What followed past Novembers with little snow

What followed past Novembers with little snow

2023 is on track to be Duluth's second least snowy November on record. Meteorologist Brandon Weatherz breaks down what followed in winters with similar starts to the season.

With 1.3″ for monthly snowfall through November 29, Duluth is on track for the second least snowy November on record. With records going back to 1950, here are the rankings:

  • First: 1.1″ – 2009
  • Second: 1.3″ – 2023
  • Third: 1.4″ – 2004
  • Fourth: 1.6″ – 1980, 1963
  • Fifth: 1.8″ – 1962

It’s interesting to note what followed each of these similarly non-snowy Novembers for the rest of the season.

1962-1963 didn’t have an impressive December or January with 8.6″ and 3.6″ respectively. The season total was only 48.6″.

November 1963 was followed by a couple of decent months with 15.9″ in December and 10.8″ in January. The season wrapped up with an unimpressive 54.2″.

1980-1981 had a measly 7.1″ in December and 4.7″ in January. It shaped up to be the least snowy season on record with 36.5″.

These three seasons all shaped up to be below average by a decent margin. The current normal snowfall for 1991-2020 in Duluth is 90.2″. There have been Novembers lacking snow that were compensated by the months that followed.

December, 2004 brought 17.3,” and January, 2005 was the second snowiest on record with 45.7″. The season total was 91.5″.

November 2009 also preceded a snowy stretch with 33.4″ in December and 14.6″ in January. Even so, the season overall wasn’t very snowy with a total of 65.8″.

In the Storm Track Winter Prediction for 2023-2024, Chief meteorologist Justin Liles anticipated low snow in November and a season total between 60″ and 70″.