Showers tonight, sunnier Friday. ‘Green wave’ moves north.

“The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house. All that cold, cold, wet day.”

― Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat

OK, its not that bad out there today. But expect the next wave of showers working north from Iowa to clip southern Minnesota later this afternoon and tonight. The impressive infrared satellite loop shows the comma-shaped low-pressure system swirling to the south.

Watch as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's NAM 4 km model paints multi-inch rainfall totals around Omaha into western Iowa. Another soaking for southern Minnesota as the system grazes the metro tonight into early Thursday.

Watch the low pressure system slide south with a glancing blow to Minnesota. Sunshine and pleasant Canadian high pressure noses in Thursday afternoon into Friday.

Here's a more detailed breakdown of the forecast through the weekend. A sunshine sandwich in between bouts of April showers.

'Green wave' of spring marches north

Have you noticed the shades of high energy green emerging in your landscape? Phenologists I talk with call it the "green wave" of spring. I'm told it moves north and east on average about 15 miles per day in spring. Crabapples are in full bloom this week near the Weather Lab in the southwest metro.

Here's a cool way to keep track of blooms and contribute what you see. It's called Project Budburst.

Ice out moving north, too

The bigger lakes like Whitefish and Leech in central Minnesota are now ice free. Smaller lakes are out near Grand Rapids.

Track your favorite lake here at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources ice out website.