Rochester, Minnesota’s Earliest Snowfall Ever Will Surprise You

If you think snow in Rochester only shows up once those Halloween decorations come down, think again. History shows the Med City has seen flakes fly far earlier than most Minnesotans would ever expect—and it’s a record that still turns heads today.

Don't panic just yet-- we don't have any snow in the immediate forecast for southeast Minnesota. Our first hard frost of the season, yes. No snow just yet. But it's not necessarily unreasonable to think about snow in mid to late October in our neck of the woods. But when is the *earliest* it's ever snowed?

Rochester’s Earliest Recorded Snow: A September Surprise

While our previous winters have been relatively mild, it was just three years ago, in the fall of 2022, that Rochester had its first brush with snow on October 14th, when just over a tenth of an inch was recorded at Rochester International Airport (RST).

ALSO INTERESTING: When Does Rochester Usually See Its First Frost of the Fall?

So when DOES our first snowfall usually happen here in Minnesota? Well, it depends on what we're actually calling 'snow'. Reports of flurries, like we had in October 2022, aren't really what the weather folk call 'measurable snow.' So it's kind of a grey area. You might well see some furious flurries, but because it didn't stick on the ground, it doesn't officially count as our official first snow.

Extreme Snow Records Rochester Won’t Forget

However, to find the earliest ever recorded snowfall in Rochester, we checked in with the National Weather Service (NWS). They report that the earliest date for recorded snowfall in Rochester is September 26, 1942, when between 0.2 to 0.3 inches was reported. And, Rochester was lucky to get less than an inch of snow during that freak early-season storm; other parts of Minnesota saw totals around 4 to 5 inches.

Now, on the other end of the snow spectrum, the NWS reports that the latest in the season RST has seen measurable snow was... December 19th. Now, that seems a little late, doesn't it? I mean, by that point, you're under a week until Christmas-- and hopes of there being a white Christmas were probably getting pretty grim.

Dates for the Average First Snow in Rochester, Minnesota

So while those are the extremes, when is the average date we see some measurable snow here in Rah-Rah-Rochester? Well, NWS reports that'd be... November 4th, although the average first trace of snowfall usually happens on October 20th.

However, if I were King of the Weather for Southeast Minnesota, I'd pick the weekend before Thanksgiving for our first snow. That way, a little white stuff on the ground heading into the short Thanksgiving week would help us all get in the holiday spirit, but yet we could still enjoy some genuine Minnesota fall weather up until then.

When would *you* like to see the first snow in Rochester?

Listen to Curt St. John and Samm Adams in the Morning
weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. on Quick Country 96.5