A long-duration early Spring storm dropped several inches of snow from Monday, April 2nd, through late Tuesday night, April 3rd. The first part of the storm developed across southern Minnesota Monday morning, and drifted northward, and affected areas along and north of Highway 212 during the afternoon, and evening.
Every event with a place to put it; 19 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS MPX wrote it up.
A long-duration early Spring storm dropped several inches of snow from Monday, April 2nd, through late Tuesday night, April 3rd.
The first part of the storm developed across southern Minnesota Monday morning, and drifted northward, and affected areas along and north of Highway 212 during the afternoon, and evening. Locally 3 to 6 inches fell from Alexandria, to St. Cloud, Minnesota.
The second part of the storm developed across the Central Plains early Tuesday morning, and rapidly expanded northeast across the Upper Midwest.
Local radar and surface observations indicated that two waves of snow occurred with the second part of the storm. The first wave affected south central Minnesota, into west central Wisconsin Tuesday morning. The second wave moved across southwest, into south central, east central Minnesota, and eventually into west central Wisconsin from Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday evening.
By the time all the snow ended, snowfall amounts ranged from 3-6 inches across west central and southwest Minnesota, to 4-8 inches across central, east central, and south central Minnesota. Locally higher amounts were noted around the Twin Cities Metro area, St. Cloud and Dassel, Minnesota which is 100 miles west of the Twin Cities.
Two day totals were quite impressive for early April with the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport recording a daily snowfall record of 9.0 inches on April 3rd.
Other reported snowfall amounts include;
10.6 inches near downtown Minneapolis.|10.2 inches near Dassel.|9.7 inches at the NWS Office in Chanhassen. |8.7 inches near Lakeville.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Twin Cities, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 2, 10:13 PM CST, 2 hours 47 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
1113 PM CDT Mon Apr 2 2018
.UPDATE...For 06Z Aviation discussion below
&&
.SHORT TERM...(This evening through Tuesday)
Issued at 338 PM CDT Mon Apr 2 2018
Warm advective band has lifted up to along and just north of the
I-94 corridor this afternoon. It's about as far north as it is
going to go. It has been a bit of an overachiever in the snowfall
intensity department with visibilities getting down to 1/4sm -
1/2sm range in the band. IR imagery shows the cold cloud tops
indicative of the stronger lift moving into WI this afternoon, so
this fits the idea of what we are seeing with the HRRR and other
models that this band will quickly begin to diminish this
afternoon as this stronger lift works east.
Next round of snow moves in with the strong wave that shows up in
water vapor imagery over Montana. We did speed up the arrival of
the snow this evening while also slowing down it's departure on
Tuesday as this wave will be deepening and taking on a negative
tilt trough the day on Tuesday, resulting in snow lingering longer
than previously forecast. Model agreement is pretty high for snow
amounts Tuesday and changed very little from what we had
overnight, with 6-10" of snow expected from south central MN up
into central WI, this is where we upgraded the watch into a
warning. Don't think we will need to expand the warning much to
the northwest based on the surface low track. Kansas City to
Kalamazoo, MI is a little too far southeast to pull the higher
snow amounts as far northwest as the core of Twin Cities metro.
.LONG TERM...(Tuesday night through Monday)
Issued at 338 PM CDT Mon Apr 2 2018
Used the blended guidance in the extended, but did lower
temperatures considerably in the extended forecast as the Upper
Midwest will continue to be on the cool side of the thermal
gradient. A few light snow showers Thursday afternoon and evening as
the coldest air moves through. Looking ahead, another band of snow
looks to move across Minnesota and Wisconsin late this weekend. All
three models are in fairly good agreement in the development of this
snow, but the ECMWF is just a few hours slower than the GFS and GEM.
Something to watch as this has the potential to produce several inches
of heavy wet snow.
&&
.AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Tuesday night)
Issued at 1112 PM CDT Mon Apr 2 2018
The next round of snow looks to spread from west to east across
the area between 08Z and 13Z, with IFR cigs/vsbys becoming
prevalent for much of the day Tuesday. Winds will also turn to the
north/northwest, with gusts to around 22-25 knots developing.
