Does An April Snowstorm Affect The Summer Forecast?

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Twin Cities are digging out after a weekend storm dumped more than a foot of snow on the metro.

"This was the biggest April snowstorm we've seen in the Twin Cities and the 12th biggest snowstorm we've seen any time of year," WCCO meteorologist Matt Brickman said.

But the question remains: What does this mean for spring and summer?

The best point of reference is April 14 1983, Twin Cities' second biggest April storm, which dropped 13.6 inches on the metro. (For reference, the weekend storm left Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport with 14.9 inches of snow.)

"There's nothing that says because it snowed this much in April, summer's going to stink," Brickman said. "I think, if anything, we can point back to years past and think it might be OK."

He says the 1983 storm led to a cold May, an average June and a warmer than average July and August.

"I would stop short of saying snow in April means a warmer summer, but your top three examples do," he said. "So, there appears to be hope...that's all we can have right now is hope."

Not only was this weekend an April snowfall record, it also broke records on Saturday and Sunday for cold.