Snowy Friday Across The Twin Cities
A heavy burst of snow moved through the metro Friday morning, sliding south and east during the commute and causing a number of accidents, particularly in the northwest metro.
This was just one of many bottlenecks that occurred due to the heavily accumulating snow, which quickly turned to glare ice during the morning commute. According to the State Patrol, 59 crashes occurred in the metro area between 6 am and 10:45 am Friday morning, as well as six vehicles that slid off/went off the road. In the St. Cloud area, where it started snowing before 7 am Friday morning, there were 34 crashes reported and 14 vehicles that slid off/went off the road.
Radar loop between 5 AM and 1 PM Friday.
The radar loop from Friday morning shows the batches of snow that moved through the metro – one which took aim on the west metro during the morning commute, and a second which went through the east metro later in the morning. This wasn’t the only snow that fell in spots, though, as convective snow showers popped up later in the afternoon. The snow Friday morning was sparked by an upper level trough moving through the region.
Here was a look at the snow totals across the Twin Cities metro, stretching up to St. Cloud, through 6 PM Friday Night. The heaviest snow totals in the region: 2.4″ in Monticello and 1.8″ north of Becker. Officially 1.1″ fell in St. Cloud and 0.5″ fell at both the MSP Airport and at the NWS office in Chanhassen. While totals weren’t all that impressive, they certainly caused a number of headaches.
The good news is that it is April, and the sun angle is getting strong. Because of this, the snow quickly melted once the sun came out. One good example is from my colleague Todd Nelson, who picked up 1.5″ Friday in his backyard that was all gone by the end of the day.
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In Need of Some Serious Weather Therapy
By: Paul Douglas
Some days I’m more improvisational-amateur-therapist than meteorologist. Yesterday, after a freakish snow squall made it look like early February, was one of those days. “CAN’T U DO SOMETHING, NOW EVERYONE’S COMPLAINING! WE NEED (sun wearing sunglasses icon)!!” a friend of 30 years texted. “GIVE IT A WEEK. 70s WITHIN 7 DAYS” I answered, trying to talk Heidi off the ledge.
The last couple of weeks have been character-building; an inevitable relapse coming after a balmy March.
We could be navigating thigh-high snow drifts, monitoring flooding rivers or dodging early tornadoes. This isn’t so bad, all things considered.
A frosty start gives way to low 40s today; 50s tomorrow will feel like a minor revelation after this morning’s stinging wind chill. The odds of a Sunday shower have diminished, and after a more reasonable cool frontal passage early next week a shift in the pattern guides Pacific air back into Minnesota. How mild? At least 60s; both ECMWF and GFS guidance hints at a few 70s by next weekend.
Winter’s last gasp? Probably. Sorry, it still wasn’t much of a winter.
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Twin Cities Seven Day Forecast
SATURDAY: Frosty. Clouds increase. High 42. Low 36. Chance of Precipitation 10%. Wind SE 10-15 mph.
SUNDAY: Early shower, then clearing. High 55. Low 32. Chance of Precipitation 40%. Wind NW 10-15 mph.
MONDAY: More clouds than sun, brisk. High 42. Low 25. Chance of Precipitation 10%. Wind NW 15-25 mph.
TUESDAY: Bright sun, winds diminish. High 46. Low 33. Chance of Precipitation 0%. Wind SE 5-10 mph.
WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny, milder breeze returns. High 57. Low 42. Chance of Precipitation 0%. Wind S 10-20 mph.
THURSDAY: Mild sun, feels like spring again. High 62. Low 46. Chance of Precipitation 10%. Wind S 10-15 mph.
FRIDAY: Clouds increase, take off early. High 68. Low 48. Chance of Precipitation 20%. Wind SE 10-20 mph.
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This Day in Weather History
April 9th
1931: Severe dust storms are reported in St. Paul.
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Average Temperatures & Precipitation for Minneapolis
April 9th
Average High: 55F (Record: 81F set in 1930)
Average Low: 34F (Record: 15F set in 1997)
Average Precipitation: 0.08″ (Record: 0.75″ set in 1919)
Average Snowfall: 0.1″ (Record: 5.5″ in 1894)
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Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
April 9th
Sunrise: 6:38 AM
Sunset: 7:52 PM
*Length Of Day: 13 hours, 13 minutes and 31 seconds
*Daylight Gained Since Yesterday: ~3mins & 4secs
*Next Sunrise That Is Before 6:30 AM: April 14th (6:29 am)
*Next Sunset That Is After 8 PM: April 16th (8:01 pm)
Saturday Minnesota Weather Outlook
Forecast clouds and precipitation every three hours between 7 AM Saturday and 7 AM Sunday.
Thanks for checking in and have a great weekend! Don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter (@dkayserwx) or on Facebook (Meteorologist D.J. Kayser)!
– D.J. Kayser