Douglas: String of 40s, with chance of rain or snow

By Todd Nelson, filling in for Douglas: I am happy to report that we’ve picked up nearly two hours of daylight since the winter solstice almost two months ago. Believe it or not, we’re gaining more than three minutes of daylight every day now through mid-April. Two Sundays from now we “spring forward” with the time change. We’re only 25 days from the first day of spring, or the vernal equinox, on March 20. Need another sign of the shifting season? Just look to Bradenton, Fla., where the Minnesota Twins take on the Pittsburgh Pirates Sunday in spring training baseball.

The point is that spring is right around the corner. The worst of the cold is behind us, having spent 27 nights below zero, which is more than the 30-year average of 20 nights (1991-2020). We’ll enjoy a string of highs in the 40s over the next few days with a slight chance of rain or snow showers. Keep in mind that March averages around 8 inches of snow, so we’re past winter yet. It is, after all, tourney time and we tend to sneak in at least one plowable event every March. MSP is 21 inches below average.m