Forecasters Called It – More than a Foot of Snow
Rochester, MN (KROC AM News) - The Rochester area was in the bullseye of the major winter storm that hit southeast Minnesota and northeast Iowa Thursday and Friday.
The bulk of the wet, heavy snow fell early Friday and there was another round late in the day. By the time the storm had moved on, Rochester and Olmsted County had received 8 - 14 inches. The official storm total at the Rochester airport was 10.2 inches. The total for Friday was 6.4 inches, breaking the previous record for the date (4 inches).
National Weather Service snowfall reports indicate the heaviest snow fell in an area that included Mower, Dodge, Olmsted and Wabasha counties. The highest total was 16 inches in Zumbro Falls. Wabasha reported 15 inches. A site 2 miles southwest of Rochester reported 13.9 inches.
The city of Rochester issued a rare snow emergency, advising residents to not park their vehicles on streets until they were cleared curb-to-curb. Parking will be restricted in the downtown until snow is removed.
Rochester Public Transit also took the rare step of cancelling all its services Friday due to poor driving conditions.
It will be cold this weekend but the Rochester area can expect temperatures to warm to near 40 Monday and Tuesday.
Before the storm, Rochester had received just 2-tenths of an inch of snow during February (a tenth on the 1st and 4th). The last significant snow the city received was from the storm that hit Jan 24 and 25. It dumped 9.3 inches on the city.
The seasonal snowfall total currently stands at 44 inches, which is about 5 ½ inches above normal.