Minnesota weather: Persistent light flakes are likely to decorate much of our work week

(FOX 9) - The calendar may still read November, but this week will feel and look more like Christmas as we get a bit of a jump start to our snow season across much of the state. Light snow may fall in the Twin Cities almost every day this week as we enter an unsettled and fairly stagnant pattern before a shift by the weekend.

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The big difference between this snow and the flakes we've already seen this fall is that the ground is now frozen, so whatever falls will hang around for the foreseeable future. This light snow on Monday is courtesy of a fairly compact storm that's pushing across the Upper Midwest. There isn't a lot of moisture associated with this storm, so overall snow totals will be quite light... although there will certainly be enough to cause some issues on the roads as well as the need to shovel, but nothing groundbreaking, certainly.

Crashes on snowy Minnesota roads: Raw

The Minnesota State Patrol says there were 322 crashes (25 with injuries but none fatal) between 6-11 a.m. on Monday, as well as 67 vehicle spin-outs/vehicles going off the road and three jackknifed semi-trucks.

However, once we get through our Monday, our light snow may not go anywhere until late in the week.

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We're in for a week of unsettled weather, which should bring persistent light flakes for the work week. (FOX 9)

This is because a trough will pivot across the central United States. A trough is defined as an elongated area of relatively low atmospheric pressure that's not always associated with an area of low pressure, AKA a storm system.

Because a trough has relatively low pressure compared to areas around it, it can often lead to some sporadic unsettled weather. In this case, though, the unsettled weather could last a few days because this trough is pivoting like a pendulum across the Upper Midwest... and Minnesota is squarely in the pivot point. This will set the stage for a fairly active work week with off-and-on light snow that could take us into Thursday.

How this whole week unfolds is yet to be determined. However, here's a look at the near term that takes us into Tuesday: