The Joys of March: Digging Out, Then Warming Up

Rapid Melting As Temperature Mellow

"Hi, I'm Paul. Your court-appointed weather therapist. Have a seat. Yes, these feelings of inadequacy and frustration are perfectly normal. No question, March in Minnesota is mentally-taxing. No, you're not alone. 60s one day, knee-deep slush the next? That's tough on our mental health, which was already taking a beating. I can write you a prescription. Would 50s in a few days help?"

If you've lived in Minnesota longer than 10 minutes you know how fickle springs can be. I'll be relieved if we don't see blizzards in April this year.

If you don't like snow just stick around. Today's sun angle is as high in the sky as it was on September 26. Most of the snow will melt by Thursday. Really. Most of Minnesota is too dry; moisture from yesterday's slop-storm will nourish topsoil moisture levels across southern Minnesota.

The mercury mellows above 50F by late week with an outside shot at 60 degrees on Sunday.

A cold rain arrives early next week. It's just Mother Nature's way of keeping things interesting. I know, a little too interesting...

How Much Fell? The snowfall gradient across the greater MSP metro area was extraordinary, from 9.5" at New Prague to .5" at Forest Lake and Lindstrom. But close-in suburbs picked up 2-3" with 3-5" just south of the Minnesota River. For the latest totals click here.

Now Comes a Warming Trend. Daytime highs reach 40F today and 50F by Thursday, with weekend highs climbing well into the 50s. Not bad, considering the average high now at MSP is 41F. It may seem hard to believe but most of our new snow will be gone by Wednesday or Thursday, and by the weekend thoughts will, once again, turn to spring.

Warming Trend. I'm not buying the GFS solution of 70s for late March, but a run of 50s and a few 60s seem likely looking out 2 weeks. Nothing arctic in sight.

Another Relapse? Confidence levels are low this far out but NOAA's GFS model suggests another round of colder fronts as we push into early April, probably NOT subzero, but potentially colder than average. I want to see if this is a fluke or a real trend. Too early to say.

2.6" snow fell at MSP International Airport yesterday.

36 F. high in the Twin Cities yesterday.

40 F. maximum temperature on March 15, 2020.

March 16, 1930: The temperature at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport tops out at a record 71 degrees.

TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy, sloppy. Winds: SW 5-10. High: near 40

WEDNESDAY: Clouds, few flurries or sprinkles. Winds: NE 5-10. Wake-up: 29. High: 43

THURSDAY: Partly sunny and pleasant. Winds: NE 10-15. Wake-up: 30. High: 51

SATURDAY: Sunny, breezy and milder. Winds: S 10-20. Wake-up: 31. High: 56

SUNDAY: Clouds increase, shower risk late. Winds: SW 15-25. Wake-up: 40. High: 58

MONDAY: Periods of rain. Winds: S 8-13. Wake-up: 43. High: 48

Climate Stories...

Did A Wetter Climate and Slower Storms Fuel Record Snows? Perspective on the recent snow blitz from Climate Nexus: Colorado, Wyoming Hit By Record Snow: A massive storm dropped feet of snow across Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska over the weekend, knocking out power for tens of thousands of customers and grinding air and ground transportation to a halt. Cheyenne, Wyo., saw nearly 26 inches by noon Sunday, breaking its record for two-day snowfall, and Denver saw its fourth-most snow since 1881 — more than 27 inches at Denver International Airport, and approximately two corgis in Lincoln Park. In Aspen Park, nearly 20 inches of snow fell in just four hours. Human-caused climate change increases air and sea surface temperatures, creating more favorable conditions for extreme precipitations events. Unlike the massive blackouts in Texas last month which caused catastrophic failures across the grid and gas system, the outages caused by the wet, heavy snow are primarily caused by downed transmission lines and power is expected to be restored much more quickly. The storm will not be sufficient to alleviate the drought affecting nearly all of the state. (Denver Post, Washington Post $, New York Times $; Drought: Denver Post; Climate Signals background: Extreme precipitation increase)