April gales ease, early ice outs move north
It's not your imagination. April is indeed the windiest month of the year in Minnesota on average.
Peak winds over open water and fields topped 25 mph Monday afternoon. Check out this digital snapshot of an April day in Minnesota from the Minnetonka Yacht Club weather station at Lighthouse Island in the west metro.
Temperature contrast drives winds
If you've ever laid awake at night wondering why April is so windy you may need meteorological counseling. Or maybe some deeper help. But just in case anyone asks, it's atmospheric temperature contrasts that drive winds.
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The still lingering wintry hangover north of Minnesota and rapidly warming springtime air masses to the south combine to create strong temperature contrast across Minnesota in April.
The result is wind.
April's monthly sustained wind average of 11.4 mph takes the No. 1 spot for windiest month of the year. March lands at a respectable No. 2 with 10.6 mph.
A wind rose is an interesting way to visualize wind speed and frequency in April in Minnesota.
Our April gales ease temporarily Tuesday, as a gentler bubble of high pressure settles in over Minnesota. Winds turn southerly again on the back side of the high by Wednesday.
Tuesday's high of 70 degrees is average for May 17. The rest of the week look mild and mostly dry. No sign of drought disappearing from coffee shop weather banter anytime soon.
Ice outs march north
The wind, rain and mild temperatures continue to do a number on lake ice in Minnesota. Massive Gull Lake near Brainerd went out Sunday, a full nine days earlier than average.
My friend and skilled defensive hockey buddy Al Gagnon watched the ice disappear Sunday on Big Bass Lake near Cohasset in the Grand Rapids area.
This April is running 8 degrees warmer than April 2014 in the Twin Cities. So far the spring of 2015 continues on the early and warm side of recent years. The rest of this week may restore our faith in the concept of springtime in Minnesota.