Snow, again!

[Brian Elfert]

It is snowing heavily here in the Minneapolis area again! They are predicting 6 to 10 inches of snow. This is getting crazy. The last time I remember getting any real snow this late in the year was about 8 years ago when we had at most two inches of snow.

The only saving grace is the weather forecast for Friday is 62 degrees, Saturday 65 degrees and sunny, and 70 degrees on Sunday.

[Matt Meiser]

Better you than us!

I should have mowed for the first time today since that's going to be rain when it gets here late tomorrow. Its a little short to mow, but at least we don't have much standing water.

[Brian Elfert]

I usually don't mow until at least May 15th here. The good news is the frost is out of the first foot or so of ground so all the moisture is soaking into the ground making up for drought last summer and fall. I don't recall mowing my lawn after August 15th last year because it was brown and not growing at all.

[Myk Rian]

Shucks. That ain't bad. I remember it snowing here in June.

[Ole Anderson]

I have a friend in the UP of MI, L'Anse to be exact. Yesterday they reported 28" of ice on the lake and 3 feet of snow in the yard. What a winter!

[Rich Engelhardt]

Our Winter was really mild.
I only had to use the snow blower twice.
It's the Spring that's been the killer w/all the crazy low temperatures!
Thankfully though - no real snow.

[Matt Marsh]

Brian,

I live in the boonies up by Lake George/ Itasca State Park, and work in Bemidji. We still have at least 30 inches on the ground out in the middle of the lawn. It's melted a little and then re-froze, so the deer are all walking around on top. The last two snows were so sloppy, and with all of the mud under it, we couldn't plow or move it on our 100 yard long driveway, so we've been driving through it. It's a mess!

Looks like we missed this last one, but there is another chance for more tomorrow. In all my 55 years, I can never remember this much snow, still on the ground, this late in the spring. Looking out the window today, it looks more like January 23rd than April 23rd! It's only 19 degrees outside right now for Pete's sake!

[Brian Tymchak]

I did the first full-yard mowing Saturday. About a week or so late for us. Really enjoyed the irony of mowing the yard while it was snowing..:mad: Just flurries, but still..

[Brian Elfert]

We got only four inches of snow, but it is extremely heavy. I lost an oak tree due to the heavy snow because the entire top of the tree snapped off. The trunk is all that is left. If it had fallen another two feet over I would calling the insurance company about a hole in the house.

I usually go up to a Scout camp close to Bemidji, MN this time of year to do a survey for construction work needed, but I imagine it is too muddy and too much snow to go up yet.

[Dick Latshaw]

My sympathy to all of you up there in Whoopee John land. I remember, when I lived up there, how tired everyone was of Winter by the time April rolled around.

For those unfamiliar with Whoopee John, here is a YouTube rendition of the Minneapolis Polka: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJi-8k_BvOU :D Maybe it will cheer you up.

[Jim Tabor]

This cold weather is a real mess here in south Missouri. Only been around 70-72 the last couple of days and the forecast for Thursday is only 69-70. That's the day I always go to Walnut Ridge, AR. to shoot skeet. Sure hope it warms up. :D

[Ken Fitzgerald]

It's 35ºF here right now. It is supposed to be near 80ºF by the weekend and today I will mow the yard for the 3rd time this season.

We had a mild winter. 3 weeks ago I drove into the Bitterroot Mountains east of us. There was not much snow left for this time of year. It could be a long hot fire season this summer!

[Gary Hodgin]

Strange weather this year. It's been in mid-80s for a couple of days but last week we had a high of 88 and it was still in the 80s around 9 PM. Next day the high was 49 and low 39. We had a frost.

[Jeff Monson]

I feel your pain Brian, winter has drug out just a little too long this year. 60 for the weekend sounds really nice, goodbye snow.

[Pat Barry]

Its called Global Wierding according to MPR:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/updraft/archive/2013/04/climate_cast_is_a_warmer_arcti.shtml

[Steve Peterson]

We got only four inches of snow, but it is extremely heavy. I lost an oak tree due to the heavy snow because the entire top of the tree snapped off. The trunk is all that is left. If it had fallen another two feet over I would calling the insurance company about a hole in the house.

The trouble with late snows is that the trees can hold a lot more snow if they have grown back their leaves. It is especially bad if it rains on top of the snow and adds extra weight. We lost a ton of oak trees about 20 years ago after about 4 inches of wet snow in April. We could hear branches snapping off trees about avery 30 seconds.

