Some send wishes for a 'Merry Easter' as spring holiday ends up looking more like Christmas

Easter ended up looking a lot more like Christmas in some areas of the United States after a spring snowstorm turned Easter Sunday into a whiteout in several states.

The 2020 edition of the holiday, which falls on a different date pretty much every year, was the snowiest Easter on record in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area as the powerful storm system churned through the middle of the country. More than 10 inches of snow fell in southern Minnesota as the storm stalled over the Twin Cities, falling at a rate of 2 inches per hour in the afternoon. Areas like Elgin, Wabasha and Oronoco received 10 inches by sunset. Rochester reported 9 inches, and whiteout conditions were observed along Interstate 90 between Fairmont and Sherburn.

While the snow reinforced stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus pandemic, others were able to venture outside to take advantage of the spring snow. Snow bunny photos were posted all over social media along with “Merry Easter!” messages and hashtags on Sunday.

The storm system largely moved out of Minnesota by about 7 p.m. or so, with plunging temperatures following close behind.

A record total of 7.7 inches fell in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. WEAU 13 News says that accumulation was a record Easter snowfall for the west-central city. The previous daily record was 7 inches, a mark that had stood since 1962.

Get all of the reported snow totals from the National Weather Service here.

The spring snow made for dangerous driving conditions all around the northern U.S.

A terrifying video from Marathon County, Wisconsin, shows a police officer almost being hit as he's pulled over on the snowy road to help a motorist. Police dashcam footage shows a car striking the open door of the cruiser and debris hurtling toward the officer who was out of the vehicle. The Marathon County Sheriff’s Department said in Facebook post no officers were injured. 

"Hot sunshine has turned into snow!" Denverite, Lola Lost, lamented to AccuWeather. After experiencing temperatures in the lower 70s on Friday and Saturday, residents were greeted with snow with temperatures stuck in the 20s for most of Sunday in Denver. The Denver Post reported it was the city's coldest Easter since at least 1937. However, most of Sunday’s snowfall stayed just outside of Denver with the city officially recording 0.1 of an inch of snowfall. 

In nearby Boulder, a new daily snowfall record was set for April 12. Boulder picked up 8.8 inches of snow on Sunday, according to the NWS, which broke the previous record of 8 inches set back in 1903.

The below-average-temperature trend will grip much of central U.S. through the large part of the week.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.

Report a Typo