According to the MN DNR, Lake Minnetonka is officially ICE OUT!! It happened on Wednesday, April 19th, which is a just about a week later than average. The earliest ice out was on March 11th, 1878, while the latest ice out was on May 5th, 2018. Ice outs will continue to creep north over the next several days and weeks. Many of the larger lakes in central and northern Minnesota have yet to go ice out, but it won't be long now...

See more from the MN DNR ice out page HERE:

According to the National Weather Service, out of 160 river gauges on the map below, 50 are currently or are expected to be in flood stage at some point over the next several days. Some spots are or will be experiencing Moderate and even Major flood stage, which could cause issues in flood prone communities.

Here's the river forecast for the St. Croix River at Stillwater. Moderate flooding was ongoing for much of the last several days, but Major flooding is likely as we head through the rest of the month. Note that this could be the most significant crest since April of 2001 and could potentially be the 6th highest crest on record there! If the crest gets to 90ft, HWY 95 between Afton and Bayport begins to flood. Lakefront Park bathhouse in Hudson affected.

See more from the river gauge HERE:

The Mississippi River at St. Paul is will be in flood stage over the next several days with Major Flood Stage expected by late week. Late next week, we could see the river crest around 18.8ft, which would be the most significant crest since March 31st, 2019 when water levels reached 20.19ft. If we do hit 18.8ft, this would be the 11th highest crest on record for this location.

"April 24, 2023 - Spring leaf out continues to spread north. Spring arrived several days to weeks earlier than average (the period of 1991-2020) in much of the Southeast, lower Midwest, and mid-Atlantic, then slowed across the northern Great Plains and lower Midwest. In the past week, spring has moved further into the Western US, arriving days to weeks later than usual. Billings MT is 18 days late, Spokane WA is 12 days late, and Bend OR is 24 days late. Spring bloom has also arrived in southern states, days to weeks early in the Southeast, and days to over a week late in the Southwest. Spring bloom has also arrived 2 weeks late in the Seattle area, and 5 days early in Pittsburgh, PA. How typical is this year's spring? Darker colors represent springs that are unusually early or late in the long-term record. Gray indicates an average spring. Parts of the Southeast, lower Midwest, mid-Atlantic, and New York City area are seeing either the earliest spring leaf on record or a spring that only occurs once every 40 years (dark green). Parts of the West are seeing a spring that only occurs this late once every 40 years (purple). Spring bloom is latest on record across parts of the Southwest including California and Arizona, and earliest on record in parts of the upper Southeast including Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina."

Weather conditions will be mostly dry through midweek before another slow moving storm system moves into town. This system will be responsible for a few days of cool and showery weather into the weekend with areas of snow possible, especially north.

The extended precipitation outlook through early next week doesn't look as impressive as it did earlier this week. Total amounts have diminished some and have shifted a little farther north and east. The Twin Cities could see a 0.25" to 0.40" of liquid through early next week.

Snowfall amounts are quite impressive across the region with several locations running well above average. Duluth has seen nearly 140" of snow, which is the snowiest season on record! The Twin Cities has seen more than 90" of snow, which is the 3rd snowiest season on record. Interestingly, Bismarck North Dakota is only 0.5" away from being the snowiest season on record as well! Most climate sites around the Midwest are well above average for snowfall this season with a surplus of more than 50" in Duluth and Bismarck. The Twin Cities is nearly 40" above average this season as well.

As of Saturday, the NWS in Duluth had seen nearly 140" of snow, which is the snowiest season on record. This beats the previous record of 135.4" set during the winter of 1995-96. Interestingly, 1996 was the last year that Lake Superior completely froze over. Note that there have only been 19 seasons on record that have recorded 100" or more in Duluth.

It's hard to believe, but nearly 12 FEET of snow has fallen in Duluth this winter. That's nearly the size of a full grown African Elephant - WOW!

The NBM extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis shows lingering cool temps in place through the week. However, we should see a gradual warming trend toward the low/mis 60s late week, which is where we typically should be for this time of the year. Overall, the end of April will finish on a cooler than normal note.

The weather outlook for the Twin Cities on Wednesday, April 26th will be a little more tolerable, but still be cooler than normal for late April. Temps may warm into the mid/upper 50s in the metro, which will still be nearly -5F below average. We should see more sunshine through the day Wednesday as well.

Temps across the region on Wednesday will still be around -5F below with highs warming into the 40s and 50s across the region. Areas of rain will be possible farther north and west later in the day. Stay tuned...

The hourly temps through the day Wednesday shows temps starting in the low/mid 30s in the morning and warming into the mid/upper 50s by the afternoon. We should see more sunshine through the day with more of a southerly wind up to 15mph in the afternoon.

Weather conditions will stay dry close to home through midweek, but another storm system will move in late week and will linger through the weekend with more gray skies and chilly rain showers. There may even be a little snow across parts of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Weather conditions will be drier through midweek before another storm system moves into later this week with scattered rain chances. Gray and soggy weather could stick around into early next week.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows cooler than average temperatures across much of the Eastern US and also across the West Coast. Meanwhile, temps will be warmer than average across the Rockies.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 Day precipitation outlook shows quieter weather in place across the Great Lakes and Northeast, while more active weather will move into the Western US.

