Brief April Update: With cooler than normal temperatures earlier this week, some areas of the state reported measurable snowfalls, the first time this month. Portions of Beltrami, Koochiching, Kittson, Becker, and Itasca Counties reported 1-2 inches of snowfall. It was short-lived as temperatures warmed up towards the end of the week. More moisture is expected over the weekend and next week to close out the month of April, so I will not provide a climate summary for the month until next Friday. It appears that the month will be wetter than normal for most areas of the state, helping to alleviate the drought situation, which should continue to improve. Of further note it looks like the first two weeks of May will be warmer and wetter than normal over much of the state. Good news for farmers who got their fields planted this week. Winds have continued to be strong this month, with a remarkable number of days bringing wind gusts of 30 mph or greater. The Twin Cities have seen 22 s
Near record warmth, followed by widespread, welcome rains: Last weekend was by far the best weather of the year so far, with warm temperatures, bright, sunny skies, and comfortable humidity. Temperatures rose above forecasted highs on Saturday (April 13), and though a few degrees cooler on Sunday, temperatures remained quite comfortable for outdoor activities. A few long-term climate stations reported new record daily high temperatures over the weekend. Some of these included: 89°F at Canby (Yellow Medicine County) 88°F at Milan (Chippewa County) 87°F at Winnebago (Faribault County) 85°F at Litchfield (Meeker County) 83°F at Wheaton (Traverse County) 76°F at Cass Lake (Cass County) Following the warm weekend, a large area of low pressure brought showers and thunderstorms to most of the state over Tuesday and Wednesday, providing good, soaking rains to many areas that needed it. Rainfall amounts in the north were generally less than an inch, but many observers in central and southe