Spring Blizzards Are Nothing New on the East Side

Oh, St. Paulites, today my heart goes out to you as you deal with another snowstorm. As if this past winter wasn't cruel enough.

I feel your pain. Even as I sit here watching the rain falling softly on the daffodils and blooming cherry trees in my home on Puget Sound in western Washington. Because I remember what spring in the Twin Cities could be like. And I'm getting news today from all my friends and family who are coping with this mess.

My son spent nearly 7 hours this morning with his truck in a ditch, waiting for the tow truck he called at 6:15 a.m. Missed a full work day, froze his butt off, all because he stopped to help a struggling motorist on the road and ended up sliding off the road. And he didn't even have any snacks or coffee to tide him over. He said thank God he could get YouTube on his phone while he waited.

When he finally made it home, he found that the giant pine tree in his front yard had been uprooted and blown over by winds that were close to 70 miles per hour.

School was cancelled; that should have been his first clue to stay home.

But for long-time East Siders, this is nothing new. Minnesota springs tend to be fickle; hence we didn't even THINK about starting any garden work until Mother's Day. To say the Twin Cities climate is one of extremes is an understatement. I remember more than one Palm Sunday and even Easter wearing snow boots to church.

My dad was born on May 2nd,of 1935 and I remember my grandmother telling the story of how he almost was born at their home on Wheelock near Arcade because the snow was making it a little difficult to get out to the hospital. And that wasn't the end of it; a little over a month later there was more snow on June 4th, which happens to be the latest recorded snow fall in Minnesota. Apparently July is the only month Minnesotans have been snow-free, because the earliest recorded snow fell on August 31st in 1949. Gee, almost three months with no snow!

Oh, and the most snow fall in one month in Minnesota? March. That was the year my brother Todd was born. In March. The famed Halloween Blizzard of 1991 had nothing on the spring of 1965. That month and year also saw the deepest recorded snow pack. I suspect this year came close to that record.

The average snow fall for St. Paul in April is 3 inches. Looks like last night's storm beat that. And oddly enough, St. Paul seems to get a bit more than Minneapolis. Oh, yay!

Average weather for April in St. Paul? The average high doesn't even hit 60, and average low temp is only 36. Looks like next week is going to be a little closer to average. The rest of this week? Not so much.

So don't put away your shovels and snow melt just yet. And if you're planning an egg hunt for Easter Sunday, you might want a backup plan.