With This Year’s Epic Snowfall, Expect Epic Waterfalls In Minnesota This Spring

With the incredible amounts of snow that have fallen on the Land of 10,000 Lakes this year, we denizens of the Bold North are certainly sick and tired of winter. But one silver lining to all this snowfall is the potential for epic waterfalls in Minnesota this spring - so we've got that going for us!

Minnesota has received a whole lot of snow this year. In the Twin Cities, which had measured almost 90 inches of snow by the end of March, it is already a top-3 winter in terms of snowfall - and more could come. Most spots along the North Shore, including Duluth, already have more than 100 inches of snow in the record books.

The records go back to 1884.

This pile in the parking lot of a mall in the Twin Cities suburbs has been dubbed "Mount Eden Prairie."

It received national media attention when someone managed to place a shopping cart on its summit.

While the North Star State has not received anywhere near the snowfall that the Sierra Nevadas or western New York has seen this year, it has felt rather overwhelming to us.

It certainly did to this snow plow driver in western Minnesota, who got stuck and had to abandon his rig.

One potential upside to all this snow - apart from the drought relief it may provide - is the possibility of epic waterfalls in Minnesota once the rivers thaw and the snow begins to melt.

When the snow melts - especially if it melts too quickly - rivers swell.

When this happens, especially to the rivers and streams along the North Shore and smaller tributaries of the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers, waterfalls explode.

And the stunning spectacle of roaring waterfalls in Minnesota is definitely something to behold.

If you're interested in chasing waterfalls this spring, keep an eye on stream flow levels - the DNR starts posting them in April - along the North Shore and other places throughout the state that have received significant snowfall. You can even take a road trip or two, and try to hit the waterfalls along the North Shore, as well as the falls in southern Minnesota. And remember to always use caution near swollen streams and rivers.