Ah, spring. If you squint, tilt your head and use your imagination it (almost) looks like spring out there at times. Ice is coming off area lakes, those piles of dirty snow that looked so formidable a few weeks ago are downright puny now, and the Twin Cities has picked up just over 4 hours of additional daylight since December 21!
A gradual thaw, coupled with few substantial snow and rainstorms in March has allowed snow to melt at a moderate pace, lowering the risk of spring flooding somewhat, but we are not out of the woods just yet, according to Twin Cities National Weather Service Meteorologist in Charge, Dan Luna: "It's way too early to say we are out of the woods. For the southern part of MN, it was an "ideal" snow melt that produced minor to moderate flooding in some locations. The Red River and the upper Mississippi are just getting started and we will see moderate to major flood levels in the Red and moderate flood levels on the Mississippi from St. Paul downstream. Any additional significant precipitation could push other locations to major flood levels throughout the state" Luna explained during an interview yesterday. If you've experienced flooding problems in past years you may still see sudden rises in the weeks to come.
Credit: Praedictix.
In spite of a few more spasms of chilly, Canadian air and even a couple of slushy relapses, spring is coming. 60s return early next week, when a few strong thunderstorms may bubble up - a preview of what's to come.
Hang on and enjoy the ride! Because Minnesotans earn their springs.
