By Todd Nelson, filling in for Douglas:
Early springtime in Minnesota is always fickle — marked by big swings in the temperature department and, occasionally, a blizzard to two. In 2018, the April 13-16 “Thunder Blizzard” dropped 15.8 inches of snow at the airport and is the largest April snowstorm in the Twin Cities on record. Good grief.
Green-thumbers also start getting the itch to putter around in the lawn and garden. With higher temps in the forecast, is it too early to plant tomatoes in the garden? Yes! Note that the average last frost (32 degrees) in Minneapolis is late April and into early May for some of the outlying suburbs. We’ve had frosts well into May as well, so it’s still too early to get your hands dirty, but we’re getting closer!
It’ll feel better out there Sunday with less wind and milder sunshine. We chill down briefly on Monday again, but spring fever sets in next week with a string of 50s and 60s, even with a little rain midweek. Backyard thermometers could flirt with 70 by this time next weekend. You betcha!
