Spectacular spring weather ahead; lake ice going fast

This is how spring was meant to be in Minnesota.

One more wave of rain rolls across southeast Minnesota Thursday. Other than that, most of us are about to enjoy one of the finest runs of spring weather I can remember.

Southern storm track

The storm track continues to roll across Iowa this week. That's close enough to bring showers and T-Storms into southeast Minnesota again Thursday. The Twin Cities rides the northern edge of the rain shield.

NOAA's NAM 3 km model paints convective clusters across Iowa with a few leaking into southern Minnesota and perhaps grazing the Twin Cities late Thursday afternoon.

The highest rainfall totals again favor southeast Minnesota Thursday. Rainfall in the Twin Cities should be light to none. Most of Minnesota north and west of the Twin Cities stays dry.

Severe outbreak south

Severe weather is likely across Iowa, southern Wisconsin, and Illinois Thursday. The outbreak could be significant in eastern Kansas and Oklahoma into Missouri.

Spectacular stretch 

Our weather pattern from Friday through next Tuesday looks spectacular. Look for plenty of sun, and mild temperatures with highs mostly in the 70s.

Ice going fast

Ice cover on small and mid-sized lakes is going fast. I snapped this shot of a now ice-free Lake Bavaria in Chaska Wednesday.

Many lakes like Nokomis have set record late ice outs this year. Here's the latest ice-out status in Minnesota.

Bigger lakes like metro bellwether Minnetonka still have plenty of white colored ice. Here's the view from an open Excelsior Bay out onto the still ice-covered main lake at Minnetonka Wednesday afternoon.

Spring is here to stay. But many of the bigger Minnesota lakes are still flush with wintry ice.