Chilly with lighter winds Sunday; Update on river levels

Saturday was incredibly chilly across Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

The Saturday high temp at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was just 37 degrees. The average April 22 Twin Cities high temperature is 60 degrees.

The coldest April 22 high temperature in Twin Cities weather records was 34 degrees, in 1967. That’s just 3 degrees colder than Saturday’s Twin Cities high temp.

Temperature trends

Sunday highs will be mainly in the 40s, with 30s in northwestern Minnesota and parts of northeastern Minnesota:

Monday high temps reach the 40s in most of northern and central Minnesota, with around 50 degrees in the Twin Cities metro area and southern Minnesota:

Some spots in south-central Minnesota could reach the lower 50s.

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to be in the lower 50s on Tuesday, followed by upper 50s Wednesday then lower 60s Thursday and mid 50s on Friday.

Flake chances?

Parts of northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin could see a flurry or light snow shower Saturday evening.

On Sunday, there appears to be enough instability for a chance of very scattered snow showers in northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. The remainder of Minnesota plus west-central Wisconsin will have a chance of very scattered sprinkles or light snow showers on Sunday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s High-Resolution Rapid-Refresh (HRRR) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 8 a.m. Sunday to 11 p.m. Sunday:

You can find updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR News network.

River levels

Rivers have reached flood stage in many parts of Minnesota and western Wisconsin, with rivers at major flood stage at some locations. Rivers will continue to rise in many locations this weekend and into next week.

You can check the river levels at various locations in northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin here.

This is how the linked map looked Saturday afternoon:

You can find info on river levels elsewhere in Minnesota and western Wisconsin here.
Here’s how the linked map looked Saturday afternoon:

You can zoom in on the linked map page and get detailed info on river levels at a specific location.

I should mention that river levels are measured in relation to the height above a local benchmark. In some locations, river levels are listed in feet above sea level.

You can find info on river levels in eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota here. Here’s how the linked map looked Saturday afternoon:

Here’s the hydrograph of recent, current and forecast levels for the Mississippi River at St. Paul:

The Mississippi River has reached major flood stage at St. Paul and it’s expected to rise another 1.4 feet between now and Friday, reaching 18.8 feet.

Here are the results of various river levels at the St. Paul gauge:

Here’s a pic of the Mississippi River floodwaters covering portions of Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul Saturday afternoon:

Here’s the area around the Clarence Wigington Pavilion at Harriet Island Regional Park Saturday afternoon:

The screen grabs were from St. Paul’s Mississippi River Camera page, which rotates among several different views of the river.

Here’s the hydrograph of recent, current and forecast levels for the St. Croix River at Stillwater, Minnesota:

The St. Croix River reached major flood stage of 89 feet at Stillwater on Saturday and is forecast to rise another 7/10ths of a foot by Tuesday.

Here are the results of various river levels at the Stillwater gauge:

Here are the historic St. Croix River crests at the Stillwater gauge:

Here’s the hydrograph of recent, current and forecast levels for the Red River at Fargo, North Dakota:

The Red River at Fargo may be near its crest and it is expected to lower this coming week.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.