By Jonathan Cohen 

Last week saw the first really warm weather of the year as we reached the 60s for the first time since mid November, on April 5.Jonathan
Cohen

We have not been warmer than 64 degrees since late October. The rest of the week was dreary and cooler, as we saw the first significant rainfall of the year on April 6. We were on the warm side of that storm, but parts of northern Minnesota saw huge amounts of snow with 36 inches in Bemidji and 32 inches in Virginia, Minn.

For the week, temperatures were near average, again, but this time they were a bit on the warmer side of average at 1.5 degrees above the mean.

The outlook is for a major storm to bring cold rain, which will turn to heavy, wet snow. We could have a major accumulation, especially on grassy surfaces and a broad swath of Minnesota from the southwest to the northeast should receive more than a foot of snow.

Temperatures should stay cool for a few days before slowly moderating to near average by the middle of next week, which would mean highs back in the 50s. There is then a chance of a little light rain, but no more major storms are in the horizon, which should allow the ground to start to dry out.

 As of late March, there was a report of at least 2 feet of ice still left on Prior Lake. We are now way past the average ice-out date for the lake, which is April 2. The latest ice-out in my 25 years here is April 20 in 1996 and we stand a good chance of breaking that record, especially if we get a lot of snow.

 Jonathan Cohen is the Prior Lake observer for the Scott County Soil and Water Conservation District.