Snow Baby

I wonder if Cora and Hazel will ever see a snowier winter than this one has been. (Certainly not while we're living in South Carolina.)

Top Ten Snowiest Winters 
in the Twin Cities 1884-2011 
------------------------------ 
1.  1983-84 ....... 98.6* 
2.  1981-82 ....... 95.0 
3.  1950-51 ....... 88.9 
4.  1916-17 ....... 84.9
5.  2010-11 ....... 84.7 (thru March 24) 
6.  1991-92 ....... 84.1 
7.  1961-62 ....... 81.3 
8.  1951-52 ....... 79.0 
9.  1966-67 ....... 78.4 
10. 2000-01 ....... 75.8

* All measurements in inches.

This has even been the second-snowiest winter I've ever been through, right after:
  

Ten Snowiest Winters in Chicago History

1) 89.7" in 1978-1979

(ETA: update--with the final snow of the year measured at April 20, the final ranking for our one Minnesota winter was

4.  2010-11 ....... 86.6

We'll never know a typical Minneapolis winter.)

It really didn't bother us that much when it came down to it. We kind of watched in awe as it just kept piling up and piling up. I'm very glad that when we were looking for an apartment here in Minnesota, though, I prioritized getting a place where we didn't have to do any shoveling--boy was that prescient!

Once it became clear how much Hazel loved being outside in the snow and cold, we started chucking her out on the back patio, now that she's a pretty solid walker. Sometimes both girls would go, sometimes only one wanted to. Of course Hazel wouldn't stay out there long.

 

 
 

Almost all that snow stuck around until the beginning of April, and then melted pretty rapidly, in about a week. All of a sudden, everything we hadn't seen since November 12 reappeared. We're glad to have spring back, and we hope the girls got their fill of snow, because next winter is almost certain to be the least snowy winter any of us has ever been through.