Chicago, Minneapolis and Milwaukee could see their first measurable snow of the season this week, courtesy of a clipper system called a “Manitoba Mauler.”
A Manitoba Mauler may sound like a Halloween movie, but it is actually a clipper system that forms in Manitoba, Canada – similar to an “Alberta Clipper” but originating in a different Canadian province. This type of fast-moving storm is moisture-starved, so don’t look for major commuter headaches, but we could see snow on the pumpkins.
“These clipper-type storm systems, they don’t have a lot of moisture to work with,” FOX Weather meteorologist Bob Van Dillen said. “They’re coming right over the Canadian prairies. Not a lot of moisture at all, but it is enough to bring in some cooler air and squeak out what available moisture is in the atmosphere and turn into rain or, in this case, a little bit of rain-and-snow mix because that cold air is already in place.”
WHEN IS THE FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON?
Cities in the Upper Midwest could see up to an inch of snow from this system.
“It’s not going to be that much, but it’s going to be enough to be out there that you’re going to notice it for sure,” Van Dillen said. “You are talking about the U.P. in Michigan, right around northern Minnesota, through Wisconsin.”
As the storm and cold air pass over the relatively warm Great Lakes, the Manitoba Mauler will also crank up the lake-effect snow machine.
HALLOWEEN ARCTIC BLAST TO PLUMMET TEMPERATURES TO FREEZING IN EVERY STATE EXCEPT FLORIDA
“And you can see across northern parts of Indiana and a little lake enhancement driving off of Lake Michigan into Michigan itself,” Van Dillen continued. “So when a clipper does go over the Great Lakes, it does pick up some of that moisture – it’s a little extra help for it. So looking for another one, maybe two inches of snowfall, western side of Lower Michigan.”
The lake-effect and lake-enhanced snow pushes east midweek to bring snowflakes to portions of upstate New York, northern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania.
WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF A WHITE HALLOWEEN?
Minneapolis-St. Paul usually sees the first measurable snow on Nov. 4, but the area has seen measurable snow as early as Sept. 24, 1985.
Chicago usually sees the first snow of the season on Halloween. The earliest the Windy City has seen measurable snow was Oct. 12, 2006.