Million dollar rain; severe storms for Iowa, Mo., Ill.

April showers arrive on schedule tonight. It feels like May by Saturday.

Cue the daffodils.

Our weather pattern takes a turn for the springy the next few days, but it starts with a much needed chilly soaking rain tonight and tomorrow.

Tonight's incoming system features rain and thunder with the heaviest barrage of showers and storms clipping southeast Minnesota.

Our next weathermaker is a wrapped up low pressure system. We're lucky it's warm enough for mostly rain with this one. If this was a month ago, we'd be talking heavy snow for southern Minnesota. April showers are much easier to shovel.

Still, there may be just enough cold air on the backside of the system to produce a brief burst of snow as it pulls out Thursday night. Some accumulation is possible in Duluth, along Minnesota's North Shore and northern Wisconsin.

Watch the low wrap up and track from Kansas City, Mo., to Green Bay, Wis.

Million dollar rain

Farmers looking at brown fields this week will like the forecast. Waves of showers and a few embedded thunderstorms move northeast tonight through Thursday.

A good chunk of the southeast half of Minnesota should pick up one-third to 1 inch of rainfall by Thursday night. Multi-inch totals drench Illinois.

Valuable spring rain often comes with a price. Severe weather.

I expect a significant severe outbreak with damaging winds and hail today and tomorrow from eastern Kansas through Missouri, Iowa and into Illinois.

Today's severe focus favors eastern Kansas and Missouri.

By tomorrow the biggest risk zone shifts east to include Chicago, St. Louis and Indy.

If I was the forecaster on duty at NOAA's Storm Prediction Center today I would be painting the "high" risk category for northern Illinois for tomorrow.

I expect widespread damaging winds and hail, with tornadoes possible through tomorrow. I am particularly concerned about a potential tornado outbreak Thursday afternoon in northern Illinois.

Tornado potential threat parameters look very high to extreme from the Quad Cities on the Iowa-Illinois border through Rockford, Ill., to the western suburbs of Chicago by tomorrow afternoon and evening.

I hope this outbreak does not end up leading national newscasts in the next 36 hours. If you have loved ones in the risk zone or are planning travel south to Kansas City, Des Moines, Iowa, or Chicago stay on top of this developing and potentially dangerous severe weather situation.

Spring returns

The longer forecast view shows the return of spring like temperatures. Actually more like May than April. Perfect timing for a spectacular spring Saturday and the Twins home opener Monday?

Here's a look at the longer forecast view into next week according to the latest European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts model runs. Sunshine, 60s and 70s anyone?

It's not just the Twins. After two brutal years of cold and snow, local youth, high school and college sports teams are enjoying a much more favorable spring sports season.

Play ball!