No Foolin’: Coldest March in 11 years? Frosty opener; 50F by Wednesday?
Warming Trend
It gets better this week. It has to. Baseball season is here.
Twins cacther Joe Mauer & Yankees Mark Teixeira on warmer days at Target Field.
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April comes in swinging with what may be the coldest Twins Baseball home opener on record today. It was 34F at the old "Met" back in 1962 when the Twins threw the 1st pitch.
Grab your Twins colored underalls today for a trip to Target Field, and plan on getting a good spot by the "heaters."
Did we really just endure the coldest March in 11 years? The coldest of any month vs. average since 2007?
In this Updraft we look at an improving forecast, and track a warming trend that kicks in Wednesday. No foolin'
We logged 56F in the metro Saturday. Is our 1st 60 degree day in sight?
Coldest March in 11 years?
As always we await the final numbers for confirmation, but it appears we just endured the coldest March in 11 years.
Where were you in March 2002?
That was the last March in Minnesota colder than the one we just endured. March 2013 also showed incredible variability compared to last March, which was the warmest on record. It was also the snowiest March in 5 years.
Some chilling numbers:
-21.1F temps vs. last March in the Twin Cities
-5.6F March temps vs. average this year
13.8" March snowfall at MSP Airport
49.3" Season snowfall at MSP Airport
54.4" 30 year average season snowfall
TGI April!
Warming Trend Ahead:
We've documented today's likely coldest Twins home opener on record.
The good news? The forecast looks much better if you have tickets for Wednesday & Thursday games this week at Target Field.
Light winds and temps in the upper 30s will feel better Tuesday afternoon, and the real warming trend kicks in with temps near 50F by Wednesday & Thursday.
April Showers?
A slow moving rain system slides in Friday. It should be warm enough for mostly rain...maybe ending as a few wet snowflakes Saturday.
In southern Minnesota, the top few inches of soil may be unfrozen enough to soak in about .50" rainfall later this week.
First 60F in sight?
We managed to sneak up to 56F in the metro Saturday, and it felt remarkably good. It also busted some pessimistic forecasts that ensured us we wouldn't hit 40F again in March a week or two ago.
I'm not buying the farm on this one just yet, but there are signs of a bigger warming trend late next week, or by around April 15-17th.
One thing we watch for is a shift in the AO, which has been running extremely negative (cold) in March.
There are signs the AO is ready to swing positive, and that could mean some true springtime temperatures well into the 60s in southern Minnesota in the next 2 weeks.
Stay tuned!
PH