Windy Weather With Rain And Snow Continues Thursday - Drier For The Twins Opener Friday

We've continued our wet and somewhat snowy streak over the first few days of April so far. From April 1st (Friday) through April 5th (Tuesday), we picked up a total of 0.63" of liquid precipitation and 1" of snow at MSP.

As we look at what we've picked up liquid-wise since March 1st (this is rain and melted wintry precipitation), we are almost an inch and a half above average through April 5th here in the metro. In fact, most of the state is running above average - the exception is up in northwestern portions of the state and into eastern North Dakota, where areas like Baudette and Grand Forks are over a half-inch below average.

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Loop from 7 PM Wednesday through 1 PM Friday.

The system that has been hanging out across the upper Midwest will continue to do so through Thursday Night, bringing at least scattered rain and snow chances along with it before precipitation finally pushes out of the state heading into early Friday.

As we look at the metro, precipitation will start off the day as a mix and/or light snow before changing over to rain during the morning hours. We'll start off in the low to mid-30s and only climb to around 40F for a high. A stiff northwest breeze will make it feel like the 20s throughout much of the day.

A couple of areas of 6"+ of snow are possible as we finish off Wednesday and head into Thursday - one in northwestern areas and another up in the Arrowhead. However, many areas of western and northern Minnesota could see at least 1-4" of snow before this system finally pushes out late in the week. Winter Weather Advisories are in place.

We will also watch strong winds as we head through Thursday out of the northwest. In the Twin Cities, these winds could gust above 30 mph by the afternoon hours and we could see overall gusts over 50 mph in the Red River Valley.

Due to the expected strong wind gusts, numerous Wind Advisories and High Wind Warnings are in place out in western Minnesota into the Dakotas.

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As you may have already heard, the Twins Home Opener has been postponed from Thursday to Friday due to the expectation of precipitation and cold temperatures. While we'll get rid of the precipitation by Friday afternoon, it'll still be cloudy and chilly - especially when you factor in that wind! We could see gusts to 30 mph at the first pitch Friday afternoon.

The good news is that if you're heading to the games this weekend, nicer weather will be in store. Highs on both Saturday and Sunday are expected to reach into the 50s with lots of sunshine Saturday but more filtered skies on Sunday. Enjoy the dry weather this weekend - more rain looks possible heading into early next week.

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The Reluctant Spring of '22
By Paul Douglas

I want to take this opportunity to apologize for our slow-motions spring - the slush, the wind chill, the overall discomfort. A couple weeks ago I accidently pushed the red blinking button on my Doppler radar and well, it all ended badly. The same thing happened in 2018 when we saw 26" in April, but with luck this month will be a faint echo of 4 years ago.

The Minnesota DNR data says the coldest Twins Home Opener was 1962 (high of 34F). Sleet (ice pellets) were reported during 1972's first game at Met Stadium. The Twins made the right call by shifting the opener to Friday. Today will be miserable - Friday should be more tolerable.

A fine weekend gives way to another major rainstorm next week, with 1-2 feet of snow possible across the Dakotas.<p>Spring is coming, but I'll be darned if I know when.

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Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast

THURSDAY: Rain/snow mix, windy. Wake up 34. High 39. Chance of precipitation 100%. Wind NW 15-25 mph.

FRIDAY: Slow clearing, cool breeze lingers. Wake up 32. High 43. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NW 15-25 mph.

SUNDAY: Clouds increase. Wake up 36. High 55. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind SE 10-20 mph.

MONDAY: Some mild sunshine, isolated shower. Wake up 43. High 59. Chance of precipitation 30%. Wind E 7-12 mph.

TUESDAY: Windy with periods of rain. Wake up 41. High 55. Chance of precipitation 60%. Wind NE 10-20 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Heavier rain, few T-storms? Wake up 39. High 54. Chance of precipitation 90%. Wind E 15-25 mph.

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*Length Of Day: 13 hours, 5 minutes, and 58 seconds
*Daylight GAINED Since Yesterday: 3 minutes and 5 seconds

*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 7th

1857: A cold snap hits the United States, with snow reported in every state.

The cold front that produced severe weather in the southern U.S. on Wednesday will continue east on Thursday, with storms up the eastern seaboard. The associated low will still hang out in the Great Lakes, with rain and snow chances there. Late Thursday a system will approach the Pacific Northwest with rain and higher elevation snow.

The heaviest snow from Wednesday through Friday will be in portions of the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes, where a foot or more could fall in isolated spots. Heavy rain will be possible in the eastern United States, with some 1-4" tallies possible.

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Climate change could cost U.S. $2 trillion each year by the end of the century, White House says

More from CNBC: "Floods, drought, wildfires and hurricanes made worse by climate change could cost the U.S. federal budget about $2 trillion each year — a 7.1% loss in annual revenue — by the end of the century, the White House said in an assessment on Monday. The analysis by the Office of Management and Budget, which administers the federal budget, also warned the U.S. government could spend an additional $25 billion to $128 billion each year in areas such as coastal disaster relief, flood insurance, crop insurance, health-care insurance, wildland fire suppression and flooding at federal facilities. "The fiscal risk of climate change is immense," Candace Vahlsing, the OMB's associate director for climate, and Danny Yagan, its chief economist, wrote in a blog published on Monday."

More from Marketplace: "On a slushy, warm day in February, Eric Straubhar buffed the wax on a child's ski. Straubhar manages the rental shop at Bogus Basin, a ski resort outside Boise, Idaho. He said it had been a few years since he first heard that PFAS was a problem in high-end ski waxes. From what he knew, these "fluorinated" or PFAS, additives had been in ski equipment in some form or another for decades. "There were a myriad of powders and different things, and then waxes," he said. PFAS, an abbreviation for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a class of chemicals often referred to as forever chemicals. They're man-made, have circled the globe and don't break down in the environment — or our bodies. They can cause cancer and other diseases and suppress immune systems, among other things."

Hunger Crisis in Africa Affects Over 300 Million People

More from The Root: "A quarter of Africans are at risk of experiencing hunger due to climate change, conflict and rising food and fuel prices, reported Reuters. The International Committee of the Red Cross estimated about 346 million people in Africa are at risk of hunger. ICRC's global operations director, Dominik Stillhart, said food insecurity has hit many countries where the organization is working and people are affected by armed conflict causing them to "tip into famine-like conditions.""

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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).