KMSP...
The next round of snow looks to arrive a tad later than previously
expected. Could see light snow as early as 09z, but the IFR snow
looks to arrive between 10Z and 12z. East winds gradually back to
the northeast for the morning push, become gusty after 13z, then
back to the northwest by 21Z and remain gusty.
/OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/
Wed...VFR. Wind W at 10G15kts.
Thu...Slight Chc -SN/MVFR. Wind W at 10G20kts.
Fri...Chc MVFR cigs. Wind NW 15G25kts.
&&
.MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WI...Winter Storm Warning until 4 AM CDT Wednesday for WIZ016-024>028.
Winter Weather Advisory until 1 AM CDT Wednesday for WIZ014-015-
023.
MN...Winter Storm Warning until 4 AM CDT Wednesday for MNZ070-076>078-
082>085-091>093.
Winter Weather Advisory until 1 AM CDT Tuesday for MNZ041>045-
047>052-055-057-058.
Winter Weather Advisory until 1 AM CDT Wednesday for MNZ053-
059>063.
Winter Weather Advisory until 1 AM CDT Wednesday for MNZ066>069-
075.
Winter Weather Advisory until 7 PM CDT Tuesday for MNZ054-056-
064-065-073-074.
&&
SHORT TERM...MPG
LONG TERM...JRB
AVIATION...LSHazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 1031 PM CDT Mon Apr 2 2018 MNZ041>045-047>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028- 040345- Douglas-Todd-Morrison-Mille Lacs-Kanabec-Stevens-Pope-Stearns- Benton-Sherburne-Isanti-Chisago-Lac Qui Parle-Swift-Chippewa- Kandiyohi-Meeker-Wright-Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-Washington- Yellow Medicine-Renville-McLeod-Sibley-Carver-Scott-Dakota- Redwood-Brown-Nicollet-Le Sueur-Rice-Goodhue-Watonwan-Blue Earth- Waseca-Steele-Martin-Faribault-Freeborn-Polk-Barron-Rusk- St. Croix-Pierce-Dunn-Pepin-Eau Claire- 1031 PM CDT Mon Apr 2 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central and southern Minnesota...and west central Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...Tonight The next round of snow will move into southern MN after midnight, and expand east and north across the area during the overnight hours. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday Snow will continue through the day Tuesday in Minnesota and wind down Tuesday evening in western WI. The heaviest snow is expected to fall from the I-90 corridor in southern Minnesota, northeast to Eau Claire and Ladysmith in western Wisconsin. Snow accumulations of 6-9 inches are expected in the southwest to northeast oriented band of snow. Across central Minnesota and far west central Wisconsin, 3 to 6 inches will be common. Brisk north to northwest winds will also be gusting to between 30 and 35 mph on Tuesday, which could cause some blowing and drifting snow. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters and snowfall observers are urged to report snowfall amounts to the National Weather Service.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
832 PM CDT MON APR 2 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0600 PM SNOW 1 NW MILAN 45.12N 95.93W
04/02/2018 M1.3 INCH CHIPPEWA MN CO-OP OBSERVER
&&
CARLYONPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
927 PM CDT MON APR 2 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0927 PM SNOW 3 E PRINCETON 45.57N 93.53W
04/02/2018 M4.0 INCH MILLE LACS MN TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
LSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1024 PM CDT MON APR 2 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1022 PM SNOW 5 SSE ST. CLOUD 45.49N 94.13W
04/02/2018 M5.5 INCH SHERBURNE MN TRAINED SPOTTER
0.25" LIQUID EQUIVALENT.
&&
LSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1026 PM CDT MON APR 2 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0935 PM SNOW EAU CLAIRE 44.82N 91.50W
04/02/2018 M2.5 INCH EAU CLAIRE WI BROADCAST MEDIA
&&
LSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1028 PM CDT MON APR 2 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1022 PM SNOW 5 SSE ST. CLOUD 45.49N 94.13W
04/02/2018 M5.5 INCH SHERBURNE MN TRAINED SPOTTER
0.25" LIQUID EQUIVALENT.
