AND WE'LL DO SOME CARROLLING.

>> Eric: MANY MINNESOTANS' DREAMS OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS TURNED TO REALITY ON THURSDAY AS THE FIRST BIG SNOWFALL OF THE WINTER HIT THE TWIN CITIES AND SURROUNDING AREAS.

THE STORM WENT A BIT FARTHER SOUTH AND WEST THAN ORIGINALLY FORECAST WITH SNOWFALL TOTALS RANGING FROM 5 INCHES AT MSP AIRPORT TO MORE THAN 7 INCHES IN WINTHROP AND REPORTS OF MORE THAN 8 INCHES IN SEVERAL COMMUNITIES.

PETE BOULAY IS A U OF CLIMATOLOGIST, WORKS FOR THE STATE OFFICE OF CLIMATOLOGY.

PETE, WELCOME BACK.

IS IT HARD TO TRACK THE PRECISE PATHS OF THESE SNOW STORMS?

>> TELL YOU WHAT, THIS IS ONE OF THE STORMS WE WERE TRACKING FOR DAYS ON END.

LOT OF CONSISTENCY WITH THE MODELS.

LUCKILY FOR US IT HAD A MUCH WIDER SWATH THAN EXPECTED SO MUCH MORE OF THE STATE GOT QUITE A BIT OF SNOW OUT OF IT.

>> Cathy: SO WHAT DID IT DO FOR THE SNOWFALL DEFICIT THAT WE'VE HAD?

>> EVERYBODY'S STILL BEHIND IN THE STATE, EITHER YOU'RE HERE, INTERNATIONAL FALLS, DULUTH, EVERYBODY'S BEHIND FOR THE SEASON'S SNOWFALL, ALTHOUGH THIS AT LEAST MAKES IT LOOK MORE LIKE THERE'S SNOW ON THE GROUND NOW.

SO LOT OF PLACES, COUPLE INCHES SHORT OF NORMAL, YOU KNOW, IN SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA, LITTLE FARTHER THAN THAT BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T SEEN AS MUCH SNOW.

INTERNATIONAL FALLS IS THE CLOSEST WITH JUST A LITTLE BIT BEHIND NORMAL FOR THE SEASON.

>> Cathy: SO I WAS LOOKING AT THE NOAA CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER'S THREE-MONTH OUTLOOK.

>> YES.

>> Cathy: IT LOOKS KIND OF INTERESTING.

>> YES, WE'RE IN A LA NINA PATTERN, IT KIND OF FEELS LIKE ONE ALREADY, THIS WAS THE FIFTH ALBERTA CLIPPER WE'VE SEEN, LAST YEAR WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY SO WE'RE ALREADY EXPERIENCING DIFFERENT WEATHER PATTERNS THAN LAST DECEMBER AND GOING FORWARD IN THE FUTURE, YOU KNOW, THE BETTER CHANCE THE COLD AIR WILL EVENTUALLY RETURN BUT WE'LL TAKE A BREAK FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR AFTER THIS WEEKEND.

>> Eric: THIS WINTER GOING TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT THAN LAST'S MILD WINTER >> >> IT WOULD BE HARD TO COMPETE WITH LAST WINTER.

CHRISTMAS WE HAD 50-DEGREE TEMPERATURES, GREEN GRASS, POURING RAIN ACROSS MUCH OF THE STATE.

NOT A WHITE CHRISTMAS AT ALL.

AT LEAST THIS CHRISTMAS WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE A WHITE CHRISTMAS, IT WILL TAKE AWHILE FOR THIS SNOW TO MELT.

>> Cathy: IT WAS SO DEPRESSING LAST YEAR.

I DO NOTE THERE'S A LOT OF SNOW IN NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA INLAND.

WHICH IS NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR?

IS >> YEAH.

YES, ABSOLUTELY.

>> Cathy: VERSUS LAST YEAR.

>> YEAH, WE'RE AHEAD OF LAST YEAR, THAT'S THE GOOD NEWS SO THERE'S ABOUT A FOOT OF SNOW ON THE AWAY FROM THE LAKE, MAYBE 19 INCHES IF YOU GO TO COOK COUNTY.

EXCITED UP THERE, YOU CAN START TO SKI, NOT QUITE SNOWMOBILE YET, CONDITIONS AREN'T GREAT YET, YOU NEED AILOT MORE SNOW FOR THAT.

AT LEAST IT'S COLD ENOUGH TO STAY WITH WHAT THEY'VE GOT.

AND THERE'S ANOTHER WEAK LITTLE STORM THAT WILL MOVES ACROSS SUNDAY INTO MONDAY, MIGHT GIVE THEM A BOOST UP THERE, IT WILL BE NICE.

, WHERE DO OUR SNOWSTORMS USUALLY COME FROM?

FRONTS IN COLORADO?

>> YES.

YEP, SO THE BEST STORMS YOU CAN GET ARE THE ITH ONES THAT KIND OF HOOK UP FROM THE SOUTHWEST FROM THE PANHANDLE AREA THROUGH COLORADO LOW.

THE BEST TRACK FOR US TO SEE A LOT OF SNOW WOULD BE LACROSSE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT BECAUSE THE HEAVIEST FALLS SOUTHWEST OF THE LOW.

>> Eric: WHY SHA?

>> IT'S CLOSER TO THE COLD AIR SYSTEM AND YOU WANT TO BE CLOSE WHERE THERE'S A GOOD SUPPLY OF MOISTURE FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO.

SO THERE COULD BE TORNADOES IN MISSOURI, ILLINOIS, AT THE SAME TIME WE COULD HAVE HEAVY SNOW HERE.

>> Cathy: THAT'S RIGHT.

SINCE WE'RE IN LA NINA PATTERN DOES THAT MEAN WE'LL SEE MORE MOISTURE?

>> THERE IS AT LEAST A CHANCE OF IT, YES.

IT'S NOT A FOR SURE THING BUT FOR THE THREE-MONTH OUTLOOK, THAT'S LIKE JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH, TENDENCY OF SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES, ESPECIALLY WESTERN MINNESOTA AND THE NORTHWEST FLOW, MAYBE MORE ALBERTA CLIPPERS SO MAYBE WHAT WE SAW ON THURSDAY MIGHT HAPPEN AGAIN.

>> Cathy: BY THE WAY, YOU WERE THE INVENTOR OF THE BOULAY BOARD, FOR FOLKS, THIS IS HOW WE MEASURE SNOW IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA WITH THESE BOARDS.

ARE YOU STILL LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO BE SNOWFALL OBSERVERS >> YOU CAN ALWAYS JOIN UP, COC AR OZ IS ALWAYS GOING YEAR-ROUND, WE HAVE A D.N.R.

NETWORK WITH A THOUSAND OBSERVERS, 2,000 PEOPLE ARE MEASURING THE SNOW IN MINNESOTA ALMOST EVERY DAY.

>> Cathy: WITH HE BOULAY