Steve

[Brian Elfert]

The trouble with late snows is that the trees can hold a lot more snow if they have grown back their leaves. It is especially bad if it rains on top of the snow and adds extra weight. We lost a ton of oak trees about 20 years ago after about 4 inches of wet snow in April. We could hear branches snapping off trees about avery 30 seconds.


It is too early for any leaves yet. I don't think it rained after it snowed, but the snow was extremely heavy. It turns out that my oak tree was mostly hollow where it broke off so it was already very weak.

[Brian Elfert]

What a difference a few days makes! It was just this past Tuesday that it snowed. It was 70+ degrees from Friday through today. I had Friday off because I worked last weekend. The snow is basically gone and I was able to get started on my spring/summer projects. Monday is also supposed to be sunny and 70 degrees, but Tuesday starts a cycle of rain, snow, and cold again all the way through next weekend.

[Craig D Peltier]

East of seattle it only snowed once this year in March, very mild winter, never shoveled. Different story on the passes which are pretty low here. 3500 and 4300 I think for the closest two. I know the lowest one still has 6 feet of snow on the ground and higher one about 10 ( ski resort reported 541 inches before they closed). I wouldnt want to have a ski lodge where the ground is covered from November till June every year cant use your yard for 75% of the year and the resort is closed.

[Matt Meiser]

Wow, just heard on the radio you are going to get nailed again with as much as 12"!

[Brian Elfert]

Originally they said most of the snow would fall south of the Minneapolis metro area, but now I see the forecast is for 6" or more locally.

I just got an email that the opening of our local rocket launch season might be delayed as much as a month due to the weather. We are supposed to have our first launch on May 11th, but the roads to our launch site are too wet right now. The forecast for the next week is rain every day but one day. We have a rain date for the next weekend, but beyond a week we often just wait until the next month. We have a gentleman's agreement with another rocket club not to launch on the 4th Saturday of the month.

[Brian Elfert]

I didn't get any snow here at all as it just missed us. The interesting thing is 60 to 90 miles south they got hammered with snow. Areas in southern Minnesota got 12" to 18" of snow and it is very wet snow. Quite a few school districts called off school due to snow on May 2nd. Unbelievable.

I think our summer has already come and gone. There is rain in the forecast every day for the next week except Monday.

[Matt Marsh]

Brian, we drove down to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester this past Tuesday. The grass was green and it was beautiful out until Wednesday night, when it started. Thursday morning we woke up with around a foot of the stuff on the ground, and it's still coming down. I'm glad we drove the 4X4 truck!
I overheard somebody at one of the local watering holes that he had overheard from someone else, that NORAD was tracking a fat guy in a flying sleigh yust Nort of here.

[Jim Laumann]

I didn't get any snow here at all as it just missed us. The interesting thing is 60 to 90 miles south they got hammered with snow. Areas in southern Minnesota got 12" to 18" of snow and it is very wet snow. Quite a few school districts called off school due to snow on May 2nd. Unbelievable.

I think our summer has already come and gone. There is rain in the forecast every day for the next week except Monday.

Bryan

That would be us here in the SE. We got 10-12" at my house (SE Dodge County), we are about 30-35 miles E of ground zero (Owatonna), which got hammered w/ 15" of the nasty stuff. I was lucky - I had the day off yesterday - so I didn't have to try to get to work thru it. I got up about 5.00, was outside in the shop at about 5.20. I looked at the yard where I had walked at about 6.00 - couldn't see my tracks - it was like I'd never crossed the yard.

I made a hole thru it last night w/ the tractor and loader. This morning, it was snowing again, and blowing - It had basicly filled up the hole I made last night. 4wd is a definite nescessity when trying to drive on this stuff...

The really sad thing is that I had tilled up a dry section of the garden on Sunday (4-28), and the wife and I had planted several rows of early veggies (peas, lettuce, onions, etc).

Very depressing....

Jim

[Brian Elfert]

The bad thing for me is our rocket club is supposed to have our first official launch of the season next Saturday. The sod farm in North Branch where we launch is still so wet we might have to postpone this month or cancel altogether. Many years we have held an informal launch the third weekend of April. Last year we could have launched on St. Patrick's day in March.

The only good thing is I think the drought should be over now. Last year we had quite a bit of rain in May and June, but August and September were so dry I didn't mow my lawn after early August. I don't water my lawn because typically it isn't an issue with all the trees I have.