Best day of spring? 50 years since 1965 tornadoes

Does it get any better than this?

  • Bright sunshine

  • Temps in the 70s this afternoon

  • No bug swarms yet

  • Light winds for a change

Thank you very much.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.

Minnesota's spring weather fires on all cylinders today. Yes, this could be the best day of spring 2015 so far.

Play hooky if you can pull it off today. I'll write you a note.

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. - Ferris Bueller

414 ls3
Lake Superior this morning. Lake Superior Maritime Museum web cam.

High and dry

High pressure slides overhead today. That's why April's crazy winds have finally abated. The winds turn south again behind the departing high pressure cell this week. The next inbound storm takes another southerly track, with heavier rains for the southern plains.

414 allfcsts_loop_ndfd (1)
NOAA

Best week of spring?

All things considered this could be the best week of spring in Minnesota. Get ready for more sunshine, little rain, and temps in the upper 60s to near 70 degrees.

Savor the beauty.

414 kky
Weatherspark

Drought hangs tough

Minnesota rode the edge of some significant rainfall totals to the east over the past week. It was a case of the have's and have not's, as western Minnesota barely squeezed out a quarter-inch of rain in some spots.

Drought hangs tough, even intensifies in the western half of Minnesota Here's a look at rainfall totals from the past week from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service.

414 pcp
NOAA

Dry brush and low humidity out west means another day of fire danger in western Minnesota and the Dakotas.

414 fire

Severe weather awareness week

It figures we'd have the quietest week of spring for severe weather awareness week in Minnesota. Minnesotans are among the most weather savvy in the nation. Still, it pays to brush up on your severe weather plan this spring.

The Minnesota Department of Health has a good reminder on severe weather this week.

Why Severe Weather Awareness Week?

According to the National Weather Service, Minnesota experiences an average of 40 tornadoes per year. In 2012, 37 twisters touched down. A record was set in 2010 with 104 tornadoes across the state.  Understanding this threat and knowing what to do when a tornado is approaching can save lives.

Take advantage of Severe Weather Awareness Week to review your own and your family's emergency procedures and prepare for weather-related hazards.

Each day of the week will focus on a different topic:

Monday — Alerts and Warnings

Tuesday — Severe Weather, Lightning and Hail

Wednesday — Floods

Thursday — Tornadoes (with statewide tornado drills

Friday — Extreme Heat

Check each page link above for specific information about these topics, including factsheets, checklists, data and other resources.

Don't forget!  The statewide tornado drills are Thursday, April 16 at 1:45 P.M. and 6:55 P.M.

Local county sirens and all NOAA Weather Radios in Minnesota will sound with a simulated tornado warning for both afternoon and evening drills. This is a great opportunity to review emergency plans and procedures, and conduct emergency drills at work and even at home.

Thursday's statewide tornado drill is a good reminder, have a plan for your family when the sirens go off for real.

50 years ago next month was biggest Twin Cities tornado outbreak

My first living memory, and part of the reason for my career in meteorology is the massive 1965 Twin Cities tornado outbreak.

May 6 1965

What keeps meteorologists awake at night? The growing odds of another 1965-style urban outbreak in a Twin Cities area that's more than doubled in size since 1965.

Be ready when the next one hits.