Quieter Weather Through Saturday - Top 5 Snowiest Meteorological Winter On Record

The clipper that moved through brought a widespread 2-5" of snow across portions of central Minnesota, however, heavier totals were found from near Fargo (with 14" in Kragnes) over to the Twin Ports (with ~6-7" in the Duluth area).

It'll be a mainly cloudy day on Thursday here in the metro - but there will be peeks of the sun through the clouds. Morning temperatures start off in the mid-teens with highs climbing into the low 30s.

We'll see a mix of sun and clouds to mainly cloudy skies as we head through the day Thursday across the state. Highs will range from the teens in the Red River Valley to the low 30s in southeastern Minnesota.

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Friday: Another day with a mix of sun and clouds to mainly cloudy skies is expected on Friday, with highs in the mid-30s.

Saturday: Mainly cloudy with highs once again in the mid-30s - but quiet!

Sunday: The more active day of the weekend, as a system moves through Sunday afternoon into Monday. Mixed precipitation can be expected during the day due to temperatures in the mid-30s, but snow will become the predominant type during the overnight hours.

February was another above-average month here in the metro. Our average temperature ended up half a degree above average - ranking as the 42nd warmest. While it was a very slow beginning of the month snow-wise with only 0.1" through the 19th, the last third of the month ended with a bang with 15.4" over a five-day period of the 20th-24th. That made it the 14th snowiest February on record. Meanwhile, between rain and snow, it was the fifth wettest February.

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It was a warm and wet/snowy meteorological winter (December through February) in the metro. Temperature-wise, it was tied for the 35th warmest. We saw the fourth snowiest winter with 57.6", behind 1981-82 (64.4"), 2010-11 (66.7"), and 1966-67 (71.7"). It was the second wettest meteorological winter as well with 6.45" - ranking behind 1880-81 (9.58").

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Big Surprise: Maps Look Like March!
By Paul Douglas

With roughly 72" of snowfall to date, this is the snowiest winter since 2018-19, when 77.1" fell by May 1. Here's the deal: if we see a snowfall total of 78.4" or more this will be a Top 10 winter. 85"+? That would be a Top 5 winter for the metro. The latest 30-year average for March is 8.2". We are seeing heavier snows in February, but less March snow than we did a generation ago.

The sun comes out today and afternoon temperatures flirt with 40F Friday into Monday. A couple inches of slush may pile up Sunday night into Monday, but no epic storms are showing up on the horizon.

Bitter blasts? I don't see any numbing air into mid-March, and a higher sun angle makes it harder to see subzero lows this month. Perhaps a few days in the 20s the second week of March? No biggie.

How much snow by Mother's Day? I'm thinking 84.7" Um, I had a vision.

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THURSDAY: Glimmers of sunshine. Wake up 17. High 31. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind SE 5-10 mph.

FRIDAY: Pleasant with plenty of sunshine. Wake up 20. High 39. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind SE 5-10 mph.

SATURDAY: Clouds increase, a dry sky. Wake up 22. High 38. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind W 7-12 mph.

SUNDAY: Light rain-snow mix. Wake up 21. High 40. Chance of precipitation 70%. Wind E 10-15 mph.

MONDAY: Light snow or flurries. Wake up 32. High 35. Chance of precipitation 60%. Wind N 10-20 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Patchy clouds, cool breeze. Wake up 22. High 33. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NE 10-20 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
March 2nd

*Length Of Day: 11 hours, 12 minutes, and 17 seconds
*Daylight GAINED Since Yesterday: 3 minutes and 6 seconds

*When do we see 12 Hours of Daylight?: March 18th (12 hours, 2 minutes, 31 seconds)
*Earliest Sunrise Before DST Begins: March 11th (6:33 AM)
*Latest Sunset Before DST Begins: March 11th (6:13 PM)

This Day in Weather History
March 2nd

1913: A record low of 24 degrees below zero is set at the St. Cloud Regional Airport.

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As the system that has been impacting the West pushes out in the central United States Thursday, we will see the threat of a severe weather outbreak from Texas to the Deep South, with snow/icing possible from the Four Corners to the Great Lakes. A new cold front in the Pacific Northwest will bring rain and snow chances. We'll also see rain and snow in the Northeast.

As mentioned above, we're watching the potential of a severe weather outbreak in the Southern United States on Thursday. The severe threat has been upgraded to a Moderate Risk of severe weather (threat level 4 of 5) across portions of northeast Texas, southeast Oklahoma, southern Arkansas, and northern Louisiana. All severe threats - including strong tornadoes and widespread damaging winds - will be possible from storms. While some individual storms are possible across the region during the morning and afternoon hours, the greatest threat will be from a line that surges from Texas and Oklahoma eastward across the region late in the day into the overnight hours.

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The fastest growing metro in the US is looking to a shrinking reservoir to keep the boom going

More from CNN: "In a bright-red county in a state allergic to regulations, there is a ban on growing grass outside new businesses. Only 8% of a home's landscaping can have a grass lawn in this booming corner of Utah, about a hundred miles northeast of Las Vegas. And if any developers want to add another country club to this golfing mecca, "I don't know where they would get the water from," said Zach Renstrom, general manager of the Washington County Water Conservancy District. "And I'm telling you, I know where every drop of water is." Like lots of spots in the West, the combination of more people and less water makes for an uncertain future around St. George, Utah. While this winter's generous snowpack could buy precious time, the entire Colorado River system remains in danger of crashing if water gets too low at Lakes Powell and Mead. But that reality hasn't stopped St. George from booming into the fastest growing metro area in the US two years running, according to the US Census Bureau, and Renstrom says that unless Utah builds a long-promised pipeline to pump water 140 miles from Lake Powell, their growth will turn to pain."

Walmart, Target, Home Depot lead pack of retailers emitting millions of pounds of CO2 through shipping

More from Grist: "2021 was a big year for the global shipping industry, as COVID-19 drove hordes of shoppers to the internet to buy new clothes, gadgets, furniture, and other goods. Booming e-commerce contributed to widely reported supply chain disruptions — but it also led to less-reported consequences for the climate and public health. A new report from the nonprofit Pacific Environment finds that the ships that carried imports for 18 of the U.S.'s largest retail, fashion, tech, and furniture companies emitted about 3.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2021, about as much as the annual climate pollution from 750,000 passenger cars. The ships transporting these companies' clothes, computers, knickknacks, and other goods also released thousands of metric tons of cancer- and asthma-inducing nitrous oxide and particulate matter into port communities."

More from CNBC: "BP CEO Bernard Looney on Tuesday sought to defend the firm's fossil fuel spending plans, reaffirming the need for an "orderly" energy transition and highlighting the oil giant's commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050. His comments came shortly after dozens of protesters blocked an entrance to the InterContinental London Park Lane hotel on the first day of International Energy Week, a global energy conference that brings together senior figures from across the industry. Holding banners reading "Climate Criminals Enter Here" and "No New Oil," activists from climate action group Fossil Free London gathered outside the luxury hotel to protest BP's continued fossil fuel investment. Their chants could be heard throughout the opening sessions of the conference. "Energy is the lifeblood of society," BP's Looney said as he addressed those in attendance."

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Thanks for checking in and have a great day!

- D.J. Kayser