No Foolin’: Wintry relapse with more potentially heavy snow Thursday and Friday

Spring Snow Storm
Brandon Kalenda scrapes ice off the back window of his car, Tuesday, April 1, 2014, in Fergus Falls, Minn. A spring blizzard that dumped heavy amounts of snow in parts of the Upper Midwest on Monday. Rian Bosse / The Fergus Falls Daily Journal via AP

Calendar confusion is setting in again in Minnesota.

Our symphony of seasons is in discord. April is here, and winter is just not quite ready to leave. A wintry weather regime holds today across much of Minnesota before gradually easing later today.

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The metro finally gets in on the winter side of the powerful system this morning with a snowy coating. Take it easy on suddenly slick roads today.

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MNDOT shot of Hwy 7 @ Woodland Rd in west metro

Blizzard lays down impressive snow totals

The hardest hit areas run from eastern North Dakota into Northwest Minnesota. Several Minnesota locations have tallied 17+ inches of snowfall.

  • Roseau, 17 inches

  • Thief River Falls,  18 inches

  • Warren,  18 inches

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Impressive snowfall totals from the Grand Forks NWS

Here's what Gregg Welin woke up to near Roseau this morning.

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Gregg Welin via Grand Forks NWS Facebook page

Ouch!

Brief mid-week respite

The weather will mellow across Minnesota as skies ease later today and Wednesday. Less wind, some sun and temps in the 40s will feel considerably nicer by Wednesday afternoon.

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Weatherspark

Watching potential snow storm Thursday into Friday

The maps continue to look scary for more (heavy?) snow Thursday and Friday. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts continues to lead the wintry charge, winding up a potent low to the south and smacking southern Minnesota including the metro with several inches of heavy wet snow.

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College of Dupage

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Global Forecast System has favored a more southerly track at times, but seems to be coming more in line with the European center's notion of heavy snow in southern Minnesota, possibly including the metro.

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GFS snowfall projections from wxcaster.com

Again, it's still early. But NOAA's North American Mesoscale Forecast System chimes in with the GFS and other model output for some scary looking snowfall totals for the metro Thursday and Friday.

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Iowa State University

It's still too soon to be sure about the potential for snowfall totals Thursday and Friday. But with each passing hour, and each model run that suggests the same scenario it's looking more likely the metro and southern Minnesota may get smacked by another late season snow event.

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Stay tuned!