Here in the Land of 10,000 Weather Disappointments most of us are relieved to see 50s and bright sunshine. And yes, it is theoretically possible to get a sunburn on those morning goosebumps.

The potential to tan or burn has nothing to do with temperature, and everything to do with the date and subsequent sun angle, which is now as high in the sky as it was in mid-August. A recent scientific study points out that more than 2/3rds of melanoma (skin cancer) cases in 2022 were men, who more often than women, don't use sunscreen. And yes, more men work and play outside, but much like second-hand smoke, there may be no such thing as "safe sunshine".

I'm just relieved it won't snow as we slide into May. That would be a genuine Mayday!

WEDNESDAY: More clouds. Shower late. Winds: S 8-13. High 58.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers. Winds: S 15-35. Low: 47.

THURSDAY: Few showers, rumble of thunder? Winds: SW 10-15. High 63.

FRIDAY: Steadier rain likely. Winds: NE 7-12. Wake-up: 50. High 60.

SUNDAY: PM showers, still March-like. Winds: NW 15-30. Wake-up: 36. High: 46.

MONDAY: Mostly cloudy and brisk. Winds: NW 15-25. Wake-up: 34. High: 50.

TUESDAY: Patchy clouds, cool breeze. Winds: NW 10-20. Wake-up: 33. High: 54.

April 26th

1954: Extremely heavy downpours occur in Mora, where nearly 7 inches of rain would fall in a little over 10 hours.

Average High: 62F (Record: 85F set in 1970)

Average Low: 42F (Record: 26F set in 1950)

Record Rainfall: 1.46" set in 2011

Record Snowfall: 3.0" set in 1893

April 26th

Sunset: 8:11pm

Hours of Daylight: ~14 hours & 01 minutes

Daylight GAINED since yesterday: +2 Minutes & 50 Seconds

Daylight GAINED since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 5 hour & 15 minutes

0.6 Days Before First Quarter Moon

Temperatures on Wednesday will be cooler than average east of the Rockies and especially across the Great Lakes. Slightly warmer than average temperatures will be found in the Western US with sunshine.

The weather outlook on Wednesday will be more unsettled across the Gulf Coast and into the Plains with showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could be strong to severe with locally heavy rainfall.

According to NOAA's SPC, strong to severe thunderstorms will be possible across the Southern US, including Texas on Wednesday. Large hail, damaging winds and even isolated tornadoes will be possible. The severe threat lessens a bit and shifts east on Thursday.

As we head through the next few days, heavier showers and storms will develop across the Southern US. Some of the storms could be strong to severe with locally heavy rainfall. Weather conditions will also become more unsettled across the Midwest.

According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, the extended precipitation outlook shows heavier precipitation across the Southern US as we head through the week ahead. There could be periods of heavier precipitation in the Northeast as well, but the Southwest looks to stay mainly dry.

"Scientific research teams face new and increased dangers as climate change alters the Arctic landscape. At the world's northernmost year-round research station, scientists are racing to understand how the fastest-warming place on Earth is changing – and what those changes may mean for the planet's future. But around the tiny town of Ny-Alesund, high above the Arctic circle on Norway's Svalbard archipelago, scientific data is getting harder to access. And sometimes it's vanishing before scientists can collect it. Scientists hoping to harvest ice cores are finding glaciers inundated by water. Research sites are getting harder to reach, as earlier springtime melt leaves the ground too barren for snowmobile travel."

See more from Independent HERE:

"Weather satellites kind of quietly go about their business. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has a fleet of low-earth orbiting and geostationary satellites that provide critical information about our weather on a daily basis. These satellites monitor severe thunderstorms, track hurricanes, detect wildfires and even provide vital data for our weather prediction models. However, this week the NOAA GOES East captured three aspects of the SpaceX Starship launch - the condensation trail, its shadow, and an "unscheduled disassembly." I'll explain. On April 20th, 2023, the Starship rocket blasted off from SpaceX's Starbase facility on the souther Texas coast. The the 394-foot-tall Starship is reportedly the largest and most powerful rocket constructed to date. Mike Wall and Tariq Malik covered the launch for Space.com. They wrote, "The goal was to get Starship to a maximum altitude of about 145 miles (233 km), then bring it barreling back into Earth's atmosphere for a trial-by-fire reentry, ending with a hard splashdown in the Pacific Ocean not far from the Hawaiian island of Kauai about 90 minutes after liftoff." That didn't happen."

See more from Forbes HERE:

The upper levels of the ocean have never been this hot. Blame the end of La Niña and the ever-present heating effect of climate change. Ocean surface temperatures have hit an all-time high this month, breaking every record since satellite measurements began in the 1980s. Temperatures reached a global average of 69.98 Fahrenheit (21.1 degrees Celsius) in the first days of April. The previous record of 69.9 F (21 degrees C) was set in March 2016. Both are more than a degree higher than the global average between 1982 and 2011, which runs at around 68.72 F (20.4 C) in early spring, according to data from the University of Maine Climate Reanalyzer The new record is the result of the buildup of heat from climate change, now unsuppressed by La Niña — a natural ocean cycle of cold surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific that had been ongoing for three years, but which ended in March