♪♪ >> ERIC: THE HIGH TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR ST. PAUL TODAY - FRIDAY WAS 75°.

SATURDAY THE HIGH MAY ONLY BE 48.

THAT'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS SPRING'S WEATHER ROLLER COASTER.

PAUL DOUGLAS IS BACK.

WHEN PAUL ISN'T ON OUR AIRWAVES, YOU CAN CATCH HIS PREDICTIONS IN THE STAR TRIBUNE.

IN HIS SPARE TIME HE RUNS HIS OWN WEATHER COMPANY, PRAEDICTIX.

ARE WE -- I WROTE THIS DOWN -- ARE WE GETTING FEWER OF OUR STORM SYSTEMS THAT GENERATE OUT OF CALIFORNIA AND COLORADO?

>> WE HAVE THIS WINTER.

YEAH.

WE'VE HAD ANOTHER STORM DROUGHT, A SNOW DROUGHT.

BY THE WAY, DO YOU WANT SPRING?

>> Cathy: WELL, TODAY IT WAS VERY SPRINGY.

>> ARE YOU READY?

>> Cathy: 75-DEGREE TEMPERATURE, WAS IT A RECORD?

>> IT WAS A RECORD.

75, TYPICAL HIGH FOR JUNE 2.

WARMEST SINCE OCTOBER 30.

>> Eric: BETTER PUT THE GRAPHICS UP.

>> BEST I CAN DO, 75 TODAY, >> Eric: SLUSH YOU.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

[ Laughter ] I'VE HEARD WORSE.

THIS IS OUTSIDE MY HOUSE.

THAT'S WHAT'S LEFT OF THE SNOW.

>> Cathy: WOW.

>> YEAH, IT'S BEEN ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE WINTERS FOR SNOW LOVERS.

YOU KNOW, IT HAS NOT BEEN A PIONEER WINTER.

YES, WE HAD A COUPLE OF VISITS FROM THE POLAR VORTEX.

A COUPLE OF CHILLY SLAPS.

DIDN'T LAST TOO LONG.

MSP TWIN CITIES, HALF A DEGREE COOLER THAN AVERAGE.

THIS WINTER WAS THE 44th WARMEST ON RECORD.

A LITTLE WARMER THAN AVERAGE IN St.

CLOUD AND ROCHESTER.

A LITTLE COLDER IN DULUTH.

LOOKING AT HEATING DEGREE DATA SINCE AUGUST OF LAST YEAR, THE COOL SEASON, THE ENTIRE THING, WE'VE ACTUALLY SAVED 9% HEATING UR HOMES, HEATING OUR BUSINESSES.

27 SUBZERO NIGHTS.

THE AVERAGE IS 22.

AND, YEAH, I THINK WE'RE PAST THE SUBZERO STUFF.

THE SNOW DROUGHT CONTINUES TWO WINTERS IN THE ROW OF SHEER DISAPPOINTMENT FOR ANYONE WHO LOVES SNOW.

25.3 IN THE TWIN CITIES.

34th LEAST SNOWY WINTER SINCE 1871.

AND HERE ARE THE AMOUNTS.

AGAIN, 7 INCHES St.

CLOUD.

ONLY 15 ROCHESTER.

EVEN DULUTH, ONLY 44 INCHES UP IN THE TWIN PORTS.

NOW, CHECK OUT THE DEPARTURE FROM AVERAGE SINCE JULY 1st.

AND YOU CAN SEE QUITE A BIT OF A DEFICIT, ALMOST A 30-INCH DEFICIT FOR ROCHESTER AND DULUTH.

MARQUETTE EVEN, LESS LAKE-EFFECT SNOW.

YEAH, A DISAPPOINTMENT.

BUT COMMUTERS WERE PRETTY HAPPY.

70% OF THE STATE STILL IN MODERATE OR SEVERE DROUGHT.

AND, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING I SEE THINGS ARE GOING TO GET A LITTLE BIT WORSE THAN THEY -- UNTIL HOPEFULLY THEY GET BETTER SOMETIME THIS SUMMER, MUCH LIKE WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR.

BUT A LACK OF SNOW.

AND THERE'S NOT MUCH WATER.

THIS IS THE STORM WATER EQUIVALENT, AND YOU CAN EE VERY LITTLE WATER LOCKED UP.

THE GOOD NEWS IS, THAT MEANS A MUCH LOWER THREAT OF RIVER FLOODING, NOT ONLY FOR THE MISSISSIPPI BUT ALSO THE RED RIVER, THE MINNESOTA RIVER, AND THE St. CROIX.

AND LOOK AT THESE TEMPERATURES MOSTLY -- YEAH, IT'S GOING TO CORRECT A LITTLE BIT, STILL 60ISH ON MONDAY.

MOSTLY 40s AND 50s ACCORDING TO THE EUROPEAN MODEL.

AND BY THE WAY, ONE THING I CAN PREDICT WITH 100% ACCURACY IS MORE POTHOLES.

THIS IS POTHOLE SEASON.

AND, OF COURSE, THE UNFORTUNATE FACT THAT WATER EXPANDS WHEN IT FREEZES, SO WATER GETS INTO THE CRACKS, IT GOES BELOW FREEZING, THE FREEZE/THAU CYCLE, IT EXPANDS AND THAT LITERALLY PULVERIZES THE ROAD SURFACE OVER TIME.

CATHY, ERIC, FOLKS AT HOME, YOU MAY BE WONDERING, WHY DO WE CALL IT POTHOLES?

>> Eric: YEAH.

>> Cathy: BECAUSE THEY LOOK LIKE -- >> WELL, 15th CENTURY ENGLAND, WE CAN ADVANCE TO THE NEXT FRAME, ONE MORE -- >> Cathy: WE DON'T HAVE IT.

IT'S GONE.

>> IT'S GONE, IT WENT AWAY.

>> Cathy: OH, SHOOT, WHAT?

>> 15th CENTURY ENGLAND, POTTERS USED TO FOLLOW BEHIND THE WAG JONS, THE RUTS THAT THE WAG ONS -- WAGONS LEFT BEHIND, THEY WOULD USE THE RUTS TO HELP THEM GET DOWN TO THE CLAY, THE CLAY FOR THEIR ARTWORK.

>> Eric: WOW.

>> SO THEY MADE THE SITUATION EVEN WORSE, THEY WERE POTTERS' HOLES, WHICH VENTUALLY GOT SHORTENED INTO POTHOLES.

>> Cathy: I HAVE TO SAY, I DID KNOW THIS.

>> Eric: LIVING HISTORY, YOU BRING IT ALL.

>> I'M GREAT FUN AT PARTIES.

NO, I'M NOT.