Sunday Rainbows
Sunday afternoon featured a few showers and storms across the southern half of the state. Here was a picture as a rainbow developed in the wake of a heavy downpour on the NW side of the metro.
This is what the radar look like late Sunday afternoon/early evening as a few storms popped up and pushed through parts of Central MN.
Severe Threat Monday
...SUMMARY... ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS PARTS OF THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS SOUTHWARD INTO THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ISOLATED STRONG TO PERHAPS LOCALLY SEVERE STORMS MAY DEVELOP OVER PORTIONS OF NEW ENGLAND DURING THE AFTERNOON. LOCALLY DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS. ...SYNOPSIS... COMPLEX SPLIT FLOW REGIME WILL PERSIST MONDAY. IN THE NRN STREAM A SHORTWAVE TROUGH NOW OVER THE PACIFIC NW IS FORECAST TO AMPLIFY AS IT MOVES INTO THE NRN HIGH PLAINS DURING THE AFTERNOON. THE NEGATIVE TILT TROUGH CURRENTLY OVER THE GREAT LAKES WILL DEAMPLIFY AS IT CRESTS UPPER RIDGE OVER THE NERN STATES. IN THE SRN STREAM THE CUTOFF UPPER LOW OVER THE SWRN U.S. WILL DRIFT VERY SLOWLY EWD ACROSS AZ...BUT POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR WEAKER DOWNSTREAM IMPULSES TO MOVE INTO THE SRN PLAINS. A SFC LOW WILL EVOLVE OVER THE NRN HIGH PLAINS IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE APPROACHING SHORTWAVE TROUGH. BY MID-DAY A WARM FRONT WILL EXTEND FROM THE LOW OVER WRN SD EWD INTO THE UPPER MS VALLEY. A COLD FRONT WILL ADVANCE SEWD THROUGH ERN MT AND EVENTUALLY MERGE WITH THE SFC TROUGH OVER THE NRN HIGH PLAINS. THE COLD FRONT WILL ACCOMPANY THE PROGRESSIVE NRN-STREAM SHORTWAVE TROUGH THROUGH THE DAKOTAS AND NEB MONDAY EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. FARTHER SOUTH THE DRYLINE WILL PERSIST OVER THE SRN AND CNTRL HIGH PLAINS.
Severe Threat Tuesday
...SUMMARY... ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING FROM THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY SOUTHWESTWARD INTO THE SOUTHERN GREAT PLAINS. LOCALIZED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE NEAR THE NORTHEASTERN GULF COAST AND NORTH FLORIDA DURING THE AFTERNOON.
Simulated Radar
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Tropical Depression Bonnie: Radar Earlier Saturday During Tropical Storm Status
The radar loop below from PM Saturday showed bands of heavy rainfall pushing into South Carolina when Tropical Depression Bonnie was at Tropical Storm Strength. Gusty squalls will continue to bring strong winds and heavy pockets of rain to areas along the Coast as the weekend continues. The other big concern will be a strong rip current potential.
IR Satellite
The IR satellite from PM Saturday when Bonnie was at Tropical Storm strength. The satellite loop showed a fairly large blob of intense clouds nearing the SE Coast. This blob of moisture brought areas of heavy rainfall, gusty winds and RIP currents along the coast through during the first part of the holiday weekend.
Here is the projected path for Bonnie through the end of next week. Note that the forecast keeps it as a Tropical Depression as we head through the week ahead. Interestingly, the Atlantic Hurricane Season officially starts on June 1st.
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By Todd Nelson
Ahh, now this is more like it! Saturday's cloudy, wet weather was for the birds; ducks, in fact. After a not too shabby Sunday, I am happy to report that today will be THE nicest day of the holiday weekend.
Reminiscent of late June, we reach the pinnacle today with bright sun and highs around 80 degrees. I guess this is what they call Chamber of Commerce weather. Even the complaint department has the day off!
Whether it's heading to the lake or mowing the neglected hay field in your back yard due to several days of inclement weather last week, today's a winner 3 weeks from the Summer Solstice (June 20th).
A fairly vigorous area of low pressure looks to spin up swarms of showers and storms late Monday with thundery downpours possible in spots through Tuesday. Cool exhaust on the backside of this storm brings us into the 60s for highs by the end of the week. Overnight lows will dip into the 40s with a few 30s possible up north. No worries though, widespread frost and freeze is not likely.
Keep calm and garden on!
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SUNDAY NIGHT: A few showers early, then turning mostly clear. Low: 58. Winds: WNW 5mph
MEMORIAL DAY MONDAY: Best day of the holiday weekend. Clouds thicken late. High: 81. Wind: SSE 5mph.
MONDAY NIGHT: Scattered showers and storms develop with locally heavy rainfall. Low: 62. Winds: SSE 5mph
TUESDAY: Scattered storms with locally heavy rain. A little muggy. High: 77. Winds: S 5-10mph.
WEDNESDAY: Breezy. Stray PM rumble. Wake-up: 58. High: 69. Winds: W 5-10mph
THURSDAY: More sun, refreshing breeze. Wake-up: 52. High: 69. Winds: WNW 5-10mph.
FRIDAY: Dry start. Scattered PM T-storms. Wake-up: 55. High: 76. Winds: SE 5mph.
