Rare late April snow hits area

If April showers bring May flowers, what does April snow bring? Moans and groans to many people. It seems like every time we put our winter clothes, shovels and ice scrapers away for the winter, Mother Nature decides to tease us into thinking winter has run its course.

Following a thunderstorm that dumped over an inch of rain on Minneota last Sunday, a wintry mixture of rain, sleet and snow descended on the area six days later, forcing the Minneota Mudhens to postpone its scheduled season and home opener against Tracy on Saturday.

The snow didn't last long though in the 50-degree weather and the Mudhens' game was able to be rescheduled and played on Sunday. Actually, it's not all that rare for it to snow in April, but it is rare to snow this late in the month.

"We even had a one-inch snowfall from Alexandria to Mankato on Memorial Day weekend in 1992," KSTP-TV Meteorologist Jonathan Yuhas reminded the Mascot.

"That was my first time on-air at KEYC-TV and it snowed." Take for instance April 27-28, 1907 when 13 inches of snow was recorded in parts of the state, or April 29-30, 1984 when 10 inches fell. Heck, even 10-12 inches fell in northern Minnesota on May 2-3 in 1954.

If you feel like it's been colder than normal in the last year or so, you are correct. "An interesting fact is that every month up to now (April 28) since October of 2018, with the exception of December of 2018, has been colder than average," Yuhas said.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. "I really believe that we will see temperatures in the 80s and 90s by the third week of May," Yuhas said. But you still might not want to pack away your cold-weather gear.

The latest measurable snowfall ever reported in a season in southern Minnesota occurred on May 29, 1947. With temperatures in the upper 30s and lower 40s, rain changed to snow later in the day. Some areas of extreme southern Minnesota reported up to two inches of snow.

Only in Minnesota where the state motto should be: "If you don't like the weather, just wait an hour" can you expect these types of unpredictable seasons.