Wichita, Kansas, and Sioux City, Iowa, have had more snow than Minneapolis this winter, where winter festivals have been cancelled and trees are budding.
The snow map has been turned upside down in the Midwest United States this winter, with most of Minnesota in a snow drought while areas from Wichita, Kansas, to Sioux City, Iowa, have been unusually snowy.
Lack of snow and general warmth have caused more than a dozen winter festivals to be canceled in Minnesota. In Edina, trees are budding, and the spring allergy season has started early. Wichita has counted 14.3 inches of snow so far this season, but Minneapolis has received a paltry 7.2 inches, about 2 feet below their normal historical average by this time of year. The city has not had a day of snow over 1 inch since Halloween and no snow at all has fallen in Minneapolis since Jan. 13. Even Nashville, Tennessee, has accumulated more snow, at 7.6 inches, than Minneapolis has this winter at 7.3 inches.
It’s not just Minnesota that’s having an early spring. Much of northern Wisconsin and Michigan and parts of the Ohio Valley have received very little snow this winter, as warm air has been abundant. Flowers have bloomed in Layfayette, Indiana, due to high soil temperatures, nearly a month ahead of schedule.