Snow fizzles north, chilly winds return

The weekend storm fizzled as Paul suggested in his Friday afternoon blog. The system never came together as a good snowmaker. There was sufficient moisture in northern Minnesota, but only about three inches accumulated at Duluth and less than two inches in International Falls. About a half inch of liquid precipation was observed in northeast Minnesota.

Brisk winds and chilly temperatures are following in the wake of the surface low that tracked through Iowa and was over central Michigan at daybreak. The maximum temperatures on Sunday ranged from a very springlike 72 at Austin to 38 degrees at Duluth and International Falls. At the Twin Cities International Airport, the warmest reading of 2011 was recorded at 56 degrees.

The mild temperatures in southern and central Minnesota over the weekend triggered the release of snow and ice melt. The Red River of the North is on the rise.

Here's last evening hydrograph prediction from the North Central River Forecast Center.

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Looking at the data on the website of the National Office of Hydrology Remote Sensing Center in Chanhassen, it appears that perhaps a half inch of snow and ice melt runoff took place in portions of the Red River Valley and the Minnesota River Valley. Thus we begin to monitor the potential for a second crest along the Minnesota and the Mississippi River.

Interactive website of the Remote Sensing Center;

Here's last evening's forecast for the river stage in St. Paul.

Your link directly to the Chanhassen NWS river forecasts.

Track the Red River of the North here.

A recovery to temperatures closer to normal begins on Tuesday afternoon.

CE

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