When Does The Last Snow Usually Fall In The Duluth Area?
We are halfway through April and winter seems to be really hanging around in the Northland! Duluth continues to see snow with no real end in sight.
It seems like this winter is hanging on more so than last year. In early March, the National Weather Service of Duluth shared that up to that point, it actually had been colder than usual for this time of year in the area. You aren't imagining it!
Now a month later, winter is still clinging on. The Old Farmer's Almanac predicted a much different start to the month than what we've had so far. They said the beginning of the month would be warm and turn to thunderstorms by this point. So far, we've had snow and cold temperatures for the most part.
While we are used to long winters, it is nice when we know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. After all, there is a lot to look forward to come spring. Some of our seasonal businesses have already opened, signaling a turn of seasons. If only someone could give mother nature the memo. Ha!
What is the average date that we see the last snowfall in the Duluth area?
I got sick of hearing about snow in the forecast so I reached out to WDIO Meteorologist Brandon Weatherz to get his take on a few different things. First and foremost, I wanted to know if this winter is dragging on longer than usual.
I asked him what the average date was that we see the very last snowfall in Duluth. The answer surprised me! This is what he had to say in response to my question:
Looking at the latest date Duluth has observed at least 0.1” of snowfall, the average last date is 4/26. The latest on record I can find is May 28th, 1965 when 0.4” was observed.
I thought for sure we'd see our average last snowfall date a bit earlier in the month of April but late April seems surprising to me. I guess this means we still have a week or two of snow without it getting into unprecedented territory.
When will spring weather actually be here in Duluth?
I wanted to know one more thing from WDIO Meteorologist Brandon Weatherz while we were on the topic of snowfall. I asked him when he thinks we will see our last snowfall and turn to actual spring weather in the area. Here's what he had to say:
This year, I think we still have several rounds of at least 0.1” ahead of us as of 4/14. I wouldn’t be surprised if we had to get a week or two into May before we can officially close the books on the current snow season.
This was also hard to take in! I thought for sure we would see things clearing up at the start of May but it looks like we may have to deal with fake spring a little bit longer. Sigh.
As for temperatures and some nice spring warmth, it doesn't look like that's in the forecast either. He shared the following on his social media pages, writing that we will fall well below average when it comes to our normal high and low temperatures.
Hopefully this will answer any questions you may have had about this long winter season. The good news is we are used to cold winters so we know how to navigate long winter seasons, right?