Sunny And Warmer Saturday - Rain Chances Sunday Afternoon Through Next Week

Since last Sunday, we have picked up over an inch of rain here in the metro with another 0.15" falling on Thursday. Some of that was in the form of snow, with 0.3" officially Thursday at MSP. That officially brings our snow total for the month up to 1.3", which is 0.1" above average.

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We won't see any precipitation issues on Saturday in the metro. While it'll be a chilly start with morning lows in the mid to upper 20s, we should see those temperatures climb up to around 50F late in the afternoon under mainly sunny skies for the second Twins game of the year.

Highs will climb into the 40s and 50s across the state on Saturday under those mostly sunny skies. These highs will actually be within a few degrees of average! In the Twin Cities, the last time we were around the average was back on the 2nd, when the high was 50F (three degrees above average).

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If you have plans for Sunday, we will see more clouds than sun with a 30% chance of some rain showers during the afternoon hours. Once again we should see highs climb into the low 50s.

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Now Is The Spring Of Our Discontent
By Paul Douglas

For 40 years I've fantasized about checking the weather models, shaking my head in disgust, quickly packing a suitcase and driving to MSP International Airport to catch a flight to ANYWHERE with sunshine and 80s. Spontaneous disgust. Instant gratification. I've never pulled the trigger but this year I'm close.

We suffer from collective-amnesia. Last year we enjoyed 70s and 80s in early April. Falls are trending longer and milder, but springs blow hot and cold. Counterintuitively, late cold fronts and slush exist in a warming world.

I see a string of 50s into Tuesday, even 60s to near 70F Wednesday, with a risk of severe thunderstorms. A brief shower today gives way to more widespread rain late Tuesday and a very stormy Wednesday, before a stormy pinwheel of low pressure delivers another slushy slap late next week. I envision a coating in the MSP metro (big surprise) and the European prints out 40" of snow for parts of the Dakotas. Good grief.

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Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast

SATURDAY: Sunny and pleasant. Wake up 28. High 51. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind W 5-10 mph.

SUNDAY: Clouds increase, stray shower. Wake up 36. High 54. Chance of precipitation 30%. Wind SE 15-25 mph.

MONDAY: Mix of clouds and sun. Wake up 37. High 56. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind NW 7-12 mph.

WEDNESDAY: T-storms may be strong, even severe. Wake up 44. High 68. Chance of precipitation 90%. Wind SE 10-20 mph.

THURSDAY: Wind-whipped flurries, colder. Wake up 37. High 40. Chance of precipitation 60%. Wind SW 20-40 mph.

FRIDAY: Flurries give way to sunshine. Wake up 29. High 37. Chance of precipitation 30%. Wind NW 10-20 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
April 9th

*When Do We See 14 Hours Of Daylight: April 26th (14 hours, 2 minutes, 30 seconds)
*When Is The Sunrise At/Before 6:30 AM?: April 14th (6:30 AM)
*When Is The Sunset At/After 8 PM?: April 17th (8:01 PM)

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This Day in Weather History
April 9th

1931: Severe dust storms are reported in St. Paul.

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The heaviest snow through the weekend will be in the Cascades, where up to at least a foot will be possible. Scattered rain chances exist from the Northern Plains to the eastern U.S., with the heaviest falling in New England.

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Polar science threatens to crack under strain of Russia's war in Ukraine

More from Axios: "Crucial scientific projects in the Arctic are in limbo — and their progress is under threat — as Russia becomes more isolated from the world for its invasion of Ukraine. Why it matters: These research collaborations provide key insights about the effects of climate change, the health of the oceans and geology — and they underpin cooperation among the U.S., Russia and others in the geopolitical hotspots of the Arctic and Antarctica."

Thousands of tonnes of air pollution could be reduced by changing the way we dry our laundry

Rains Drive Biggest S. African Locust Infestation in Decades

More from Bloomberg: "South Africa is experiencing its biggest infestation of brown locusts in decades with heavy rains allowing the crop-eating insects to multiply rapidly. The infestation, which started in September, has spread to three provinces - the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Western Cape - and 80 million rand ($5.4 million) has already been spent combating it with insecticide, the agriculture department said in a statement on Thursday. "Due to the amount of rainfall received, the outbreak tends to escalate" allowing the locusts to quickly breed, the department said. "The wind is also playing a role in migrating the swarms to the areas where" the locusts haven't been seen before, including citrus farms in the Eastern Cape, it said."

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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