THANKS, WE NEEDED THAT

JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED...FOR MANY

A stormy 5-day period comes to an end around the Midwest today. Snow, sleet, rain and wind were widespread during the period. Much of it was attributed to a large, major spring system which took more than 3 days to works its way northeast. Here's the surface low on its last legs chugging towards NC Wisconsin Monday.

It has the classic powerful look with the comma head over the upper Midwest and the moisture feed readily apparent surging northward from the Gulf of Mexico into the center. Dare I say, a very test book appearance. One thing you can't see are the winds which Monday night were twirling in at 35-40.

The W/NW direction has tugged cold air off the snow fields to the northwest. By 8:00 Monday evening, temperatures were already in the upper 20s in my northern counties.

Wind chills as far south as NC Iowa had plummeted into the single digits Monday evening.

Here you can see the snow that's fallen up north over the past 72 hours. That's helping to drive this burst of late March cold air.

Minnesota and NW Wisconsin took a snow beating, with every yellow dot representing accumulations of 8–12 inches. Parts of Duluth were pushing 22 inches, with snow still falling as I write this.

The more important aspect of the storm is the amount of precipitation associated with it. You can see vast areas of 2-4 inch precipitation totals. Of note locally was the fact much of my area had minimal amounts through Sunday.

Our opportunity did not come until Monday, when the low level jet spun up a plume of moisture and rain that just caught my counties from the Mississippi east. Look at the sharp cut-off to the amounts in eastern Iowa, where the storm's dry slot drastically slashed totals.

This is the part of Iowa (and my specific area) which really could have used a larger dose of rain, As you can see more than 97 percent of Iowa is currently shown experiencing abnormally dry to extreme drought conditions.

Focusing on the bigger picture, there is some fantastic news in that much of the storm's excessive precipitation fell across areas that were in serious drought, especially the NW third of Iowa, much of Minnesota, and NW Wisconsin. Significant improvement will be shown there when the new drought monitor comes out Thursday. I say thank you, the Midwest needed that.

5-STAR AIRBNB, WHERE VACATIONS ARE HEAVENLY (MAKE IT YOURS)

TSWAILS.COM, THE GUY DOES WEATHER RIGHT

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

There's no doubt that until we get out of the influence of this current storm and its cold pool, temperatures around the central Midwest will remain chilly, especially Wednesday when brisk winds and highs only in the low to mid 40s are anticipated. Thursday, lighter winds and more of that strong March sunshine will get most of us back in the low to mid 50s, although it may be a push to reach 50 in the far north. Friday is a day we can all look forward to, with dry conditions and springlike temperatures. Highs are very likely to hit the 60s.

EASTER WEEKEND AND BEYOND

Saturday seems destined to be another trouble free spring day, with partly sunny skies and highs again in the range of 60 north to 65 south. Easter Sunday things start to go sideways with the EURO jumping on another storm system dropping into the northern stream. It has a more phased look than the GFS initially and brings clouds then rain into the area by afternoon. The south is more favored, with the rain spreading into the north towards evening. With clouds and E/SE winds, temperatures are currently shown holding in the upper 40s to low 50s.

The GFS as mentioned is still showing less phasing between northern and southern stream energy. That allows any light showers to hold in the far south until evening. Even so, clouds will be on the increase as Easter unfolds. A better day than the EURO but not a great one with similar highs in the upper 40s to low 50s.

Monday and Tuesday show major discrepancies, with both models developing a decent surface low that brings rain and perhaps even some snow as they travel northeast. The track of the EURO is up through EC Iowa Monday while the GFS is slower and further south with a path into central Illinois. The EURO dumps more snow on Minnesota, while the GFS lays it down on my counties in EC Iowa and NW Illinois. Both models indicate the potential for another wet system, assuming they are handling the interaction of energy properly. A big "if" in my opinion.

Because of the phasing involved (something models struggle mightily with at this distance), I'm reluctant to buy into any of these solutions just yet. I could certainly see rain, but I would say snow is most likely a long shot this far south. Additionally, if the system is less phased or slower in its development, we could get by with a dry Easter. For now, there are many options on the table. This will get cleaned up in the next couple of days.

Meantime, keep those coats handy today, those NW winds will have a serious bite. Roll weather...TS

By the way, Amanda Munger is a marketing specialist with Finley hospital here in Dubuque. I was treated by the Finley staff for a TIA (mini-stroke) event in late January. Two weeks ago, I was well enough to undergo a hip replacement surgery. Amanda asked me if I would be willing to talk about my experience with the "the people of Finley". I was so impressed with my care, the effort, and overall focus that went into it, I eagerly agreed. Here is the segment and my tribute to all the people in the trenches at Finley. More than care, you gave me my life back!