News Tribune Staff
A cold spring rain turned into yet another snowstorm Thursday across parts of the Northland, dropping several inches of snow just when tulips and pussy willows should be sprouting, canceling ball games and sending plows back onto the road yet again.
The National Weather Service in Duluth reported that Duluth has seen 4.8 inches of new snow as of 7 a.m. Friday, raising the seasonal snowfall to 130.1 inches - third-greatest on record for the city, and ahead of the well-above-average snowfall Duluth saw in 2012-13 (129.4 inches).
A winter storm warning remains in effect for Cook and Lake counties until noon Friday for the possibility of several inches of additional accumulation this morning, which will bring total snowfalls to in excess of a half-foot in some locations.
As of 8:30 a.m. the Minnesota Department of Transportation reports difficult driving on the North Shore, with fair conditions elsewhere in the Northland.
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The Weather Service reports that the snow is expected to turn back to rain today in the Twin Ports with high temperatures rising well into the 40s. But temperatures are expected to remain well below normal for the foreseeable future, with a high only in the low 40s on Saturday under partly sunny skies.
There’s another chance of rain turning to snow Sunday and Monday.
Average highs for late April in Duluth are about 54 degrees, with average lows of about 34.
The next chance at a high much above 50 degrees won’t come until Thursday, the Weather Service notes, which is May 1. It appears almost certain that April will be the sixth straight month of below-normal temperatures in Duluth.