SATURDAY: Lingering storm early, better later. Wake-up: 60. High: 77. Winds: SW 5mph.
SUNDAY: Mostly sunny. Nice June Day. Wake-up: 60. High: 78.
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This Day in Weather History
May 30th
1998: A devastating line of storms hits east central Minnesota. 100 mph winds rip through Scott and Dakota County. Over 500 homes are damaged in Washington County. 15,000 trees are lost in the Twin Cities metro area, and 500,000 people lose power in Minneapolis.
1985: A tornado hits Lakefield, and the Twin Cities report 67 mph winds.
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Average High/Low for Minneapolis
May 30th
Average High: 74F (Record: 98F set in 1934)
Average Low: 53F (Record: 37F set in 1947)
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Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
May 30th
Sunrise: 5:31am
Sunset: 8:50pm
*Daylight Gained Since Yesterday: ~1min & 30secs
*Daylight Gain Since Winter Solstice: ~6hours & 34 mins
*Length of Daylight: ~15hours & 21mins
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Moon Phase for May 30th at Midnight
1.8 Days After Last Quarter
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Extended Forecast
Take a look at the extended forecast below, which takes us into the first full week of June. Note that temperatures 'mild' through the early part of this week, but we begin to slip by the middle/end of the week with highs dipping into the 60s. Overnight lows will be a little more refreshing by the end of the week as we fall in the 40s; a few of the normal cool spots up north could even dip into the 30s. The good news is that I don't see any major frost of freeze concerns with this cool spat... Keep calm and garden on!
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6 to 10 Day Temperature Outlook
According to NOAA's CPC, the 6 to 10 day temperature outlook suggests a return of warmer than average weather across the High Plains and parts of the Midwest from June 3rd to June 7th. So even after a little bit of a cool down mid/late week, we should be able to warm up again by next week!
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Monday Weather Outlook
Monday WILL be the nicest day of the holiday weekend with bright sun and temperatures warming to near 10F above average across the state. The good news is that dewpoints will also be pretty comfortable in the 40s and low 50s, which by Minnesota standards isn't too shabby.
Monday Weather Outlook
Winds on Monday will also be a non-factor for much of the day, however, note the increasing SE winds across South Dakota. This increase in wind speed is in advance of a storm system that will increase rain/thunder chances late PM Monday into Tuesday. Heavy rainfall and a few isolated strong storms can't be ruled out across parts of the Midwest from late PM Monday and again Tuesday.
Monday Weather Outlook
Again, Memorial Day Monday WILL be the nicest day of holiday weekend with plentiful sunshine across much of the state throughout much of the day. However, as we head into the second half of the day, high cirrus clouds look to move, which will make for filtered sunshine late across the Southwestern part of the state. Showers and storms will then move into MN & WI overnight Monday into Tuesday with heavy pockets of rain and isolated strong storm chances.
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"Obama is creating a 1,500-mile “butterfly corridor” to help Monarchs get from Mexico to Minnesota"
US president Barack Obama, a friend to bees and other pollinating insects in peril, has unveiled his national strategy (pdf) to mitigate honey bee loss, increase the Monarch butterfly population, and restore the habitats of both insects, whose health is essential to our food supply. The program will depend heavily on federal agencies and will also involve Mexico and Canada, since bees and butterflies know nothing of state laws and don’t really care about borders. The strategic report includes a section on “expanding pollinator habitat on rights-of-way.” This doesn’t mean the feds will tell bees and butterflies who flies first, but rather that the US Department of Transportation and US Fish and Wildlife Service will help rehabilitate butterfly habitats alongside Interstate 35—a federal highway that extends from the Texas-Mexico border to Duluth, Minnesota.
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Five Landmarks Threatened by Climate Change
Will a warming planet destroy humankinds' most precious cultural treasures?
Hunger, disease, dwindling natural resources—climate change promises to visit all of those misfortunes and more on humankind if it can’t be curbed. But there’s something else a changing climate can take away from humans, Fiona Harvey reports for The Guardian: their cultural heritage. A new UNESCO report suggests that some of the world’s most famous heritage sites could be destroyed by climate change. The report looks at the direct and indirect impacts of the changing climate on both UNESCO World Heritage sites and the tourism sector they support, calling it “one of the most significant risks” the sites face. Since cultural treasures are usually static and unable to move, says the report, they are inextricably tied to place—and as the landscapes that surround them change, they are uniquely vulnerable. From drought and rising seas to moles, here is a selection of landmarks facing climate change threats:
Read more from the SimthsoniaMag.com HERE:
Thanks for checking in and have a great rest of your holiday weekend! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @TNelsonWX
Paul Douglas is a nationally respected meteorologist with 35 years of television and radio experience. A serial entrepreneur, Douglas is Senior Meteorologist and Founder of Media Logic Group. Douglas and a team of meteorologists provide weather services for various media and corporate interests at Praedictix. Developers and engineers create unique streams of weather data, imagery and API’s via Aeris Weather. He is co-host of a radio program, weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. on WCCO Radio. His speaking engagements take him around the Midwest with a message of continuous experimentation and reinvention, no matter what business you’re in. He is the public face of “SAVE”, Suicide Awareness, Voices of Education, based in Bloomington. Send Paul a question.
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