Rochester Saw Most Snow and Highest Winds from Storm
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Rochester School District is among those that have canceled classes Monday due to the heavy snow and gust winds that left roads throughout southeast Minnesota impassable on Sunday.
The most recent reports from the National Weather Service suggest Rochester took the hardest hits from the storm. While the snowfall total at the Rochester Airport was not the highest in the region at 10.5 inches, a reading of 14.3 inches in northwest Rochester was the highest. 13 inches of new accumulation was reported in Kasson, Zumbro falls reported 12.5 inches, and around a foot of snow fell in Chatfield, Lewiston and near Lake City and Winona.
At the Rochester Airport, 10.1 inches of snow was recorded on Saturday, which set a new record for February 23. The old record was 4 inches and was set in 1909.
Rochester also reported the highest wind gust in the region. The winds peaked at 56 miles per hour at the Rochester Airport and a 52 mile per hour gust was recorded at the Mayo One Helipad at St. Marys Hospital. There was also a 52 mile per hour gust at Byron.
Rochester’s unofficial snowfall total for this month is now just under 40 inches, which is the 2nd highest snowfall total for any month. It is also only about an inch and a half below the all-time snowfall record for any month set in December 2010 at 41.3 inches. The total for the season is now just over 73 inches, which puts this winter a fraction of an inch outside the top 5 for the snowiest winters on record in Rochester. This year’s total is still a foot below the record set in 1996-97, but that could still be within reach with the entire month of March still in the future.
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