Winter Weather Awareness: Alberta Clippers vs. Colorado Lows | News [Video]

(KIMT) — Southeastern Minnesota and North Iowa snowstorms can form in places you would not typically expect. The two most common systems are Alberta Clippers and Colorado Lows.

Colorado Lows and Alberta Clippers are two types of wintry systems that bring their own snowy and cold weather, but originate in completely different parts of the globe.

An Alberta Clipper originates in… you guessed it! Alberta, Canada!

Clippers are colder systems with limited moisture mainly due to their life cycle being in a moisture-lacking environment. This translates to lower snowfall totals for southeast Minnesota and North Iowa.

These systems dive southeast at a quick clip, typically only lasting for about a day or so in the Upper Midwest with strong, gusty winds.

Colorado Lows are slightly warmers systems with more moisture since they originate in the southern Rockies of southeast Colorado or northeast New Mexico.

As the system ejects northeastward, Colorado …