National Weather Service Meteorologist Tyler Hasenstein said there have been plenty of systems in the Midwest this year, but few had made it north enough to give Minnesota the typical snowfall it’s used to.

“This has been our best opportunity for a system far enough north to have an impact,” he said. “Many of the storms have been to the south in Iowa, Wisconsin, and southern Great Lakes. “We got lucky enough to have a system come north enough.”

Hasenstein said the NWS was aware of the system as early as last week but didn’t know what was going to come until later on.

“We had been tracking this system since last week,” he said. “While the details were muddy, we knew we were going to have something come last Wednesday. By Monday we knew snow was coming but we didn’t know where and how much. By Tuesday we had an idea and put out advisories.”

Clay Schuldt Valentine’s day went white this year, as snow fall accumulated to 4.5 inches Wednesday night and Thursday morning. National Weather Service Meteorologist Tyler Hasenstein said the area hasn’t received a snowstorm of this magnitude on Valentine’s day since 2005. Below,the Walters family of Jeremy Walters, (left) Rylynn Walters (center) and Hudson Watlers prepare to race down the snow hill in South Park.

According to NWS data, Hasenstein said the system went as far north as St. Cloud and south into northern Iowa. From west to east, the storm stretched from western South Dakota through Michigan.

NWS data found New Ulm received 4 1/2 inches. As for the epicenter of snowfall, Hasenstein said the Twin Cities got hit the hardest.

“There was six to seven inches in the southern Twin Cities area,” he said. “In the area around Brown County, there were reports from three to four inches around Mankato and five to five-and-a-half inches in southern Sibley County.”

Hasenstein said a storm of this size has not made an appearance on Valentine’s Day since 2005. There was a smaller, one to two-inch flurry in 2022. The six to seven inches received in the Twin Cities was the most they’ve received on the holiday since 1950.

As for tips to stay safe in the next few days, Hasenstein said temperatures will see melt/freeze conditions on the road.

The Walters family, Jeremy Walters, (left) Rylynn Walters (center) and Hudson Watlers (right) prepared to race down the snow hill in South Park. It was the first oppertunity for the family to go sledding this season. Jeremy Walters said it was also the first time this season he plowed snowed.

“The biggest thing is over the next couple of days there could be melt during the day and freeze during the night,” he said. “During the night there could be black ice spots people haven’t had to deal with yet.”

According to Accuweather, Thursday and Friday will see temperatures stay below freezing. From Saturday on, highs are expected to be above freezing in the 30s and 40s with lows dipping below freezing.