Did you get enough rain this week? A three-day, needed soaker drenched parts of Minnesota - but not quite all of it. So depending on where you are, it was either too much or not enough says WCCO-TV Chief Meteorologist Chris Shaffer.
"We needed it because the drought conditions were still bad coming out of winter," says Shaffer on the WCCO Morning News Thursday. "But 2.3-inches of rain fell over the three day span in the Twin Cities. There was a listener yesterday morning who asked what would that be had it been cold enough for snow? Well, that would have been two to three feet of snow that we would have been shoveling."
Can you even imagine late May shoveling snow? Sadly, we can imagine it. But that's behind us now and the sun is out once again heading into Memorial Day Weekend.
"I was in the doom stage still last night thinking of that Bill Withers song 'Ain't No Sunshine when she's gone.' Well, apparently she came back because we got the sunshine," Shaffer jokes. "This house is a home, so yes, it's gonna be nice going forward."
We get the sunshine throughout the day Thursday and it's going to stick around.
"66 will be the high, which is still about six degrees below average, but it's gonna feel glorious," explains Shaffer. "Compared to the high of 51 we had yesterday, the 48 we posted for a high two days ago. So partly cloudy, 66 today, clear sky tonight. It should hit 66 again tomorrow with the sunshine."
The weekend looks very similar with a small creep up in warmth, even as we stick just below normal. The average high this time of year is 72.
"This is looking nice. It looks like we'll stay dry through Memorial weekend, basically partly cloudy conditions," Shaffer said. "Upper 60s, still on Saturday, I think we hit 70 on Sunday, and then next week we're trending warmer. Could hit 73 by Tuesday. I saw a few hints at possibly scratching our way up near 80 by the following weekend."
No looking back now, it's full-speed ahead towards June and summer.
"The rain is there, it's in the ground, we're happy, things are green again," Shaffer said. "We don't have to water, we don't have to turn the sprinklers on or anything like that. You got to dust off the old blue blockers. You're gonna need them for the next couple of days.
If you're heading north for Memorial weekend, it'll be the same story - if a bit chilly, especially at night.
"If you're heading to a cabin up north or into western Wisconsin, it's high pressure pretty much dominating, so no matter where you go, it's looking good for the long weekend," he adds.
That chill overnight in northern Minnesota is actually coming with a frost advisory from the National Weather Service.
And don't feel too bad about some temps mostly in the 60s. It could be worse. An unusual May nor’easter is set to wallop New England on Thursday, providing a soaking - and even snow in mountainous areas - before the Memorial Day holiday weekend with weather more commonly associated with fall and winter.
FROST ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM FRIDAY
* WHAT...Temperatures as low as 29 will result in frost formation.
* WHERE...Northeast Minnesota, except for the lakeshore areas of Lake and Cook Counties. Northwest Wisconsin.
* WHEN...From 1 AM to 9 AM Friday.
* IMPACTS...Frost could harm sensitive outdoor vegetation. Sensitive outdoor plants may be killed if left uncovered.
FORECAST
Thursday: Partly cloudy. High: 66. N 5-10 mph.
Thursday Night: Mainly clear. Low: 42. N wind 5-10 mph.
Friday: Partly cloudy. High: 66. NE wind 5-10 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. High 69. E-NE wind 5 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny. High 69. E wind 5 mph.
Memorial Day: A very slight chance of afternoon showers. Mostly sunny. High 70. E-NE wind 5 mph.