Easter Bliss

Something is terribly wrong. Here it is, a major holiday weekend (Easter & Passover) and - miraculously - the weather is cooperating. No mega-storms, no breathless "breaking news" on the TV tube, no aunts whining about the elements. I know - I'm a little uneasy too, but I plan to enjoy this well-timed weather blessing and make the most of it.

Our atmospheric holding-pattern continues - a bubble of high pressure draped over the Great Lakes treating central Minnesota to cool, comfortable sunshine. Ditto for Saturday and most of Easter Sunday. Winds turn around more to the southeast, and that should be good for a few more degrees, maybe some upper 50s close to home late afternoon Saturday and Sunday. Considering the average high now is 52 I'm not complaining one bit.

Take a sturdy jacket to Saturday morning's Easter Egg Hunt at Riverside Park in St. Cloud. Temperatures will be in the mid 40s at 10 am, mellowing closer to 50 by high noon. But in the sun it should feel warmer than that, a light east/southeast wind puffing at under 8 mph. That high pressure roadblock over the U.P. of Michigan will force the next storm to detour well south of St. Cloud this weekend, a rain/snow mix slushing up a few lawns (and slow-moving robins) as close as Des Moines by Easter Sunday.

No snow, slush, ice or even rain in our forecast until next Thursday as the pattern breaks down and more of a progressive, west-to-east pattern returns over the lower 48 states. It's still a little bit "out there", over the horizon, but long-range guidance keeps us showery and wet through Saturday morning. If I had to bet (with someone else's money) I would wager that next Sunday, April 19, will be the sunnier, nicer, more outdoor-friendly day of that weekend with highs recovering well into the 50s. And right now I don't think it'll be enough rain to greatly complicate the flood forecast for Fargo/Moorhead and the Red River Valley. Again, the worst-case scenario would be a few inches of rain, temperatures near 60, prolonged for days - the result would be a sudden flush of snow-melt into the Red River Valley, making a bad flood scenario much worse. Fingers crossed that the folks living up there can dodge a disaster in a week or two.

BTW, today is the 30th anniversary of the Wichita Falls, Texas tornado. Click here to switch over to "Paul's Links" and read about this incredible F-4 twister which killed 42 local residents, most of them killed while still in their cars. People of Wichita Falls had 30 minutes notice, perhaps TOO MUCH warning. They got into the cars and tried to get home or get out of town, resulting in a massive traffic jam. The result: 220 mph+ winds killed at least 20-25 people in their cars. They didn't have a chance. It underscores the fact that during a tornado warning situation you don't want to be in, under or near a vehicle of any kind. A major twister will toss these around like toys, with potentially tragic results.