"Cold! If the thermometer had been an inch longer we'd have frozen to death," Mark Twain once said. I'm not surprised or offended that temperatures are tumbling. Considering the sun is as high in the sky today as it was back on Feb. 24, we shouldn't be the least bit surprised Canadian air is rushing south of the border.
It's not an exaggeration to say the next week or so will look and feel more like early November. Windchill is back, and a light mix of rain and snow can't be ruled out early Saturday, even in the Twin Cities metro. Beware of shiny objects, like snowfall accumulation predictions three to seven days into the future. That's more of a horoscope than a weather forecast.
ECMWF (the European model) is hinting at a major, prolonged rain event next week. Confidence levels are low, but with any luck we'll see more significant rain to recharge depleted soil moisture before a widespread freeze sets in.
As I've been telling my dear wife for 36 years, it may be time to lower your expectations. A warm front now? 50s, maybe 60.
