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We saw some flurries first start across parts of southeast Minnesota early Monday morning with a few inches possible through Wednesday. And seeing as it's already mid-November, that seems right on schedule. But when is the earliest it's ever snowed?

The white stuff flying around today isn't our first brush with snow this season. If you remember, we had our first brush with snow one month ago on October 14th, when just over a tenth of an inch was recorded at Rochester International Airport.

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 a month ago, 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.

Fortunately, it didn't snow THIS much Friday (This was from the May 2nd, 2013 Rochester snowstorm.) (CSJ/TSM-Rochester)
Fortunately, it didn't snow THIS much Friday! This was from the May 2nd, 2013 Rochester snowstorm. (CSJ/TSM-Rochester)
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In fact, according to former ABC-6 morning meteorologist Cindy Morgan, the earliest date there was measurable snow at Rochester International Airport was... September 26th! Yikes. That's a little early, isn't it?!? Thankfully, while October 14 IS kinda early to see flurries, at least we didn't get any measurable snow in September this year.

Meanwhile, Cindy says 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.

So while those are the extremes, when is the average date we see some measurable snow here in Rah-Rah-Rochester? Well, Cindy reports that'd be... November 5th, which, if you ask me, still seems a wee bit early. Right now, in mid-November, seems about right, though.

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. Can somebody make that happen?!?

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