Douglas: Temps in the 30s ahead, just a coating of snow

I’d like to speak to the manager, please. Is Minnesota’s broken snow-machine covered under warranty? Can we get a refund? What a waste of cold air. But sadly, big snowstorms require cold air and surges of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. Too much cold air shoves the storm track too far south of Minnesota for heavy snow.

Pensacola, Fla., picked up a record 8.9 inches of snow Tuesday. According to meteorologist Greg Diamond, that is more snow in one day than Pensacola picked up the previous 124 years combined. Talk about weather-weirding.

Weather models hint at a few opportunities for a sloppy mix the first week of February. Next month should, on paper, be snowier than January. Only 1.7 inches of snow has fallen at MSP; 9.8 inches for the entire winter. That is 17.5 inches less than normal, to date. Your commute may be easier, but many Minnesota businesses are struggling due to a lack of frozen water. Two years in a row.

I see a coating of snow today, but only clippers through late January. A few days of 30s will feel pretty good next week.