A not so bad winter

We hit 45 degrees in the Twin Cities yesterday, which is an impressive 15 degrees above normal!  Gusty winds made it feel cooler than 45 degrees, but our February snowmelt continued.

It will be much less windy today, and our highs will be slightly cooler:

On Sunday, high temps drift closer to normal:

A weak cold front moves through Minnesota late tonight and Sunday, and it could trigger some occasional snow showers:

Winter scorecard

We have had a couple of cold snaps this winter, and some decent snows, but it has not been a severe winter experience.  The Minnesota State Climatology Office has developed a "winter misery index" that uses snow events and cold temperatures to grade the severity of our winter seasons. So far this winter, our index stands at 45 for the Twin Cities. Anything less than 55 is considered a mild winter.  If course, we could be adding to our score in the next few weeks. Winter isn't over until it is over! Last year our final index in the Twin Cities was 55, which is at the low end of the moderate winter category:

Two years ago, the winter of 2013-14, our "winter misery index" was a whopping 207! That qualified as a severe winter. The index is updated regularly at Winter index .

I hope you enjoy your weekend!