Chris Shaffer

Minneapolis

Chief Meteorologist at WCCO-TV (Minneapolis, MN)

Saturdays with Shaffer Host at WDGY-AM (St Paul,MN)

Columnist at Stillwater Gazette

WCCO-TV Chief Meteorologist

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Articles

What you need to know about severe weather alerts in Minnesota

2 weeks ago | cbsnews.com | Chris Shaffer

When severe weather rolls through, it's easy to get overwhelmed with all the notifications. Here are the four things you need to know about weather alerts and warnings. You'll want to understand the difference between watches and warnings. A watch means severe thunderstorms, tornadoes or flooding is possible. The ingredients are there, but the threat is still to come. They tend to be issued first — up to a few hours in advance.
Weather or not: Sometimes Mother Nature is the biggest prankster of all

2 weeks ago | hometownsource.com | Chris Shaffer

Did anyone pull any April Fools’ Day jokes on you earlier this week? I have pulled my fair share of shenanigans over the years, but the ones I remember most came at the hand of Mother Nature. Let me take you back to 1985. On April 1, I woke to the sound of my mom saying we needed to get outside and shovel or we weren’t going to be able to get our cars out of the driveway. Whatever. It’s April. Nice prank mom. She wasn’t kidding. 14.7 inches of snow fell the night before.
Another sloppy March storm system will bring snow and even blizzard conditions to southern Minnesota

1 month ago | audacy.com | Lindsey Peterson |Chris Shaffer

Warm up the shovels and snow blowers again. Minnesota, this is kind of March in a nutshell, isn't it? You get teased with spring, then brought back to reality with another blast of winter. Snow is on the way Tuesday night into Wednesday and the timing is going to make it a very messy one. WCCO Chief Meteorologist Chris Shaffer says this incoming storm should be very similar to the system that came in March 4 and 5.
Weather or not: March brings so much

1 month ago | hometownsource.com | Chris Shaffer

People often ask me what the weather was like at this time last year. Wow did we get fooled last March. For the first three weeks there was no snow on the ground, and our highs warmed as high as 74 degrees. We were thinking spring, and many were asking if it was safe to start planting things. Tap those brakes. That is what I always tell people. The last 10 days of the month were a flashback to winter. Three different storm systems passed dropping 3.1 inches, 8.2 inches, and 3.9 inches of snow.
Twin Cities now expected to get a few inches of snow with significant winds hampering visibility

1 month ago | audacy.com | Chris Shaffer |Al Schoch |Lindsey Peterson

False spring number one just came to a halt. Just when you thought it was smooth sailing, winter rears its ugly head again. A winter storm warning goes into effect later Tuesday with the Twin Cities metro expected to be hit by more white stuff than originally predicted. For areas directly south and southeast of the metro, a blizzard warning will go into effect. "That heavy snow will be coming with winds gusting up as high as 45 MPH," explains National Weather Service forecaster Mike Griesinger.
Warm Monday before messy spring storm hits Tuesday

1 month ago | msn.com | Chris Shaffer

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That traditional state tournament winter storm? Here it comes

1 month ago | audacy.com | Lindsey Peterson |Chris Shaffer

You knew it was coming. Minnesota's traditional March tournament storm is coming this week although for most of the metro, it will end up being mostly a rain event. While Monday is shaping up to be a beautiful day in the 50s, the other shoe drops Tuesday and Wednesday. The National Weather Service does have a Winter Storm Watch out for parts of Minnesota and Western Wisconsin as Tuesday night into Wednesday should see some March snow according to WCCO Chief Meteorologist Chris Shaffer.
An overnight storm should dump a few inches on the Twin Cities and much of Minnesota

2 months ago | audacy.com | Lindsey Peterson |Chris Shaffer

A significant snowstorm for much of Minnesota is on tap for the weekend, starting late Friday. How much falls and where that falls is a little trickier according to WCCO-TV Chief Meteorologist Chris Shaffer. This is not going to be one of those "snowmageddon" weather events for most of Minnesota, but it is worth watching.
Weather or not: Love is in the air, and so is the amount of snow we may get

2 months ago | hometownsource.com | Chris Shaffer

One year ago, we had a very wimpy January in the snowfall department. We only had two inches for the entire month. It was the eighth least snowy January on record going back to 1884. We had even less this past January. Perhaps you did a dry January and went the entire month without alcohol. Mother Nature gave us a dry January with only 1.7 inches for the month. It was the seventh least snowy on record. And now we press through February. We’ve had some memorable ones lately.
How much snow could Minneapolis and St. Paul see this weekend?

2 months ago | cbsnews.com | Lisa Meadows |Mike Augustyniak |Chris Shaffer

NEXT Weather: 4 p.m. report on Feb. 4, 2025 MINNEAPOLIS — The Twin Cities could see the heaviest snow the area has had since before Christmas over the weekend. A storm bringing accumulating snow is anticipated to arrive Friday night into Saturday. As a result, the WCCO NEXT Weather Team has issued a possible NEXT Weather Alert for Saturday. Snow is likely to have at least a medium impact on the roadways in the Twin Cities metro and beyond this weekend.