0927 PM SNOW 3 E PRINCETON 45.57N 93.53W
04/02/2018 M4.0 INCH MILLE LACS MN TRAINED SPOTTER
1026 PM SNOW STARBUCK 45.61N 95.53W
04/02/2018 M4.0 INCH POPE MN PUBLIC
0630 PM SNOW 3 ESE AVON 45.58N 94.39W
04/02/2018 M3.0 INCH STEARNS MN CO-OP OBSERVER
0700 PM SNOW 5 E CAMP RIPLEY 46.07N 94.25W
04/02/2018 M2.6 INCH MORRISON MN COCORAHS
0700 PM SNOW ST. CLOUD AIRPORT 45.54N 94.05W
04/02/2018 M2.6 INCH SHERBURNE MN OFFICIAL NWS OBS
0500 PM SNOW DASSEL 45.08N 94.32W
04/02/2018 M2.6 INCH MEEKER MN COCORAHS
0935 PM SNOW EAU CLAIRE 44.82N 91.50W
04/02/2018 M2.5 INCH EAU CLAIRE WI BROADCAST MEDIA
0600 PM SNOW 1 NW MILAN 45.12N 95.93W
04/02/2018 M1.3 INCH CHIPPEWA MN CO-OP OBSERVER
0700 PM SNOW CHANHASSEN NWS 44.85N 93.56W
04/02/2018 M1.3 INCH CARVER MN OFFICIAL NWS OBS
0700 PM SNOW MINNEAPOLIS ST. PAUL AI 44.88N 93.23W
04/02/2018 M0.9 INCH HENNEPIN MN OFFICIAL NWS OBS
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
19 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Two storm systems, produced several rounds of snowfall across Faribault County. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 4 to 7 inches across the county.
Two storm systems produced several rounds of snowfall across Blue Earth County. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 5 to 8 inches across the county.
Two storm systems produced several rounds of snowfall across Freeborn County. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 6 to 8 inches across the county.
Two storm systems produced several rounds of snowfall across Carver County. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 5 to 10 inches across the county.
Two storm systems produced several rounds of snowfall across McLeod County. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 5 to 7 inches across the county.
Two storm systems produced several rounds of snowfall across Meeker County. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 6 to 8 inches across the county, with a localized 10.2 total near Dassel.
Two storm systems produced several rounds of snowfall across Scott County. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 6 to 9 inches across the county.
Two storm systems produced several rounds of snowfall across Sibley County. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 5 to 7 inches across the county.
Two storm systems produced several rounds of snowfall across Waseca County. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 5 to 7 inches across the county.
Two storm systems produced several rounds of snowfall across Dakota County. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 5 to 9 inches across the county.
Two storm systems produced several rounds of snowfall across Goodhue County. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 6 to 7 inches across the county.
Two storm systems produced several rounds of snowfall across Hennepin County. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 6 to 11 inches across the county.
Two storm systems produced several rounds of snowfall across Ramsey County. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 5 to 7 inches across the county.
Two winter storms produced two separate rounds of snowfall across Steele County. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 5 to 7 inches across the county.
Two storm systems produced several rounds of snowfall across Washington County. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 5 to 7 inches across the county.
Two storm systems produced several rounds of snowfall across Wright County. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 5 to 8 inches across the county.
Two storm systems produced several rounds of snowfall across Stearns County, especially in the far east side of the county. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 6 to 10 inches across the county.
Two storm systems produced several rounds of snowfall across Benton County. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 6 to 9 inches across the county.
Two storm systems produced several rounds of snowfall across Anoka County. The last round of snow ended Tuesday evening and amounts ranged from 5 to 8 inches across the county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, April 2018
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 738971, 738956, 738972, 738969, 738975, 738976, 738978, 738979, 738981, 738970, 738973, 738974, 738977, 738980, 738982, 739121, 739122, 739123, 739124.