Precious rainfall gives way to sunshine
It's a start.
Precious rainfall in southern Minnesota added up in southern Minnesota Tuesday. Here are some totals.
Twin Cities Airport .28"
Eden Prairie .38"
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St. Paul .37"
Chanhassen .45"
Stillwater .34"
New Ulm 1.6"
The rainfall should help reduce the threat of wildfires for a few days and help boost the spring green up in southern Minnesota.
As expected, the heaviest rains fell in Iowa and southern Wisconsin. Rainfall totals in excess of 1" to 2" drenched areas from Waterloo, Iowa to near Janesville, Wisconsin.
La Crosse NWS rainfall analysis shows heavy rains of 1" to 2" in much of Iowa and southern Wisconsin.
Milder temperatures on the way:
As sunshine returns to the Upper Midwest, temperatures will respond. We'll enjoy a couple of cool (average) spring days today and Thursday with highs in the 50s. Temperatures will rise above average again this weekend with 60s returning by Friday and lasting into the weekend. A surge of warm air will help to boost temperatures back well into the 70s by Monday and Tuesday of next week!
Forecast models show temperatures surging into the 70s by Monday.
(click for bigger image)
After the 4th warmest March on record for the Twin Cities (+8.9 degrees!), April is off to another gangbusters warm start. The Twin Cities is running 14.2 degrees above average for the first 6 days of April. It looks like the warm trend will continue right into next week.
NOAA CPC 10 day outlook calls for above average temps in the Upper Midwest and eastern U.S.
With record early ice out dates in northeast Minnesota this is truly a once in a lifetime spring for the Upper Midwest.
Enjoy the earliest spring on record in much of Minnesota!
PH