Rochester Will Likely Set an Incredible Weather Record This Week

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Rochester just set a weather record thanks to the amount of snow we received Friday and Saturday and now it looks like we'll set another weather record later this week, as well.

The first big snowstorm of the season may not have dumped those way-high snow amounts on southeast Minnesota as was first forecast (areas in the southeast Twin Cities Metro like East St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights and Woodbury ended up getting those) but Rochester still set a record for snowfall on Friday.

According to the National Weather Service, 6.5 inches of snow was recorded at Rochester International Airport on Friday, December 10th, breaking the previous record of 5.5 inches, which was set back in 1970.

And now, it's looking like we could definitely set another weather record on Wednesday of this week too. The National Weather Service forecast has temperatures gradually warming up into the 40's before heading to the upper 50's on Wednesday!

You Have Another Chance to Name a MnDOT Snowplow

Keep in mind, the normal high for December 15th in Rochester is 28 degrees. And, if we see temperatures above 52 on Wednesday (which likely will be the case), they will be record-breaking, seeing as that's the current record high temperature, set back in 1910.

And, as if that wasn't enough, we'll also be dealing with some major winds as well. In fact, the National Weather Service has already issued a High Wind Watch from 12 pm through midnight on Wednesday, December 15th. It calls for winds out of the south-southwest from 25 to 35 miles an hour... with gusts up to 60 miles an hour! (Make sure those outdoor Christmas lights are secure!)

And, then, just two days later, on Saturday, highs here in Rochester and across southeast Minnesota are forecast to top out at only 18 degrees-- a full 40 degrees colder than it'll be on Wednesday!

Weird weather indeed! Although we know Mother Nature is always capable of throwing some unique things at us here in Minnesota, right? Keep scrolling to see some of the most expensive weather disasters we've experienced here and across the country recently.

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LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.