Thundersnow may be more expected in February than a full spring-like thunderstorm, but that's just what the lakes area experienced in the predawn hours Monday.
Lightning, thunder claps and heavy rain punctuated a dark night where temperatures remained just slightly cooler than the daytime highs. The Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport recorded 48 degrees and fair skies just before midnight Sunday. The overnight low stopped at 43 degrees for one hour as the thunderstorm moved through before 3 a.m. Monday and then began climbing again rising to nearly 50 degrees before 9 a.m. The overnight thunderstorm set the stage for a soggy rain-soaked President's Day. There were reports of street flooding, inaccessible driveways and backyard lakes.
By Monday night, the rain moved out of the lakes area and pushed to the east leaving fog in its wake. The airport recorded .61 inches of rain throughout the day. The rain and continuous melting are clearing the ground of snow and the ice build-up but it's also combining to create sketchy ice conditions.
Cass County Sheriff Tom Burch stated Monday the unseasonably warm temperatures and steady rainfall significantly deteriorated area lakes, especially landings.
"Several landings including on Leech Lake are reported to be in poor condition," Burch reported in a news release. "The Cass County Sheriff's Office assisted with a full-size pickup that dropped its front-end into quickly eroding ice at the Walker City Park landing, a popular and heavily travelled landing on Leech Lake."
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Burch added there were no injuries associated with the event and the pickup was removed. The area is now barricaded and taped off.
"The Cass County Sheriff's Office urges extreme caution while traversing on area lakes as we are getting reports of large ice cracks opening up, and to monitor landings closely as conditions are quickly changing," Burch stated. "Warm temperatures and rain is forecasted for the coming days and we will continue to monitor the situation."
The recent pattern has been more reminiscent of late spring with daytime melts and overnight lows at or just below freezing. For the last three days temperatures have reaching into the 50s for highs, well above average and either matching or breaking 35-year-old records. Since Feb. 11, high temperatures have been above normal and in some cases nearly 30 degrees above normal. Over the past weekend, the National Weather Service in Duluth recorded highs of 57 degrees Saturday, 54 degrees Sunday.
Saturday's high set a new record for Feb. 18 in Brainerd. The normal high this time of year is 28 degrees but climbing. By Feb. 28, the normal high is already into the 30s.
Record-setting warmth, forecast includes snow
Monday the weather service recorded a high of 55 degrees in Brainerd, higher than the number listed in the airport's running record. A 55-degree high falls just short of the record of 56 degrees set on Feb. 20, 1930.
The National Weather Service in Duluth's outlook through the coming weekend calls for a change in fortune and a return to a wintry landscape.
"A fast-moving clipper will bring a wintry mix Wednesday morning changing over to rain during the afternoon before changing over to a mix of rain and snow during the evening," the weather service reported. Chance of precipitation during the day Wednesday is 50 percent with rain and sleet possible during the morning and rain and snow at night. "Snow accumulation of up to 2 inches is expected during the evening, but the combination of precipitation and cool temperatures may create slippery stretches on roadways Wednesday morning and evening."
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Later in the week, Thursday through Saturday, the weather service notes there is a potential for a winter storm to impact northwest Wisconsin and eastern portions of northeast Minnesota. "Light to moderate snow accumulations are expected east of the I-35 corridor, but the track of the system is still uncertain at this time," the weather service stated. "Those with travel interests late this week should continue to monitor the latest forecasts."
Temperatures are expected to move to more normal highs for this time of year with upper 20s to mid-30s for highs and lows in the teens to 20s. The extended forecast for the lakes area-Thursday through Monday-has just a slight chance of snow indicated for a blustery Friday followed by a mix of sun and cloud but no precipitation and little melting expected through the weekend. By Monday, the high may climb to a mild 35 degrees, but notably short of the recent warmth.
But before any snow arrives or temperatures drop 20 degrees, today's forecast should put it in a top weather day category making an ideal day to take a lunch break outside. Sunny skies and 55 degrees are expected with a light south breeze. If the forecast is close to reality, it's likely another record will fall as the high for Feb. 21 was set at 52 degrees during that warm stretch in the winter of 1981.
