>> CATHY: AS YOU JUST SAW ON YOUR SCREEN THERE, EARLY APRIL CAN BE MIGHTY SNOW-FILLED IN MINNESOTA.

AND IT APPEARED THAT A LOT OF THE STATE WAS GOING TO GET HIT WITH WET SLUSH, SLEET, AND SNOW ACCUMULATION STARTING ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

IT TURNED INTO JUST RAIN HERE IN THE TWIN CITIES METRO, AND YEAH, I MEAN, A LITTLE BIT OF ICE.

AND THE WINTER STORM WARNING WAS CANCELLED.

BUT OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE HAD PLENTY OF PRECIP, INCLUDING SHOVELABLE SNOW.

AND THIS WEEKEND BRINGS MORE SNOW ACROSS NORTHERN MINNESOTA.

KENNY BLUMENFELD IS A SENIOR CLIMATOLOGIST FOR MINNESOTA'S DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES.

GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

>> GOOD TO BE HERE, THANK YOU.

>> Cathy: I WAS GIRDING MYSELF FOR THE ICE APOCALYPSE AND IT REALLY DIDN'T HAPPEN.

>> YEAH, WE WERE ALL KIND OF WONDERING HOW THAT ONE WAS GOING TO GO.

A DECENT CHANCE OF HAPPENING, BUT ALSO A DECENT CHANCE OF IT JUST BEING RAIN.

WE GOT THE LATTER IN THE TWIN CITIES.

SHOULD POINT OUT, MAJOR ICE TORM IN EVEN WISCONSIN, THERE'S STILL POWER OUT FROM THAT.

AND HEY'RE GETTING MORE ICE WITH THIS STORM THIS WEEKEND.

SO THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE A TOUGH TIME.

>> Cathy: ICE STORMS, WE SHOULD JUST SAY, I MEAN, THIS TIME F THE YEAR IS A HARD TIME TO FORECAST ANYWAY, RIGHT?

>> YEAH, THAT'S TRUE, BECAUSE WE HAVE DIFFERENT AIR MASSES, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE GOT THE REMNANT WINTER.

AND THEN WE HAVE SUMMER WHICH IS BUILDING AND THOSE THINGS GET BROUGHT TOGETHER BY A NICE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM, STORM SYSTEM.

AND SO YOU CAN HAVE KIND OF A LOT OF DIFFERENT AIR MAGSES COMING TOGETHER.

YOU GET SNOW, YOU ET RAIN WHERE IT'S WARM.

IN BETWEEN YOU GET SLEET.

WE DON'T GET A LOT OF ICE STORMS IN MINNESOTA, BUT TRUE ICE STORMS.

BUT EVEN SEEING THE POTENTIAL FOR IT IN HE FORECAST WAS EYE OPENING.

>> Eric: WHY DO WE GO FROM WINTER TO SUMMER OW WITH VERY LITTLE SPRING?

OR IS THAT SOMETHING I'VE NOTICED ANECDOTALLY?

>> I MEAN, DO WE?

BECAUSE WE HAD A TASTE OF SUMMER IN MARCH, RIGHT?

>> Eric: OKAY.

>> BUT NOW WE'RE BACK TO -- I MEAN, THERE'S GOING TO BE A FOOT OF SNOW IN PARTS OF NORTHERN MINNESOTA THIS -- YOU KNOW, TONIGHT.

SO I THINK -- IT'S KIND OF A MINNESOTA GOOD-BYE ON THE WINTER.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE EXPERIENCE IS THAT LEVELS OF WARMTH THAT USED TO HAPPEN OCCASIONALLY IN THE SPRING, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU GOT 75, 80 N MINNESOTA, THEY WOULD HAPPEN OCCASIONALLY IN MARCH.

THOSE ARE HAPPENING A LOT MORE FREQUENTLY.

I THINK WE'RE THREE YEARS IN A ROW NOW WHERE WE'VE HIT 70 IN MARCH IN THE TWIN CITIES AND THAT USED TO BE SOMETHING THAT WAS A ONCE A DECADE TYPE EXPERIENCE.

