Rain, snow, wind and record-low lake ice: the latest in Minnesota weather
Forecast high temperatures Saturday
NOAA Weather Prediction Center
Depending on where you are, Minnesotans have had buckets of either rain or snow in the last 24 hours. As of early Wednesday afternoon, the Minnesota Department of Transportation reported I-94 between Fergus Falls and Moorhead was still closed because of drifting snow.
And the temperature is dropping!
MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with MPR chief meteorologist Paul Huttner about what’s coming.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
CATHY WURZER: Well, depending upon where you are, you've either had buckets of rain or ice in the last 24 hours. Boy, it was a mess this morning. MnDOT had I-94 closed between Fergus and Moorhead, cars all over the place in ditches, people abandoning their cars. It was a mess because of drifting snow. The temperatures are dropping, so what's next? Here to run it down for us is Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner.
Hey, Paul.
PAUL HUTTNER: Hey, C.
CATHY WURZER: Well, that was a pretty powerful storm that came through, especially for our friends in Northwestern Minnesota and Western Minnesota. Let's give a little wrap-up for folks here.
PAUL HUTTNER: Yeah, unbelievable because we had such a mix yesterday, record rainfall, record warmth-- I'll get to that-- and then, of course, a blizzard all in one day in Minnesota, just amazing to see what happens in this state day after day. Look, here's the deal. Let's start with the record rainfall because we had 0.68 at Twin Cities Airport. That doubled, smashed the previous daily record of 0.43 inches back in 1950.
They had 1.4 inches of rain in Coon Rapids. Duluth had 1.12 inches of precipitation. So this was a widespread half an inch to an inch of mostly rain for Central and Eastern Minnesota. We also set a temperature record yesterday, the minimum high temperature. Now let's put it this way-- the high minimum temperature, these are always tough for me.
So we didn't drop below 35 degrees yesterday in the Twin Cities, and the record was 33. So we stayed very warm for the whole 24-hour period. And then you get to the blizzard conditions back to the west. We had snow, not a ton of snow. A lot of places had about 1 to 3 inches.
But those wind gusts, Fargo and Grand Forks 66 miles an hour. That's what helps close those roads you're talking about, I-94. Crookston, Fergus Falls 54, 55. Grand Marais had a 64 mile an hour wind gust this morning.
So this was a potent storm system. It was much warmer than average for February, which is why most of it fell as rain. But winter strikes back on the back side of it here as the cold air pours in.
CATHY WURZER: Yeah. Say, because that was substantial rain that fell and that was just crazy to watch, I'm assuming because the ground is frozen it doesn't make any difference really to the drought. Is that right?
PAUL HUTTNER: I think it will help because if you have an inch of rain this time of year and we've been catching up, I think it's going to help overall with precipitation. And oddly enough, my sump pump was running. So the ground-- we had that eight-day thaw, right, Cathy, in the Twin Cities? So the frost depth is shallow this year around Minnesota, especially Southern Minnesota. So some of that rain may have made it into the soils.
CATHY WURZER: OK. That's good news then. What can we expect the rest of the week?
PAUL HUTTNER: Well, it looks seasonably colder, let's put it that way. We were 36 overnight. We've dropped to 24 in the Twin Cities. It feels like 11 now. But it's 7 up in Hallock and Roseau right now, 3 in Fergus Falls. So that colder air on those gusty northwest winds is with us through today.
We'll dip down to about eight above in the Twin Cities by morning, 20 tomorrow for the high, 28 Friday. Friday morning maybe four above in the Twin Cities, subzero north of the Twin Cities Friday morning. Then we bounce right back. We're in the 30s for the weekend, about 38 Friday and Saturday in the Twin Cities, 20s to 30s up in Northern Minnesota.
It does look a little colder next week, highs mostly in the 20s. And there is a chance of snow, maybe light snow, Monday night into Tuesday. One of the models saying maybe a bigger snow next Wednesday and Thursday, but a couple of others disagree, so we'll keep an eye on that.
CATHY WURZER: Wow. Really weird weather. Here's something else strange that I saw. I was in Duluth earlier in the week, and just maybe a few ice chunks floating in the harbor. I mean, there's nothing out there in terms of ice cover.
PAUL HUTTNER: Yeah, and it is unusual. I've been checking a couple of websites. I wrote about this too. The Great Lakes has 7% total ice cover.
CATHY WURZER: Wow.
PAUL HUTTNER: That is the lowest on record in 51 years this week going back to the early 1970s. The record was in 2012 when it was 8.5%. So record low ice on the Great Lakes overall. Lake Superior down to 5%. That's all the ice cover as of today. I just checked it a few minutes ago.
And we talked with Jay Austin, frequently on Climate Cast. You know Jay. He likely says we've probably already reached our peak ice for the season. It could depend on how cold we get in late February. We might get a little spike. And it does look like it'll get colder late next week, maybe some subzero mornings up north. But this has been at or near the record low ice this February for Lake Superior and the Great Lakes.
CATHY WURZER: Does Jay say that that could cause any problems, any environmental issues because the Lake hasn't had ice cover?
PAUL HUTTNER: Yeah, a couple of things that it does. One, it doesn't protect the shoreline from erosion. So if we get these big windy winter storms, without ice cover, those waves can just batter the shore. So that's one thing.
Obviously, it can affect tourism, like people going to the ice caves, that kind of thing. And the other thing is it can help to get warmer temperatures in the summer if we have less ice in the spring. And that can even affect regional weather around the Great Lakes.
CATHY WURZER: Oh, that's interesting. And before you go, you mentioned Climate Cast, who are you interviewing this week?
