MANKATO — When it comes to the recent gloomy weather, look on the bright side: We need the precipitation.
Budding shrubs and bulbs will survive the dollop of snow we received Sunday, a weather event that turned into a wintry mix of rain and slush on Monday, experts said.
“I’ve taken plenty of pictures of tulips coming up with snow on them,” said Pete Boulay, climatologist with the Minnesota Department of Resources. “This has happened before.”
Gardeners might be concerned about the recent snowfall, however. Jennifer Kleinschmidt, nursery stock coordinator at Drummers Garden Center & Floral in Mankato, said some plants could be showing in area gardens, including irises, daffodils and tulips.
“Oh yes, they will survive the snowfall,” she said, noting that plants are safe when temperatures are, as they have been, in the 30s. It’s when temperatures are in the teens and reaching 0 degrees “that we end up seeing dieback.” The rain is reassurance that it’s warm, she said.
Dieback is when the tops of plants sustain a freezer burn of sorts. Gardeners can trim that off and then the plant will recuperate, Kleinschmidt said.
“It’s the roots that are keeping it alive,” she said. “It’s the roots that keep it growing, and those roots are buried and in the ground.”
Weather experts say the Mankato area didn’t receive as significant of a snowfall as other areas of the state, with about 2 to 3 inches falling on Sunday. That was followed by an inch of rain.
It was largely “wet, sloppy snow, and the moisture was definitely welcome,” Boulay said. “We have had a moderate drought across the state. So we’ll take as much precipitation as we can get.”
Normal precipitation for March is 1.88 inches, he said. We’ve now received nearly as much precipitation in one day as has been received during the entire month in previous years, he said.
Joe Strus, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen, said the Mankato area received “over an inch of liquid” during Sunday and Monday’s mix of snow and rainfall.
He too thinks it’s good news, given the drought we’ve been experiencing.
“It’s been really, really dry, so while this is a later March winter event, it’s good to get all of this precipitation since we’ve been in this drought-type scenario,” Strus said.
He cautions drivers that their Tuesday morning commute might be an icy one as the weather shifts to freezing rain, followed by snow. We’re predicted to get another 1 to 2 inches of snow Tuesday morning before the weather system moves out, he said. A winter weather advisory was issued Monday afternoon to be in effect Monday night through Tuesday morning. The wind also is expected to kick in on Tuesday with the potential of creating blowing snow.
Then it’ll be dry for the rest of the week, Strus said.
“This will put us in a much better spot with all of this moisture, whether it’s rain or sleet,” he said. “It will help us.”
If gardeners are hypervigilant and want to “baby your plants,” you can protect them from snow by covering them, Kleinschmidt said. Doing so isn’t necessary but it can’t hurt, she said.
Overall, she’s hopped up about the weather and is eager for the precipitation after a dry winter.
“We’re loving this moisture,” she said. “I hope spring brings more moisture. With Easter around the corner, everyone wants to be out and about. If we see more moisture, that would be great.
“We’re excited for spring around here,” Kleinschmidt said.