April 2015 outlook

  March is the third snowiest month of the year in the Twin Cities, based on 30 year averages from 1981 to 2010.  January and December are typically snowier than March. An “average” March brings us 10.2 inches of snow.  We were below average this March at MSP airport, with only 6.8 inches. Unless some very strange things happen in April, November will be the snowiest month of this winter season, with a tally of 9.4 inches.

   

  March started out very chilly, followed by series of nice warm days. Cool temps returned during the third week of the month. Our warmest temperature in the Twin Cities was 70 degrees, on March 15th, and the coldest reading was 7 degrees below zero on the 5th. The average temperature for March was 2.7 degrees above normal in the Twin Cities.

  Looking ahead, the April temperature outlook from the Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service shows equal chances of above normal and below normal  temperatures over Minnesota and Wisconsin:

  Are you ready for milder temperatures? Our average high temperature in the Twin Cities rises from 50 degrees on April 1st to 65 degrees on April 30th.

  I’m on Twitter: @RonTrenda and LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rontrenda

April outlook

   This is more like it! The mounds of snow on the lawn have melted, and we no longer have to shuffle along icy sidewalks. Potholes are still a nuisance, but we’re told that our best road crews are working on the problem…I sure hope so.

   We’ve earned our spring this year. Our average monthly temperature for March was 7.3 degrees below normal in the Twin Cities. This marks our fifth consecutive month with colder than normal temperatures. We saw below-zero low temps on 3 days during March, and our coldest reading in the Twin Cities was 15 below zero on the 2nd.  High temperatures topped 32 degrees on only 17 days, with our warmest reading of 60 degrees occurring on March 30th.  

   We tallied only 4.7 inches of snow this March. That’s well below our average March snowfall total of 10.2 inches. Our biggest daily snowfall total was 2.3 inches, on the 18th, and we had measurable snow on only 6 days. Even without any major March snowstorm in the Twin Cities, our snowfall total for the 2013-2014 snow season stands at an impressive 62.8 inches

   Looking ahead, the April temperature outlook from the Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service shows a tendency for below normal temperatures over Minnesota and Wisconsin:

   The outlook doesn’t mean that every day is expected to be cooler than normal…it is the average temp for the entire month that shows a cool tendency.  Cool can be okay in April…our average high in the Twin Cities rises from 50 degrees on April 1st to 65 degrees on April 30th.    

   

   I’m on Twitter: @RonTrenda and LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rontrenda