SOME TROUBLE SPOTS IN THE WEEKEND AHEAD...
The sun rose as usual Wednesday but it did bring with it the reality that our week long fling with spring is over. As you can see in the graphic below afternoon temperatures from the Mississippi east were 20-35 degrees colder.
As the storm came through it was a wet one for many parts of the Midwest with widespread rain, thunderstorms, snow and even freezing rain. These are the 24 hour precipitation totals.
My area was fortunate to miss out on the wintry side of the precipitation. This satellite imagery after the clouds had parted Wednesday morning shows the snow that covers the ground from Nebraska and NW Iowa into Minnesota.
The 48 hour snowfall analysis shows a nice swath of 4-8" snows in that region.
In NW Iowa up to 6" accumulated while temperatures in the SE corner of the state were in the low 70s.
With this recent addition of snow the seasonal snowfall analysis has taken on a very healthy look, especially over the upper Midwest. That is something I would expect to see in a La Nina winter.
The next couple of days won't see much in the way of weather but temperatures will bounce around with highs Thursday hitting the low 50s before falling to the low 40s Friday. Some passing clouds are likely Thursday and Thursday night. Sun returns for Friday.
The next rain maker arrives Saturday in the form of a low pressure that tracks out of Iowa into Wisconsin. You can see the energy in the trough at 500mb approaching the Midwest Saturday evening.