Mega Blizzard rages, 2014 Minnesota tornado season opens in March
The crazy weather year of 2014 just got crazier.
A major Mega Blizzard rages into early Tuesday from the Dakotas into the Red River Valley and northwest Minnesota. The same system has produced the first tornadoes of the year in Minnesota, in March.
The culprit? A wrapped up, wound up major late winter/early spring storm. The system showed a classic comma shaped signature from space, and was producing both tornadoes and a blizzard at the same time.
This cool wind map shows the impressive circulation around the low pressure center as it worked into southwest Minnesota.
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Last year the first tornado touched down in May. Two years ago it was March 19th.
Blizzard rages north
The Grand Forks NWS reported thundersnow with zero visibility and snowfall totals over 10 inches in many areas, and as much as 20 inches possible by early Tuesday.
Get the latest totals and conditions from the Grand Forks NWS.
Quiet mid-week. Next storm Thursday?
We get a colder but nice respite the next 48 hours. The next storm winds up Thursday and Friday, and could bring more snow to Minnesota. This one seems to be tracking further south. It's too early to credibly say where the heavy snow bands will fall. The Euro suggests the metro could get whacked. The GFS keeps the storm further south.