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Sunday Night Snow Amounts
Here are the snowfall amounts from across the region Sunday night into Monday morning. The golden snow shovel award winner goes to Andover, who picked up 4.5". The heaviest snow fell across the north metro, but quickly melted on Monday.
Unsettled Weather Ahead
"Temperatures will continue below normal with rain and occasional snow Tuesday through Thursday. Gusty winds 30-40 mph are also likely. Little to no snow accumulation expected, but many areas could see a half inch of rain and melted snow. A warming trend will finally take hold late this weekend."
Another Midweek, Prolonged Precipitation Chance
Here's the weather outlook from AM Tuesday to PM Sunday. The next system arrives Tuesday with rain likely and lingering showers Wednesday. The backside of the storm will feature rain/snow chances Thursday with windy conditions. The extended outlook Friday, Saturday and Sunday looks much quieter with drier skies and gradually warming temps into the weekend.
Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's WPC, the precipitation outlook through Friday shows decent liquid tallies across the region. Total amounts could range from 0.50" to nearly 1.0" across the region with some of the heaviest across the northern part of the state, where heavier snow will be possible.
Snowfall Potential Through PM Wednesday
Here's the snowfall potential through 7pm Wednesday. Note the heaviest will be possible in the Arrowhead, where winter weather headlines have been posted. Additional snowfall amounts will be possible Wednesday night into Thursday before the system pulls away.
Average Ice Out Dates
We're still several weeks away from ice out across the state, but according to the MN DNR, here's a look at the average ice out dates for lakes across the state. Note that some lakes across the southern part of the state typically see ice out around the end of March. Lake Minnetonka typically doesn't see ice out until mid April. A few lakes in far northern & northeastern MN don't see ice out until late April or early May.
See more from the MN DNR HERE:
Status of Spring
"March 28, 2022 - Spring leaf out continues to progress across the country. Our spring leaf anomaly compares the arrival of spring leaf out this year to a long-term average of 1991-2020. After a slow start to spring across much of the Southeast, spring is progressing more rapidly, arriving days to weeks early across the southern part of the Midwest, the Southern Appalachians, and the mid-Atlantic. Boston, MA is two weeks early. In western states, spring leaf out is patchy, arriving a week late in some locations and over a month early in others. Parts of Montana and South Dakota are 2-3 weeks early. Spring bloom has also started to arrive in southern states, days to a week late in Texas and Florida and days to several weeks early in California. Spring bloom is over a week early in parts of Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia."
Tuesday Weather Outlook
The weather outlook for Minneapolis on Tuesday shows our next storm system moving into the region with rain likely during the 2nd half of the day. Temps will warm into the upper 40s with gusty southeasterly winds developing through the day.
Meteograms for Minneapolis
The hourly temps for Minneapolis on Tuesday shows temperature readings starting in the mid 30s in the morning and will warm into the upper 40s through the afternoon. Rain will be possible in the morning, but will be heavier during the 2nd half of the day. Southeasterly winds will be quite strong with gusts approaching 35mph to near 40mph at times.
Weather Outlook on Tuesday
Temps around the region on Tuesday will be close to average across much of the region as areas of rain and snow spread through the Upper Midwest.
Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis
The extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis through the first full week of April shows temps hovering around average through Wednesday. However, a larger storm system will move into the region midweek with rain, thunder and eventually some snow. Temperatures on the back side of the storm will be cooler with highs falling into the mid 40s, which will be nearly -5F to -10F below average for early April.
Extended Weather Outlook For Minneapolis
The extended weather outlook over the next 7 days shows somewhat active weather in place through midweek. The next storm brings rain chances Tuesday afternoon with a prolonged precipitation chance through Thursday. However, the end of the week and weekend ahead looks very nice with more sunshine and temperatures warming into the 50s and 60s during the weekend.
Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis
According to the ECMWF & GFS extended temperature outlook, temps will warm into the 40s and 50s through the first full week of April. By mid month, we could warm into the 60s possibly near 70F.
8 to 14 Day Temperature Outlook
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows warmer than average temps lingering across parts of the eastern half of the nation. However, the western half of the nation will be cooler than average and especially across the Pacific Northwest.
8 to 14 Day Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8-14 Day precipitation outlook shows more active weather will be in place along and east of the Mississippi River Valley.
Spring Has Lost Its Bounce
By Paul Douglas
"Sometimes it snows in April" Prince sang. It snows most Aprils in Minnesota, and sometimes it snows A LOT. 26.1" in April of 2018 is top of mind. Therapists were extra-busy that year.
Sometimes we enjoy a "light-switch spring". Like flipping a switch - from slush to 70F in a few days, with few relapses. Other years we tip-toe into spring, with a lot of false starts. This is one of those years.
Water levels in many lakes are still way down, so I won't be whining about steadier, heavier rain today and Wednesday; maybe half an inch.
While we wave a white flag of atmospheric surrender, Mother Nature shows signs of mercy, with a few 50sand an occasional 60 from next Sunday into mid-April. But the next 2-3 days promise to be character-building.
A cold rain today mixes with wet snow Wednesday before slowly tapering Thursday. This may be one of the colder Twins Home Openers on record with sprinkles, flurries, gusty winds and upper 30s, with a faint whiff of wind chill at Target Field. Prince would approve.
Extended Forecast
TUESDAY: Windy. Rain develops. Winds: SE 15-30. High: 48.
