A few stray thoughts about the mildest winter on record.

1). No, every winter going forward WILL NOT be this warm. We are sliding back into a La Nina cool phase of the Pacific, so odds favor colder, snowier weather next winter.

2). I enjoyed the break, but creature comfort was tempered by the fact that this was an (extreme) example of warming winters, brought on by a rapidly changing climate AND El Nino. Minnesota winters are warming and shrinking with more rain and ice. That's not a theory or model. It's the long-term trend. I'm hoping my grandkids can enjoy snow-days the way I did growing up.

Welcome to early late April with low 60s today and a shot at 70F Sunday with an inevitable swarm of late-day thunderstorms. We "cool" into the 40s and 50s next week, and (some) weather models try to spin up a slushy snow event late next week. Still not pulling out the driveway stakes yet. There WILL be more slush.

One more note about MSP's winter: Seven record highs and seven record mild lows were observed since Dec. 1.