Snow Across Southern Minnesota Thursday - Warmer Temperatures This Weekend

We did see heavy snow stripe the central and northern portions of the state with our one-two punch of snow to begin the week. Officially we saw 5.1" of snow at MSP Tuesday with only a trace falling Monday. The top Minnesota totals were 20" two miles east-southeast of Duluth and 18" a mile southwest of Little Falls. The top total in Wisconsin was a whopping (lake-enhanced) 33.5" two miles west-southwest of Washburn.

_______________________________________________

Image 1: Forecast loop from 6 AM Thursday to Midnight Thursday Night. Image 2: Expected snowfall.

As we head through the morning and midday hours on Thursday, snow will move in across southern Minnesota in association with a larger storm hitting to our south. Snow will likely start in the early afternoon hours in the Twin Cities, lasting into the evening before pushing out. The heaviest totals are expected south of the metro, where some areas of southern Minnesota could see 2-4" of fresh snow. Here in the metro, snowfall tallies of 1-2" are expected.

So while we will start the day off on the quiet side in the metro Thursday, snow will move in as we head toward the midday hours (and especially into the afternoon). The good news is that snow is expected to mainly be on the light side, maybe popping to a moderate rate every once in a while. Overall snow totals in the metro are expected to be in the 1-2" range.

While parts of central and southern Minnesota see snow and highs climbing into the teens, it'll be sunnier as you head into northern parts of the state but colder as well with highs only in the single digits. These highs statewide will be 15-25F degrees below average.

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

While we have had a few warmer days this month, the majority of the month has still been chilly. Our average temperature has been 5.3F degrees below average, tied for the 62nd coldest start to February on record. While overall precipitation has been slightly below average, the 8.8" of snow at MSP is an inch and a half above average.

_______________________________________________

Extended Thaw Shaping Up Next Week
By Paul Douglas

"I like to think that to one in sympathy with nature, each season, in turn, seems the loveliest," wrote Mark Twain. When I moved here 40 years ago people said "Oh, in Minnesota you get all 4 seasons!" They were right. Sort of.

MSP is up to 42" of snow for the winter season, nearly 5" above average, to date. We may add a couple inches of additional powder today, as a disturbance tracks to our south.

February has been relentlessly chilling, with only 7 days above freezing. No Polar Vortex signature, just a numbing parade of clippers. We soon catch a break with an extended thaw from this weekend into next week. Models show a run of 30s with a few days in the 40s. Yes, March brings snow, but it's slushy and melts quickly, responding to a mellowing mercury and higher sun angle.

There are vague but tantalizing signs of spring on our weather maps.

_______________________________________________

Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast

FRIDAY: Sunny and brisk. Wake up 0. High 16. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind W 5-10 mph.

SATURDAY: Sunny and milder. Wake up 6. High 34. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind SW 10-15 mph.

SUNDAY: Mix of clouds and sun. Wake up 17. High 32. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind SE 5-10 mph.

MONDAY: Blue sky, trending milder. Wake up 19. High 40. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind W 8-13 mph.

TUESDAY: Lamb-like March 1. Clouds increase. Wake up 26. High 36. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind N 5-10 mph.

_______________________________________________

Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
February 24th

*Length Of Day: 10 hours, 54 minutes, and 31 seconds
*Daylight GAINED Since Yesterday: 3 minutes and 3 seconds

*When Do We See 11 Hours Of Daylight: February 26th (11 hours, 0 minutes, 39 seconds)
*Latest Sunrise Before DST Begins: March 12th (6:30 AM)
*Next Sunset At/After 6:00 PM: March 1st (6:00 PM)

_______________________________________________

1835: The temperature at Ft. Snelling falls 26 degrees in only three hours.

_______________________________________________

As we head through Thursday, the second major storm of this week will impact areas of the central and eastern United States with snow, significant icing, and some strong storms.

Looking at precipitation through the end of the week, heavy snow will fall in the Rockies (with 1-2 feet possible) and in the Northeast (with 6-12"). Significant icing will be possible in the Southern United States - especially in parts of Arkansas where over a half an inch of ice could fall.

_______________________________________________

More from Gizmodo: "Environmental activists and Native American tribes attempting to permanently shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline scored a major legal victory on Tuesday as the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from the pipeline's developers. That rejection means the court will let stand a lower court ruling which called for a more thorough environmental review and rejected an important federal permit granted to Energy Transfer Partners, the pipeline's developer. A July 2020 district court ruling determined a federal permit granted to Energy Transfer by the Army Corps of Engineers was in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act. Energy Transfer asked the Supreme Court to reverse that decision, claiming the lower court's ruling would put the pipeline "at a significant risk of being shut down," according to the Associated Press. Though environmentalist groups welcomed the Supreme Court's decision Tuesday, it renewed calls by some to force the pipeline to halt operations until the new environmental review is complete."

Wildfires are getting more extreme and burning more land. The UN says it's time to 'learn to live with fire'

More from CNN: "Wildfires have intensified around the globe, providing a stark reminder of how the climate crisis is upending lives and inflicting billions of dollars a year in damage. And it will only get worse, according to dozens of global fire experts. A report released Wednesday by the UN Environment Programme suggests it's time we "learn to live with fire" and adapt to the uptick in the frequency and severity of wildfires that will inevitably put more lives and economies in harm's way. The number of extreme wildfire events will increase up to 14% by 2030, according to the report's analysis. By 2050, the increase will climb to 30%. Even with the most ambitious efforts to slash heat-trapping emissions, the report shows that those near-term consequences are locked in."

Germany halts approval of gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 after Russia's actions

More from CNBC: "Germany on Tuesday halted the certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline designed to bring natural gas from Russia directly to Europe, after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized breakaway parts of eastern Ukraine and ordered troops into the region. Germany's chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said that his country would not accept the recognition of the two self-proclaimed, pro-Russian separatist regions in the Donbas area of eastern Ukraine, and that Germany had to reassess the situation regarding Nord Stream 2. "In light of the most recent developments we must reassess the situation in particular regarding Nord Stream 2," Scholz said at a news conference."

Thanks for checking in and have a great day! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@dkayserwx) and like me on Facebook (Meteorologist D.J. Kayser).

- D.J. Kayser