We're still several weeks away from ice out across the state, but according to the MN DNR, here's a look at the average ice out dates for lakes across the state. Note that some lakes across the southern part of the state typically see ice out around the end of March. Lake Minnetonka typically doesn't see ice out until mid April. A few lakes in far northern & northeastern MN don't see ice out until late April or early May.

See more from the MN DNR HERE:

According to NOAA's GLERL, near 20% of the great lakes is considered ice covered. 31% of Lake Superior is ice covered.

"March 21, 2022 - Spring leaf out continues to progress across the country. Our spring leaf anomaly compares the arrival of spring leaf out this year to a long-term average of 1991-2020. After a slow start to spring across much of the Southeast, spring is progressing more rapidly, arriving a few days to a week early in the southern Great Plains, the Southern Appalachians, and parts of Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. The Washington, D.C. area is 5-10 days early. Parts of New York City are one week early. In western states, spring leaf out is patchy, arriving a week late in some locations and over a month early in others. Spring bloom has also started to arrive in southern states, days to a week late in Texas and Florida and days to several weeks early in California. Spring bloom is over a week early in parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. We will continue to update this page as spring leaf out and bloom unfold across the country - check back frequently on this page!"

See more from NPN HERE:

Here's the weather outlook from AM Saturday to PM Wednesday. Note that weather conditions will be quiet through the weekend with chilly temps in place. The extended forecast suggests more active weather in place as we head into next week. It is still too early to get specific, but there could certainly be some decent rains and possibly snow somewhere in the Upper Midwest.

The weather outlook for Minneapolis on Saturday will be quiet with breezy winds and chilly temps. Feels like temps in the morning will be in the single digits, but will warm into the 10s and 20s later in the day.

Feels like temps for Minneapolis on Saturday will be chilly with readings in the single digits in the morning and will warm into the low/mid 20s by the afternoon.

Temps around the region on Saturday will be very chilly for the end of March with temps running nearly -10F to -20F below average. With gusty winds, it'll feel even cooler!

This was the snow depth as of Friday morning. Note that many locations across the northern half of Minnesota and Wisconsin still have snow on the ground. However, there isn't much left around the Twin Cities Metro.

The extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis over the next several days shows highs running well below average this weekend. We'll gradually warm into the 40s early next week, but we'll still be a few degrees below where we should be for the end of March.

The extended weather outlook over the next 7 day shows chilly sunshine in place over the weekend. We'll warm a little this week, but it could be more active with areas of rain and snow.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows warmer than average temps across the Western US and cooler than average temps in place east of the Rockies

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8-14 Day precipitation outlook shows more active weather possible across the Southeastern US.

There is a reason psychics and futurists don't dabble in economics, card-counting, brackets or meteorology. Predicting the future has its limits. Things rarely work out exactly the way you think they will.

Weather forecast accuracy has slowly improved, with some skill for a specific location out to 10-14 days. Surprisingly, the 24-hour forecast accuracy is88%, which hasn't improved in a generation.

The biggest breakthroughs? Storm watches & warnings .At a time when extreme weather is increasing, US deaths are falling, a testament to NOAA and local meteorologists communicating risk.

A chilly weekend is on tap with sunshine and easing winds by Sunday. Rain on Tuesday end a as a period of snow, with a coating in the metro, but over 8" possible up north.

I see 40s next week, maybe 50s returning in time for the Twins Home Opener on April 7. Another sign of spring!

SATURDAY: Sunny, windy and cold. Winds: NW 15-25. High: 35.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear and quiet. Winds: N 5-10. Low: 14.

SUNDAY: Blue sky, less wind. What spring? Winds: N 5-10. High: 34.

TUESDAY: Cold metro rain. Icy mix up north. Winds: SE 10-20. Wake-up: 33. High: 38.

WEDNESDAY: Light snow tapers to flurries. Winds: NW 10-20. Wake-up: 31. High: 34.

THURSDAY: Still chilly, few flakes around. Winds: NW 15-25. Wake-up: 25. High: 33.

FRIDAY: Partly sunny, a little nicer. Winds: NW 10-20. Wake-up: 23. High: 41.

March 26th

2007: Temperature records are shattered across much of central and southern Minnesota and west central Wisconsin. The following records were set: 69 at Alexandria, 75 at Mankato, 77 at Little Falls, 79 at St. Cloud, 81 at Minneapolis-St. Paul and Eau Claire, 82 at Redwood Falls, and 83 at Springfield.

March 26th

Average High: 47F (Record: 81F set in 2007)

Average Low: 28F (Record: -10F set in 1996)

Record Rainfall: 1.02" set in 1921

March 26th

Sunrise: 7:04am

Sunset: 7:32pm

Hours of Daylight: ~12 hours & 28 minutes

Daylight GAINED since yesterday: ~ 3 minute & 08 seconds

2.1 Days After Last Quarter Moon

The weather outlook on Saturday shows temps running well below average along and east of the Mississippi River. However, the western half of the nation will be well above average with record highs likely in many spots across the Southwestern US.

Weather conditions through the weekend show areas of rain and snow across the Northeastern part of the nation with gusty winds. Much of the rest of the nation will be quiet. However, there will be rain late weekend across the West Coast.

According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, in the eastern half of the nation with some of the heaviest found along the Gulf Coast States. There will also be some decent precipitation in the Southwest, including California.

Here's the ECMWF extended snowfall outlook through next week. Areas of heavy snow will be possible across the Upper Midwest and into the Northeast. There could also be some decent tallies across the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada Range in California.

See more from Gizmodo HERE:

A nearly two-year-long study of Hawaiian corals suggests some species may be better equipped to handle warmer, more acidic waters than previously believed. Christopher Intagliata: Within a few decades, global temperatures are expected to climb to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. And that's gonna be really bad for corals, according to the latest report out from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Andréa Grottoli: So the recent IPCC report says that up to 1.5 we can expect 10 to 30 percent coral survivorship. And above that, it decreases precipitously.

See more from Scientific American HERE:

"Every day, millions of Americans benefit from an incredible invention without ever paying it much mind. Doppler weather radar is responsible for saving countless lives over the past four decades. This technology can help meteorologists spot damaging winds and tornadoes, giving folks in harm's way plenty of lead time to get to safety. A recent tornado in Texas highlights how far this lifesaving technology has come in just a few years. Meteorologists harnessed radar technology to keep an eye on precipitation in the years after World War II. During the late 1950s, the government built a network of radars to provide communities advanced warning of dangerous storms."

See more from Forbes HERE: