Northern Minnesota, North Dakota get first taste of winter

A coating of snow fell Wednesday night and early Thursday across northern Minnesota and a few miles over the border into North Dakota, where modest to substantial depths were recorded, providing the first flaky taste of winter.

While Twin Cities residents saw only a few flurries at most, a wide swath of northern Minnesota from near the Canadian border to south of Duluth reported totals ranging from 2 to 5 inches of snow falling Wednesday into Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

In Minnesota, Cook received 5 inches, followed by Warroad at 4.5, Roseau at 4, Orr at 3.8, International Falls at 3.1, then Proctor farther to the south and east at 2, the weather service said.

But those totals pale compared to what eastern North Dakota endured, where 17 inches fell on the town of Finley, about 60 miles southwest of Grand Forks. Other double-digit depths in that part of North Dakota: 14.2 inches in Hope, 13 inches in Valley City and 12 in Cooperstown.

It was nowhere near double digits, but the 5 inches that fell in Grand Forks topped the record of 3 inches that had stood for Oct. 10 since 1921.

In the Twin Cities, the sun will break through Friday, and highs will nudge into the mid-40s. More sunshine is expected through Monday, with highs in the 50s.