Fallinter in Minnesota

It has been an early fall, or pre-winter, here in Minnesota. We got a couple of inches of snow close to three weeks ago and some of it is still on the ground. Overnight lows have been below 10°F multiple times. Both of these are unusual in recent years, when it generally hasn't snowed until at least Christmas and November temperatures have hovered around freezing at worst.

The good news is the Canadian ridge of air causing our conditions has kept the California smoke plume well to the south of us.

Here's one view of November in Minnesota, 2018:


I'm sad that this tree was cut down — was it an ash, infected with the borer? not sure — but right now it looks like a flower or an organic instance of the Mandelbrot set.