Saturday, April 4th 2009

* Flood warnings continue for Minnesota, Mississippi and Sauk Rivers.
* Weekend storm on track for southern MN - Winter Storm Watches from Sioux Falls South Dakota to Mankato, MN to Red Wing, MN upgraded to Winter Weather Advisories and Winter Storm Warnings - Blizzard Warning for extreme southwest MN.

Saturday: filtered AM sunshine fades. Becoming mostly cloudy and breezy with a slight chance of flurries late (mainly south of St. Cloud). High: 41

Saturday night: Light snow showers possible (mainly south) turning breezy. Low: 27

Sunday: Scattered snow showers, light dusting possible (mainly south). Breezy, feeling cooler. High: 36

Monday: Flurries early. Still breezy, change in site - hang in there! High: 38

Tuesday: Here we go! Sunny and feeling springy!! High: 43

Wednesday: Weather maps looking warmer! Sunny too! High: 48

Thursday: Mostly sunny! Near average high temperatures. High: 49


"Active Weather Pattern"

Here we are! The first full weekend of April, can you believe it? Time seems to be flying by - we're getting closer to the Minnesota's fourth and final season... Road construction! Before we know it, the grass will begin to sprout, budding leaves will begin to appear on trees and orange signs will pop up, seemingly everywhere! Winters are tough where we live, but they also bring plenty of fun and festivities to those who cherish the colder months. Each season brings it's beauty and wonder - spring is no different! Springtime robin calls are becoming more numerous and snow, from snow storms plowing through the upper Midwest, is heavier and wetter (snow contains more liquid now than it did just a few short weeks ago)!

Speaking of snow - more snow is expected across southern Minnesota today and tomorrow. Winter Storm Watches have been upgraded to Winter Weather Advisories, Winter Storm Warnings and even near Blizzard conditions across southwest Minnesota. Traveling along I-90 or I-35 south of the Twin Cities will be a headache! The Hassle Factor will certainly rate on the higher end of the 5 point scale (I'll give it a 4 out of 5), meaning it can't get much worse! St. Cloud will see a few snow flakes, perhaps, a dusting through Sunday. The northern burbs of the Twin Cities will see a "nuisance" snow, but the southern metro will be closer to the "shovelable" snow.

Collectively, we can all SIGH as the storm passes Monday and the clouds clear Tuesday. The weather maps are looking sunny and springy (closer to average) for the middle of the week. I think most will be pleased with the sunshine, though, it'll be sloppy with the snow melt. The heavy winter artillery (coats, hats and mittens) don't have long before they'll be replaced with the shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops... We're almost there! Have a great weekend!

Here's the latest on the flood warnings from the National Weather Service:

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR
THE SAUK RIVER AT ST CLOUD.
* UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE...OR UNTIL THE WARNING IS CANCELLED.
* AT  6:00 AM FRIDAY THE STAGE WAS 7.5 FEET.
* MODERATE FLOODING IS OCCURRING AND MODERATE FLOODING IS FORECAST.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 6.0 FEET.
* FORECAST...THE RIVER WILL CONTINUE RISING TO NEAR 7.5 FEET BY THIS
AFTERNOON.  ADDITIONAL RISES MAY BE POSSIBLE THEREAFTER.
* IMPACT...AT 6.0 FEET...TWO HOMES ALONG THE RIVER MAY EXPERIENCE
FLOODING.
* FLOOD HISTORY...THIS CREST COMPARES TO A PREVIOUS CREST OF 7.2 FEET
ON APR 25 2001.

ONE POINT OF CONCERN THAT CONTINUES FOR PARTS OF THE UPPER
MISSISSIPPI...MAINLY NORTH OF SAINT CLOUD... IS THE THREAT OF ICE
JAMS. A REPORT RECEIVED THIS MORNING INDIATED THAT THERE WAS STILL
SHEET ICE ON THE ZEBULON PIKE RESERVOIR. AT THIS TIME...ALL
INDICATIONS ARE THAT THIS ICE WILL SLOWLY MOVE DOWNSTREAM
AND PASS THROUGH BLANCHARD DAM. HOWEVER INDIVIDUALS WITH INTERESTS
ALONG THE RIVER SOUTH TO SAINT CLOUD ARE ENCOURAGED TO REMAIN AWARE
FOR ANY RAPIDLY CHANGING RIVER LEVELS.