Nicer Sunday; 4 foot “Hail Drifts” in TX?

Peeks of sun & slightly milder Sunday

Warming trend and potentially wet & thundery pattern next week

4 FOOT "Hail Drifts" in Texas?

Hospitals & Tornadoes - What do we do when the "hospital" becomes the "patient?"

78.3" season snowfall at Lake Kabetogema this winter

(Details from Mark Seeley's Weather Talk )

Source: NWS

It looks like the heaviest, most persistent band of rain showers will set up along and south of the Minnesota River into Saturday. The Twin Cities should be on the northern edge of this band which is fighting drier air near the metro.

Source: wxcaster.com

The result should be a sharp cutoff in precip on the northern side near the metro. As much as 1" of rain/snow mix could fall south and west of the metro, with a rapid drop in precip totals as you move north and east through the Twin Cities. Waconia may soak up some decent rain, while Wyoming could get skunked.

There will be some severe weather with this system in the Central Plains!

Sunday: The better day this weekend

Sunday looks like the better day to get outside and get some yard work (yeah, right) or a brisk jog or long walk in. Some clouds will linger, but we may see some peeks or even hours of sun by Sunday PM.

Warmer & wetter next week?

A warming trend kicks in next week as winds will start to blow form the southeast.

The GFS is advertising a slow moving low pressure system moving in from the west. That may set off a few rounds of showers and possible thunderstorms by Tuesday & Wednesday.

If that pattern verifies, we could see some much needed soaking rains in Minnesota next week, and temps may recover into the 70s again!

Source: NOAA/HPC

Respectable season snowfall up north!

Even in the 4th warmest winter in Minnesota history, we've had just enough cold air lingering over far northern Minnesota to generate some decent season snowfall totals.

Deep snow in late February near Two Harbors, MN

Photo Credit: Gordon Hommes (NWS observer 7 NW Two Harbors)

There was more snow up north in the past week, and Orr, and Lake Kabetogema in far north central Minnesota have had some respectable 70"+ season snowfall totals this winter!

Here's an excerpt from my MPR colleague Mark Seeley's Weather Talk post this week.

Topic: Perhaps the season's last snowfall

Earlier the week over April 21-22 a storm system crossed the state bringing snow to many northern Minnesota communities. Some received record-setting values of snowfall, including International Falls which reported 2.4 inches on the 22nd. Others reporting record amounts of snowfall for April 22nd included: Orr with 5.8 inches; Hibbing with 3.5 inches; Kabetogama with 3.0 inches; Northome with 2.7 inches; and Cook with 2.0 inches.

The snowfalls at Orr and Kabetogama pushed their seasonal snowfall totals to 71.1 inches and 78.3 inches, respectively. There is a chance of snow overnight Friday and into Saturday morning to start this weekend, but after that the climate outlook favors above normal temperatures through early May, and it is likely this is the last measurable snowfall threat for our region.

Freak Texas hailstorm: 4 foot "Hail Drifts?"

I did a major double take when I saw this. Severe persistent hailstorms dropped accumulating hail over the Texas Panhandle this week. Heavy rain washed the hail into instant rivers, and the result was "hail drifts" reported to be 4 to 6 feet high in some places!

Source: Potter County, TX Fire Department/NWS

This sort of "rapid glaciation" is rare...you need just the right combination of intense hail and nearly stationary storms to dump that much hail in one place.

Check out the story from MSNBC and the NWS Amarillo Facebook page.

Here's an excerpt:

Sure, everything's bigger in Texas. But 4 feet of hail from one storm? That's what the National Weather Service, the Texas Department of Transportation, a local sheriff and others say happened Wednesday in an area north of Amarillo when hail piled up in drifts so wide they cut off a major highway.

Tornadoes & Hospitals: What do we do when hospitals become the patient?

A tornado tore through the hospital in Creston, IA on April 14th.

A hospital in Joplin, MO was also hit in the devastating Joplin twister last may. It turns out many hospital designs make them especially vulnerable to tornado damage. (Lots of glass and open spaces for wind to get in) What do we do when hospitals, who are supposed to be ready to handle "mass casualty events" like tornadoes become the patient?

The story from NOAA.

Make it a great weekend!

PH