Spring Has Sprung In A Hurry!
It took a while, but we finally got some much needed spring warmth. Unfortunately, it's coming in a hurry with our first 50F, 60F, 70F and 80F (possibly), all happening within a week or so. Our first 50F came nearly 1 month later than normal, while our first 60F came nearly 2 weeks later than normal. Our first 70F occurred on Monday, which is only a few days, but our first 80F could happen this week and it would be nearly 2 to 3 weeks ahead of schedule... How about that?!

Precipitation Potential
According to NOAA's WPC, the extended precipitation outlook for Minnesota looks fairly impressive through next Monday. A bigger storm system looks to drift into town late week and into the weekend ahead with some 1" liquid tallies, especially across the northern half of the state. Some locations across central and southern Minnesota may even get close to an inch of liquid as well. Stay tuned...

Snow Depth
As of Sunday, April 9th, the MSP Airport only had a trace of snow on the ground. However, much of central and northern Minnesota still has a pretty significant snowpack. Nearly 2ft to 3ft of snow is on the ground near Lake Superior and more than 3ft on the ground near across parts of the U.P. of Michigan.

Snow Pack Water Equivalent
According to the National Weather Service, there is still a lot of water locked in the snow pack. SWE stands for Snow Water Equivalent and as you can see in the figure below, several inches of water is locked in the snow pack across much of the state. With much warmer temps in the forecast over the next several days, a lot of water will be entering the river systems with flooding a growing potential over the coming days and weeks.

Flood Outlook
According to the National Weather Service, a number of river gauges around the region will be entering flood stage here over the next few days. Some spots will be at Moderate and even Major flood stage, which could cause issues in a few flood prone communities.

Elevated UV Index
The sun is quite a bit stronger now than it was a few weeks ago and with warmer temps in the forecast, people will likely be wandering outdoors a little more freely this week. With that being said, it'll be important to be sun aware as the UV Index will be at elevated levels this week. Make sure you're taking the proper precautions with your sensitive skin.

Extended Temperature Outlook
The NBM extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis shows a string of 60s and 70s through the week ahead, which will be some of the warmest weather we've seen since October and early November of last fall. Note that on Wednesday, we could see our first 80F reading, which would be the first since October 11th, 2022. Unfortunately, the quick warm up could lead to an increasing flood threat for maybe communities that live by rivers and streams over the coming days and weeks. Temps will take a hit by the weekend and into early next week with readings back in the 40s and 50s, which will be below average for this time of the year.

Twin Cities Weather Outlook For Tuesday
The weather outlook for the Twin Cities on Tuesday, April 10th will be very warm for this time of the year. In fact, we could get close to our first 80F reading of the year and the first 80F since October 11th of last fall. Southwesterly winds will be breezy with some 20mph to 25mph gusts possible with mostly sunny skies.