Brighter PM; Easing into spring; April showers Friday; Late “Ice-Out” 2013

Baby Steps Into Spring

Skies will brighten this afternoon as a weak cool front slides south.

The thermometer pushed 70F at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, and in Huron South Dakota Tuesday.

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Springtime air made a valiant run at southwest Minnesota with 64F at Sioux Falls and 62F at Pipestone.

So close... and yet so far.

On the edge of the now rapidly dwindling snow pack, Temps did respond in the metro and most of Minnesota Tuesday. Brisk breezes made it feel a little cooler...but overall things are definitely heading in the right direction.

Progress. Baby steps.

In this Updraft we talk about the warm up, and track Friday's "April showers." We also look gratefully as the "Euro" model does a full 180 and backs off major snow chances next week, and talk about what looks like a late "ice-out" season in Minnesota this year.

Now if the remaining piles of snow in my lawn will melt away please. Somebody forgot to tell them it's April.

41F low at MSP this morning

2nd time MSP has stayed above freezing at night since January 11th

0" snow depth at MSP Airport

Temps Respond Slowly:

It was warmer out there Tuesday.

Drive 4 hours southwest of the metro and you come to beautiful Sioux Falls and Mitchell, SD. Temps pushed 70F there and you could feel spring in the air.

Spring Break at The Corn Palace?

People travel to more bizarre vacation destinations.

The "thermal ridge" passes over Minnesota tonight, meaning temps may not fall belwo freezing in many locations. Melting snow at night...what a concept.

Soils Thawing South:

The top few inches of soil in southern Minnesota is slowly responding to warmer days and stronger sunlight.

Tracking April Showers Friday:

Our next weathermaker rolls in Friday with a good chance of rain showers.

The NAM model is the northernmost outlier on the low track.

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Look for occasional, scattered showers Friday PM into Saturday. Overall rainfall totals look to favor .25" to .50" and be more scattered in nature due to the "convective" showery spring like nature of the system.

Backing off snow chances next week:

Something about last night's Euro run just didn't look right to my eye. The suggestion of a major snow storm the second week of April in Minnesota is not unheard of...but it didn't pass the smell test looking at the overall weather pattern.

Tuesday's Euro run did a complete 180, and now agrees more with the GFS notion of a weaker, warmer low tracking further south. We may escape with mostly rain showers...and maybe a few renegade wet snow flakes.

One eye on that system instead of two.

Ice fishing in May?

Last year they held the March ice fishing tourney in canoes near Grand Marias. This year they may be able to drill holes on May 1st.

A year ago the 7 month boating season had already begun on Lake Minnetonka and other metro lakes like Calhoun and Harriet.

Today Calhoun still looks good for ice boating.

Lakes are still ice covered in northern Iowa and all of Minnesota now.

It looks like ice out will be about 1-2 weeks later than average this year. That means late April for metro lakes, and May up north.

That Memorial Day BWCA trip could be on frigid waters this year.

What a difference a year makes.

PH