Quiet Monday - Another Rain/Snow System Later This Week

Well, this was certainly a rude awakening on Sunday, with a fresh coat of snow on the ground and trees - especially to the north and west of the metro.

Through the mid-morning hours on Sunday, parts of central Minnesota had reported about 4" to 5" of snow. The top total through this timeframe had been near Spencer Brook, which reported 5.3" at 7 AM. Also at 7 AM:

Meanwhile, Brainerd saw enough snow Sunday to reach their snowiest winter on record.

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While an early morning snowflake can't be ruled out in the metro Monday, we should see mainly dry conditions with decreasing clouds as we head throughout the day. Morning temperatures will start off around freezing, climbing to the upper 40s for highs.

Snow will continue to fall across portions of far southeastern Minnesota during the morning hours on Monday, as well as up in the Arrowhead and into Wisconsin throughout the day. Sunnier skies will work west to east on Monday with highs ranging from the 30s along the North Shore to the 50s in southwestern Minnesota.

Winds will continue to be strong as we head through Monday - though they will be on the decrease throughout the day. Wind gusts early in the day in the metro will be up around 40 mph, decreasing to 25 mph by the evening drive. Wind gusts along the North Shore will remain in the 30-50 mph range during the day, but here they will also be strongest in the morning.

We will see more seasonable weather move in as we head toward Tuesday and Wednesday, with highs "only" about 5F degrees below average back in the low to mid-50s. However, with a system later in the week, we'll see cooler air move back in for the end of the week - more on par with what we will see to begin the week.

Six-hour precipitation between 7 AM Wednesday and 7 AM Saturday.

Meanwhile, we will be watching more precipitation chances from Wednesday into early Saturday across the region. While it's way too early for details - and temperatures profiles and overall track will once again make a huge difference in who gets what - there will likely be both rain and snow components to this next system. We'll keep an eye on it this week and keep you up to date with the latest!

We're also tracking the potential of severe weather Tuesday Night. A Marginal Risk of severe weather is in place in southwestern/south-central Minnesota, including Marshall and Mankato. Hail and wind will be the primary concerns.

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Another Rain/Snow System Later This Week
By D.J. Kayser, filling in for Paul Douglas

After last week's "Spring of Deception" with record highs across the southern half of Minnesota, Monday is the start of Severe Weather Awareness Week. While each day of the week covers a particular topic - including warnings, lightning, hail, floods, and extreme heat - this Thursday is tornado drill day. Sirens will sound Thursday at 1:45 PM and 6:45 PM so you can practice your tornado sheltering plans.

We got a rude reminder on Sunday that snow can occur in April. The good news is that it'll be a quieter start to the work week today and Tuesday. Despite this quiet start, eyes turn quickly to a system that could have both rain and snow components during the second half of the week. Additional rain and/or snow will unfortunately only prolong river flooding across the region.

More seasonable highs return by Tuesday, but they'll be short-lived with cooler air moving in with that next system. Don't worry - summer will return at some point. Until then, enjoy "third winter", or whichever of the 13 Midwest Seasons we're in!

D.J.'s Extended Twin Cities Forecast

MONDAY: Breezy. Becoming sunny. Wake up 31. High 47. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NW 20-35 mph.

TUESDAY: PM increasing clouds. Warmer. Wake up 29. High 53. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NE 5-10 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Cloudy with a few showers around. Wake up 38. High 52. Chance of precipitation 70%. Wind E 15-25 mph.

THURSDAY: Rain showers. Snow mixes in overnight. Wake up 38. High 47. Chance of precipitation 70%. Wind NE 15-25 mph.

SATURDAY: Early AM snowflake? Cloudy and windy. Wake up 33. High 45. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind NW 15-25 mph.

SUNDAY: Sunnier skies. Not as windy. Wake up 31. High 47. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind NW 10 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
April 17th

*Length Of Day: 13 hours, 35 minutes, and 36 seconds
*Daylight GAINED Since Yesterday: 2 minutes and 59 seconds

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This Day in Weather History
April 17th

1965: The Mississippi River at St. Paul has a record crest, 4 feet above the previous record. High water records would be set all the way down to Missouri in later days.

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A system working through the Great Lakes on Monday will continue to bring heavy snow and mixed precipitation to parts of the region. A cold front out ahead of that will produce some rain in the Northeast and storms in southern Florida. A new system near the Pacific Northwest will bring the region some rain and snow showers, with additional precipitation due to a cold front in the Rockies. A few pop-up storms also can't be ruled out across the central/southern Plains.

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Squirrels live longer in leafier parts of London, air pollution study shows

More from The Guardian: "Deteriorating air quality is a major threat to health, and scientists have discovered that humans are not the only ones in danger. Grey squirrels suffer worsening lung damage the closer they live to the centre of a city, according to a study in London. It found the lungs of the rodent residents of Richmond fare far better than those of central Westminster. The research – published last week in the journal Environmental Pollution – highlights the extent of air contamination in cities and suggests that many other species, including wild animals and birds as well as pet cats and dogs, could be affected by particles in the air from traffic and other sources."

New Look at Climate Data Shows Substantially Wetter Rain and Snow Days Ahead

More from Berkeley Lab: "A key source of information underpinning the upcoming National Climate Assessment suggests that heavy precipitation days historically experienced once in a century by Americans could in the future be experienced on several occasions in a lifetime. Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) report that extremely intense days of rain or snow will be more frequent by the end of this century than previously thought – as often as once every 30 or 40 years in the Pacific Northwest and southeastern United States."

More from Grist: "Despite concern over increased air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and the potential to harm endangered species, a bipartisan group of Midwest governors and fuel industry leaders are pushing the federal government to approve increased ethanol sales this summer. Ethanol, a renewable fuel made out of corn, is not normally available in the summer months as it is linked to increased levels of smog. The strain of ethanol known as E15, which means it is at most 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline, can not be sold in the summertime, specifically from June 1 to September 15. The fuel releases more pollutants in warmer, more humid conditions and its production and discharge from vehicles are linked to an effect known as "summertime smog," due to its chemical makeup."

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Thanks for checking in and have a great day!

- D.J. Kayser