After a record-breaking heat wave last week, winter is back.
Significant snow on Saturday night and early Sunday brought slick roads and lingering flakes on Sunday morning.
Overnight “snowfall reports so far vary quite a bit, from just under an inch to as much as 5 inches depending on where you are,” the Twin Cities office of the National Weather Service tweeted.
On Monday morning, as official snow totals were still coming in, the weather service reports more snow fell in the west metro (seven inches in Buffalo, according to one report), but Woodbury in Washington County saw 2.6 inches.
The snow is still lingering in Western Wisconsin on Monday, the weather service reports. While areas in and around St. Croix County saw mostly between one to three inches of snow, Black River Falls is reporting that 19.5 inches has fallen by Monday morning.
Travel in parts of Wisconsin is not advised on Monday, the La Crosse, Wis., office of the Natoinal Weather Service reports.
Closer to the heart of the metro, the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport saw 0.3 inches fall before 7 a.m. on Sunday and another 0.3 inches accumulate after 7 p.m., with plenty of wind to blow the flakes around.
Many residents reported at least a little snow in their backyards over the weekend.
Roads were slippery in spots on Sunday morning, a pattern that continued during the Monday morning commute.
“If you’re the person who took the snow brush and ice scraper out of your car last week because of 80°+ temps… this snow is your fault,” the Minnesota Department of Transportation quipped in a tweet.
“Snowplows are out across the state, but be cautious of slippery roads! Check http://511mn.org for conditions + live cams near you,” the agency added.
Temperatures will be cool this week, with precipitation chances returning later in the week. A chance for snow can't totally be ruled out Thursday night/Friday across central MN, depending on how cold the next system trends.
River flooding continues to increase this week. pic.twitter.com/SyboGc9qsU
— NWS Twin Cities (@NWSTwinCities) April 17, 2023
With temperatures set to peak in the mid-30s in the metro area on Sunday, conditions are a far cry from the record-breaking warmth of last week.
“It will be cool,” said Tom Hultquist, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, on Monday. “No more 80-degree temps for awhile.”
Monday will be bright and breezy with a high in the upper 40s, the weather service said. Tuesday and Wednesday will see highs in the 50s, with a possible dip back into 40s after that. A chance of snow is possible on Thursday into Friday, the weather service reports.
The good news?
“It’s not expected to be very significant,” Hultquist said. “We are not expecting too much accumulation at this point.”
The bigger issue this week is river flooding, the weather service reports. The chance for flooding increases as the week goes on. St. Paul and Stilllwater have both made preparations, including closing roads and sandbagging, as the Mississippi River and St. Croix Rivers rise.
