February 20th Snowfall Prior Lake Minnesota
On February 20 and 21st, we had a record dump of snow, over 14 inches in total. The snowfall record for the month of February was broken, and now there is a new record of 14.8 inches for any snowfall in February, in Scott County, MN This beats the 10.4 inch record that was set in 2004. And, added to the largest snow fall recorded for one day in the month of February since 1913.
That being said, the record is set at 97 inches in 1983-1984, for the largest recorded snow count. If we continue with our current kind of snow fall, we could very well beat the record for the snowiest winter on record in Minnesota.
That is a big deal, as the snow fall here is often close to 80 inches in one season, but rarely gets above 80 inches. The average is around 55 inches, and recently, we had only around 35 to 40 inches of snow, in the previous 5 years.
Why is the snow so deep this year? It could be said that the cooler pacific waters, have created a normal range of snowfall, and that the warmer waters of the last few years, have been slowly creating a form of a snow deficit. If you believe the connection between an El Nino Year and a La Nina year, you can be sure to have a larger indicator to how snowy your season may be.