This is a photograph taken from a NASA satellite nearly 22,500 miles above the earth's surface on April 15th - pretty clear, huh? The big lakes across northern Minnesota are still ice/snow covered, which we can see by the white coloring over Lakes: Mille Lacs, Leech, Upper and Lower Red Lake and of course, Lake of the woods. An open/ice free lake would look like the big dark blue/black spot on the right hand part of the picture - that's Lake Superior with a little bit of ice floating around. I apologize for the crude state borders... I was only trying to make it easier for you to get your barrings, but with my drawing skills, it may be even tougher now!


Weather Headlines

* Today: Cooler and cloudier day of the weekend with, perhaps, a light sprinkle or rain shower.
* Winds have shifted to the north/northeast, keeping us nearly 20 degrees cooler than Friday was... Yikes!!
* Best chance of light rain: Through midday today (very little, if any accumulation at all)
* Some drying/brightening possible later in the day, but jacket weather returns, highs stuck in the 40s to near 50 through Monday.
* Warming trend returns next week, more 60s likely by midweek, 70-ish by Thurday?
* Growing shower risk by Thursday/Friday of next week. The weekend outlook doesn't look promising for April 25/26 - some rain is likely, but that's GREAT NEWS for farmers, gardeners, and parched lawns and fields statewide.


Todd's Forecast

Sunday: Not as nice. Mostly cloudy with scattered sprinkles and light rain showers. Skies may dry/brighten by mid or late afternoon, don't expect much. High: 49

Monday: Clouds linger, perhaps a spritz or a sprinkle, nothing major. Closer to "average" for mid April. High: 54

Tuesday: Sunny and milder, feeling feverish again! High: 58

Wednesday: More sunshine, almost balmy! High: 66

Thursday: A few more clouds and quite mild! High: 72

Friday: Unsettled, but warm. Could see a shower High: 71

Saturday: More clouds, isolated shower or thunderstorm? A touch cooler High: 65



Weather Column

Today's slate gray sky and 20° drop in daytime high temperature (from Thursday and Friday) will be hard to accept after last week's early call to May! Friday's high temperature of 72° was the warmest reading since November 3rd, 2008 when the mercury topped 72° at the St. Cloud Airport. Thursday and Friday's high temperatures of 71° and 72° were the warmest two days in a row since October 3rd and 4th, 2008 - nearly 5 months ago! I am happy to report that 70's are in the forecast again by the middle and end of next week... hang in there!

A slow moving low pressure system will keep St. Cloud and the surrounding areas a little unsettled today. We're not talking thunderstorms, but a few spritz or sprinkles will be possible through Monday. Keep the light coat handy - A northerly wind will make the temperature feel nearly 30° cooler than it did on Thursday and Friday.

Area lakes are beginning to thaw and open up, most lakes around the southern and east central part of the state already open! - check here for the latest conditions/status:

http://climate.umn.edu/doc/ice_out/ice_out_status_09.htm

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ice_out/index.html

Keep in mind that the water temperature is still VERY COLD!! If you fall in, hypothermia could set in quickly. Have those life jackets and PFD's handy at all times while skipping around the lake. Good news - the 2009 Walleye Fishing Opener is a little under 3 weeks away (May 9th)!! We're almost there!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

-Todd Nelson