BUT, YEAH, SO IT'S REALLY WHAT'S HAPPENING IS WE'RE GETTING THIS, YOU KNOW, EARLY SUMMER TYPE EXPERIENCE, AND THEN WE'RE BEING REMINDED THAT, ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, WE CAN HAVE WINTER WEATHER HERE NOT JUST IN EARLY APRIL.

BUT EVEN IN EARLY MAY.

>> Cathy: I WONDER WHEN SPRING WILL COME TO NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA.

THEY HAVE JUST GOTTEN PASTED THIS WINTER WITH SNOW.

>> YEAH, IT WAS REALLY KIND OF A LATE BLOOMER FOR THEM INTO.

>> Cathy: YEAH.

>> THERE WASN'T THAT MUCH SNOW UP ON THE IMPORTANT TRAILS, BUT THEN FEBRUARY, THAT MASSIVE KIND OF FIRE HOSE OF SNOW HAPPENED AND THAT REALLY CHANGED THE COURSE OF THE REST OF THE WINTER BECAUSE THEY HAD TO MELT OFF THAT SNOW AND THEY'RE GETTING MORE, THEY'RE GETTING TOPPED UP YESTERDAY, TONIGHT.

>> Eric: DROUGHT?

>> WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT DROUGHT.

SO THERE ARE TWO AREAS OF DROUGHT AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE TO LIKE ABOUT THIS -- THIS DOUBLE HEADED WEATHER SYSTEM IS THAT IT'S PRODUCING SOME NICE PRECIPITATION IN AREAS THAT NEED IT.

WE HAVE DROUGHT IN SOUTHWESTERN MINNESOTA AND IT'S ESPECIALLY BAD IN THE FAR SOUTHWEST CORNER WHERE WE ACTUALLY HAVE SEVERE DROUGHT IN TWO COUNTIES.

THEN WE HAVE AN AREA NEAR CLOQUET JUST WEST OF DULUTH, A LITTLE BIT LARGER, THAT'S ALSO IN THAT SEVERE DROUGHTS.

THESE ARE AREAS THAT NEED PRECIPITATION.

THEY'RE NOT GOING TO GET OUT UDROUGHT, BUT IT'S A GOOD SIGN.

>> Cathy: SAY, AS A FORMER STORM CHAISER, I WONDER HOW THE SEVERE STORM SEASON MIGHT PLAY OUT THIS YEAR.

ANY HINTS TO THAT AT ALL?

>> WELL, WE'RE LOOKING AT IOWA RIGHT NOW.

SOME OF THE AREAS TO OUR SOUTH HAVE GOTTEN ACTIVE PRETTY QUICKLY.

IOWA HAD SEVERE WEATHER YESTERDAY.

TODAY I THINK IT'S THREE DAYS IN A ROW IN MISSOURI.

THERE'S NO GUARANTEE THAT WHAT IS HAPPENING THERE NOW GETS SHIFTED NORTHED.

BUT AS LONG AS WE'RE IN A ACTIVE PATTERN, THAT'S ALWAYS KIND OF THE KEY.

ACTIVE PATTERN MEANS YOU GOT A LOT OF WEATHER SYSTEMS COMING THROUGH AND AS LONG AS WE'RE IN AN ACTIVE PATTERN WHEN THE WARM AND HUMID AIR ARRIVES, WE WILL HAVE SEVERE WEATHER.

RIGHT NOW THAT LOOKS REASONABLY POSSIBLE JUST BECAUSE WE'RE GETTING INTO SPRING.

THE WARM HUMID CONDITIONS AREN'T THAT FAR AWAY.

WE'RE ALWAYS WORRIED ABOUT DRY CONDITIONS SETTING IN AND SHUTTING THE WHOLE THING DOWN.

>> Eric: ANY PREDICTION ABOUT SUMMER WOULD BE WORTHLESS AT THIS POINT, WHO KNOWS?

>> WELL, THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER MAKES THOSE.

I WON'T TELL THEM THAT YOU CALLED IT THE WORTHLESS, BUT THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER'S OUTLOOK ON SUMMER IS PRETTY NONDEDESCRIPT FOR MINNESOTA.

NO SIGN OF BEING WARM OR COLD.

>> Eric: GLEF ON WAS TOO HARSH.

THANK