TUESDAY NIGHT: Rain likely. Winds: SSE 10-15. Low: 37.
WEDNESDAY: Rain mixes with wet snow. Winds: W 15-25. High: 43.
THURSDAY: Windblown sprinkles and flurries. Winds: NW 15-25. Wake-up: 34. High: 40.
FRIDAY: Slow clearing, chilly. Winds: N 10-20. Wake-up: 33. High: 46.
SATURDAY: Sunny. Feels like spring again. Winds: S 8-13. Wake-up: 25. High: 53.
SUNDAY: Clouds increase, milder. Winds: SE 7-12. Wake-up: 42. High: 62.
MONDAY: Showers, possible T-storm. Winds: S 10-20. Wake-up: 51. High: 65.
This Day in Weather History
April 5th
1999: Heavy snow falls over the Arrowhead, with 11 inches at Two Harbors.
1929: A tornado cuts a path from Lake Minnetonka through North Minneapolis and leaves six dead.
Average High/Low for Minneapolis
April 5th
Average High: 52F (Record: 85F set in 2021)
Average Low: 32F (Record: 12F set in 1979)
Record Rainfall: 0.91" set in 1999
Record Snowfall: 1.5" set in 1964
Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
April 5th
Sunrise: 6:45am
Sunset: 7:45pm
Hours of Daylight: ~13 hours & 00 minutes
Daylight GAINED since yesterday: ~ 3 minute & 6 seconds
Daylight GAINED since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 4 Hour & 20 Minutes
Moon Phase for April 5th at Midnight
3.0 Days Before First Quarter Moon
National High Temps Tuesday
The weather outlook on Tuesday shows above average temperatures across the Southern US, where highs will warm into the 80s and 90s, nearly +10F above average. Strong to severe storms will be possible in the Southeastern US with locally heavy rains. Strong winds will be in place across the Northwest with temps running below average.
National Weather Outlook
Weather conditions through midweek, which shows very active weather in place across parts of the nation. Strong to severe storms will rumble across the Southeastern US with heavy rains. Meanwhile, another large storm will develop in the Midwest with strong winds, rain, thunder and snow. Later in the week, temps will warm to record levels in the Southwest.
Extended Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, in the eastern half of the nation with some of the heaviest found along the Gulf Coast States. There will also be some decent precipitation in the Midwest and in the Pacific Northwest.
Extended Snowfall Outlook
Here's the ECMWF extended snowfall outlook through next week. Areas of heavy snow will be possible across the northern tier of the nation, especially along the International Border and in the High Plains and Rockies.
Climate Stories
Mysteries Shroud the Cause of Colorado's Worst Wildfire"
"After three months of research, scientists say the cause and the intensity of the most damaging blaze in Colorado history remain a mystery. Researchers participating in three separate studies to explore the 6,000-acre blaze, which began just before noon on Dec. 30, said they haven't been able to pinpoint what caused the fire to destroy 1,084 houses and damage 37 commercial buildings. One reason is that characteristics of the fire, which started in rural grasslands and then jumped an eight-lane highway before raging through two densely populated suburbs of Boulder, do not appear in computer models used to explore the potency of fires. Thousands of similar areas, which scientists call the "wildland urban interface," or WUI, are common in the United States. But they "present a significant challenge for wildfire models," explained Timothy Juliano, a researcher studying the blaze for the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which is located near two communities that experienced widespread damage, Louisville and Superior."
See more from Scientific American HERE:
"Nature Wasn't Healing"
Two years ago, the initial covid-19 lockdowns sent students home from school, closed the dining rooms of restaurants, and ground international travel to a halt. All over the world, public life slowed down. With less human activity, there were reports of emissions dropping and unbothered wildlife roaming empty streets. Viral social media with the hashtag "nature is healing" began to spread alongside the coronavirus. But nature was.... Nothing much actually changed during lockdowns: The low emissions and boldly roaming animals were a brief oddity, and today things are worse than pre-2020. The humans disproportionately exposed to pollution were hospitalized and died at higher rates, while the wealthy people who produce more emissions fled to their second homes and got even richer. The year before the pandemic saw record carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels. So when air pollution and CO2 emissions declined in early 2020, it seemed like a small reason to celebrate amid the grimness. But any excitement was short-lived. A May 2020 report from the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air found that different forms of air pollution over China, including particulate matter and sulfur dioxide, increased to levels higher than the year before. By the end of 2021, global carbon dioxide emission levels had rebounded to break yet another record.
"Why Are Desert Sunsets So Colorful?"
"No matter where you are in the world, it's hard not to be dazzled by the sun's final display of the day. Sunsets are so celebrated for their natural beauty that pointing it out has become a cliché. Watching the sun disappear beneath the horizon may be a universal experience, but not everyone is treated to the same show. If you've ever watched the sun set in the desert, you may have noticed more spectacular colors than sunsets produced elsewhere. As Atlas Obscura explains, sunlight contains all shades of the color spectrum. When the sun is high in the sky, these colors blend together to appear white to our eyes. As the sun sinks lower, its rays have to penetrate a thicker layer of atmosphere before they can reach us. Shorter wavelengths of light—such as purples and blues—are scattered by the atmosphere before we can see them. This leaves the longer red and orange wavelengths to stand out."
See more from Mental Floss HERE:
