Spectacular Monday; Record late ice outs; Chilly front later this week

72F high temp at MSP Airport Friday

75F Saturday

81F Sunday

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.

Celebration

Last weekend was nothing short of a celebration for many Minnesotans.

Street scenes resembled a cross between Snoopy's "happy dance"... and "The Walking Dead"... with stunned & dazed Minnesotans stumbling around newly ice free streets in disbelief at the good weather fortune.

It actually took me awhile to get oriented to standing outside in the warm sun Friday evening celebrating the sudden spring with my neighbors.

This week brings more nice weather, and a major speed bump in our transition to "Spring 2013."

In this Updraft we track the dreaded "cut of low" that will brings changes this week. The good news? Our spring warm up kicks right back into high gear next week...and 70s are already on the horizon again.

I can take it.

Instant June:

Talk about a long winter's nap.

It feels like I went to sleep in March and woke up in June.

The weekend weather was nothing short of spectacular...necessary tonic for spring craving Minnesotans.

Sunday's high of 81F brings the years 1st 80F reading, on April 28th. Last year we did it on March 17th.

Structure:

Sunday's warmth even kicked off a few garden variety, June-like thundershowers late in the day.

Check out this shot I snapped of the back end of one of the thundershowers late Sunday afternoon.

These sunday T-Showers behaved...but had we had a little more "shear" with spinning winds with height and moisture they may have approached severe limits. It's a good reminder that severe weather season is close at hand, and it won't be long before future spring storms will bring hail and high winds.

Something to prepare for.

Record late ice out:

Talk about weather whiplash.

Last year Minnesota lakes posted some of the earliest "ice outs" on record in Minnesota.

This year...some of the latest.

Lake Minnetonka Sunday

Keller Lake in St. paul went our Saturday April 27th, the latest on record since folks there started keeping track in 1999.

More metro lakes will go out today and tomorrow.

If Lake Minnetonka makes it to Wednesday (May 1st) it will tie for the 4th latest ice out on record...and come within 4 days of the latest.

You can keep track of ice out this week with the MN DNR's Ice Tracker here.

"A "cut-off low is a weatherman's woe" - Anonymous

"Cut Off Low" brings a return to unsettled & chilly weather

Monday brings my kind of cold front. We'll enjoy another spectacular day with highs near 70 in the metro...about 10 degrees cooler than Sunday.

Tuesday turns stormy and unsettled as a stronger front moves in. This is the leading edge of a "cut off low" that will dive in from canada, then separate from the main jet stream and spin over the central USA later this week.

Call it an atmospheric speed bump in our road to spring...but the chilly weather with days mostly in the 40s will last into Friday. We should gradually warm up into the 50s this weekend.

The system is likely to dump some heavy 2" to 3" rainfall totals over southeast Minnesota and parts of Iowa and Wisconsin this week.

Eurotrash....snow?

The European Model is the most aggressive with the notion of the cut off low's cold pool bringing snow this week. The latest version insists on some flakes... maybe even steady wet snow/slush by Friday.

Stay tuned...

Bounce back: 70s return next week:

All indications are our late week chill will give way to a return to spring like weather next week. temps should again push 70F for most of the week according to the GFS runs.

Another warm up just in time for Minnesota's Fishing Opener 2013?

Bring it!

PH