PAUL HUTTNER: Yeah, we've got the Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. I'm going to talk to her about Minnesota passing that legislation to go carbon free with electricity production by 2040. What will it take to get there? What's the cost? What's the benefit of going carbon free? So that's Climate Cast Thursday during All Things Considered in the afternoon.
CATHY WURZER: All right, my friend. Thank you so much.
PAUL HUTTNER: Thanks, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: We've been talking to MPR's Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner. By the way, more on the weather can be found on the Updraft blog, and that's at mprnews.org.
Hey, Paul.
PAUL HUTTNER: Hey, C.
CATHY WURZER: Well, that was a pretty powerful storm that came through, especially for our friends in Northwestern Minnesota and Western Minnesota. Let's give a little wrap-up for folks here.
PAUL HUTTNER: Yeah, unbelievable because we had such a mix yesterday, record rainfall, record warmth-- I'll get to that-- and then, of course, a blizzard all in one day in Minnesota, just amazing to see what happens in this state day after day. Look, here's the deal. Let's start with the record rainfall because we had 0.68 at Twin Cities Airport. That doubled, smashed the previous daily record of 0.43 inches back in 1950.
They had 1.4 inches of rain in Coon Rapids. Duluth had 1.12 inches of precipitation. So this was a widespread half an inch to an inch of mostly rain for Central and Eastern Minnesota. We also set a temperature record yesterday, the minimum high temperature. Now let's put it this way-- the high minimum temperature, these are always tough for me.
So we didn't drop below 35 degrees yesterday in the Twin Cities, and the record was 33. So we stayed very warm for the whole 24-hour period. And then you get to the blizzard conditions back to the west. We had snow, not a ton of snow. A lot of places had about 1 to 3 inches.
But those wind gusts, Fargo and Grand Forks 66 miles an hour. That's what helps close those roads you're talking about, I-94. Crookston, Fergus Falls 54, 55. Grand Marais had a 64 mile an hour wind gust this morning.
So this was a potent storm system. It was much warmer than average for February, which is why most of it fell as rain. But winter strikes back on the back side of it here as the cold air pours in.
CATHY WURZER: Yeah. Say, because that was substantial rain that fell and that was just crazy to watch, I'm assuming because the ground is frozen it doesn't make any difference really to the drought. Is that right?
PAUL HUTTNER: I think it will help because if you have an inch of rain this time of year and we've been catching up, I think it's going to help overall with precipitation. And oddly enough, my sump pump was running. So the ground-- we had that eight-day thaw, right, Cathy, in the Twin Cities? So the frost depth is shallow this year around Minnesota, especially Southern Minnesota. So some of that rain may have made it into the soils.
CATHY WURZER: OK. That's good news then. What can we expect the rest of the week?
PAUL HUTTNER: Well, it looks seasonably colder, let's put it that way. We were 36 overnight. We've dropped to 24 in the Twin Cities. It feels like 11 now. But it's 7 up in Hallock and Roseau right now, 3 in Fergus Falls. So that colder air on those gusty northwest winds is with us through today.
We'll dip down to about eight above in the Twin Cities by morning, 20 tomorrow for the high, 28 Friday. Friday morning maybe four above in the Twin Cities, subzero north of the Twin Cities Friday morning. Then we bounce right back. We're in the 30s for the weekend, about 38 Friday and Saturday in the Twin Cities, 20s to 30s up in Northern Minnesota.
It does look a little colder next week, highs mostly in the 20s. And there is a chance of snow, maybe light snow, Monday night into Tuesday. One of the models saying maybe a bigger snow next Wednesday and Thursday, but a couple of others disagree, so we'll keep an eye on that.
CATHY WURZER: Wow. Really weird weather. Here's something else strange that I saw. I was in Duluth earlier in the week, and just maybe a few ice chunks floating in the harbor. I mean, there's nothing out there in terms of ice cover.
PAUL HUTTNER: Yeah, and it is unusual. I've been checking a couple of websites. I wrote about this too. The Great Lakes has 7% total ice cover.
CATHY WURZER: Wow.
PAUL HUTTNER: That is the lowest on record in 51 years this week going back to the early 1970s. The record was in 2012 when it was 8.5%. So record low ice on the Great Lakes overall. Lake Superior down to 5%. That's all the ice cover as of today. I just checked it a few minutes ago.
And we talked with Jay Austin, frequently on Climate Cast. You know Jay. He likely says we've probably already reached our peak ice for the season. It could depend on how cold we get in late February. We might get a little spike. And it does look like it'll get colder late next week, maybe some subzero mornings up north. But this has been at or near the record low ice this February for Lake Superior and the Great Lakes.
CATHY WURZER: Does Jay say that that could cause any problems, any environmental issues because the Lake hasn't had ice cover?
PAUL HUTTNER: Yeah, a couple of things that it does. One, it doesn't protect the shoreline from erosion. So if we get these big windy winter storms, without ice cover, those waves can just batter the shore. So that's one thing.
Obviously, it can affect tourism, like people going to the ice caves, that kind of thing. And the other thing is it can help to get warmer temperatures in the summer if we have less ice in the spring. And that can even affect regional weather around the Great Lakes.
CATHY WURZER: Oh, that's interesting. And before you go, you mentioned Climate Cast, who are you interviewing this week?
PAUL HUTTNER: Yeah, we've got the Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. I'm going to talk to her about Minnesota passing that legislation to go carbon free with electricity production by 2040. What will it take to get there? What's the cost? What's the benefit of going carbon free? So that's Climate Cast Thursday during All Things Considered in the afternoon.
CATHY WURZER: All right, my friend. Thank you so much.
PAUL HUTTNER: Thanks, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: We've been talking to MPR's Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner. By the way, more on the weather can be found on the Updraft blog, and that's at mprnews.org.
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