013 | 5 N Kenyon | Goodhue | MN | 7.5 | trained spotter |
| Thu May 2 12:00:00 CDT 2013 | 2 N Viola | Olmsted | MN | 7.4 | coop observer |
| Thu May 2 23:40:00 CDT 2013 | Lanesboro | Fillmore | MN | 7.3 | public |
| Thu May 2 09:42:00 CDT 2013 | RED Wing | Goodhue | MN | 7.2 | trained spotter |
| Thu May 2 21:26:00 CDT 2013 | 1 ESE Peterson | Fillmore | MN | 7.2 | public |
| Thu May 2 09:54:00 CDT 2013 | Mantorville | Dodge | MN | 7.0 | law enforcement |
| Thu May 2 11:30:00 CDT 2013 | 4 W Simpson | Olmsted | MN | 7.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 11:31:00 CDT 2013 | 4 W Simpson | Olmsted | MN | 7.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 11:37:00 CDT 2013 | Austin | Mower | MN | 7.0 | law enforcement |
| Thu May 2 13:00:00 CDT 2013 | Albert LEA | Freeborn | MN | 7.0 | co-op observer |
| Thu May 2 13:30:00 CDT 2013 | Northfield | Rice | MN | 6.8 | trained spotter |
| Thu May 2 08:23:00 CDT 2013 | Hastings | Dakota | MN | 6.7 | trained spotter |
| Thu May 2 11:46:00 CDT 2013 | 1 W Rochester | Olmsted | MN | 6.5 | public |
| Thu May 2 12:00:00 CDT 2013 | 3 E Spring Valley | Fillmore | MN | 6.5 | coop observer |
| Thu May 2 12:30:00 CDT 2013 | 1 SSE Theilman | Wabasha | MN | 6.2 | coop observer |
| Thu May 2 08:26:00 CDT 2013 | Zumbrota | Goodhue | MN | 6.0 | co-op observer |
| Thu May 2 10:44:00 CDT 2013 | Northfield | Rice | MN | 6.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 11:00:00 CDT 2013 | 3 NE Rochester | Olmsted | MN | 6.0 | cocorahs |
| Thu May 2 11:27:00 CDT 2013 | Rochester | Olmsted | MN | 6.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 13:00:00 CDT 2013 | 1 S Lake City | Wabasha | MN | 6.0 | coop observer |
| Thu May 2 22:13:00 CDT 2013 | Preston | Fillmore | MN | 6.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 12:00:00 CDT 2013 | 1 N Wabasha | Wabasha | MN | 5.6 | coop observer |
| Thu May 2 07:15:00 CDT 2013 | 1 N Hastings | Washington | MN | 5.5 | public |
| Thu May 2 17:35:00 CDT 2013 | 3 WNW Kellogg | Wabasha | MN | 5.2 | public |
| Thu May 2 05:30:00 CDT 2013 | Owatonna | Steele | MN | 5.0 | trained spotter |
| Thu May 2 10:45:00 CDT 2013 | 4 SE Douglas | Olmsted | MN | 5.0 | broadcast media |
| Thu May 2 11:00:00 CDT 2013 | Grand Meadow | Mower | MN | 5.0 | coop observer |
| Thu May 2 11:03:00 CDT 2013 | Grand Meadow | Mower | MN | 5.0 | coop observer |
| Thu May 2 12:56:00 CDT 2013 | Spring Valley | Fillmore | MN | 5.0 | public |
| Thu May 2 18:01:00 CDT 2013 | 1 ESE Peterson | Fillmore | MN | 5.0 | public |
Ever wanted to see 15 inches of snow accumulate in just a couple minutes? This video time lapse from Owatonna created by Kyle Schanus captures it.
Maybe we will finally turn the page in May and actually have a spring? With the way 2013 has gone, anything can happen. It truly has been a bizarre year already. It seems over the last five years or so, the weather has bounced around from extremes and many records have been easily broken. The snow and cold has kept severe thunderstorms to a minimum in the state, with just a handful of warnings so far. We could be looking at a record low number of tornadoes statewide after having the highest total ever just three years ago. A lot of comparisons have been made to 1965. With all this precipitation, rivers are on the rise. Could we be dealing with major flooding soon? One thing is certain, the odds of seeing a May 6th tornado outbreak are pretty slim.
RS
