Spring Shaping Up To Be A Cold One

(KNSI) – Meteorological spring is underway but you might not notice.

The National Weather Service Twin Cities Office in Chanhassen is expecting below-average temperatures through March, at least, and maybe even into early April. Meteorologist Caleb Grunzke says the outlook for rain and snow is less certain.

“The jet stream will push south into the southern U.S. And when that happens, a colder air mass is brought down from Canada and we just basically kind of get stuck in cold air, while most of the storm track is to our south.”

Grunzke says it is important to remember that as spring progresses, below-average temperatures are a bit more palatable. Highs will still be above the freezing point even if they aren’t quite to their normal range.

Grunzke says April is more difficult to predict, but the trend doesn’t look like it will change.

“The first half of April, I’m seeing more of a colder-than-normal signal in the forecast models.”

If predictions end up playing out, it would be the second consecutive cold spring. On the bright side, a gradual warm-up would allow the area to shed its deep snowpack with minimal flooding. Grunzke says water levels in rivers and lakes are low and the soil is still thirsting for moisture after a dry end to 2022, so there are plenty of places for the water to go when the thaw happens.

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