Heavy Snow Reports From Monday
Here are some of the heaviest snowfall reports from Monday. Note the near 20" reports coming in from Washburn, WI. There was also a 17" report from Gary New Duluth located near Duluth, MN.
Winter Storm Warnings Posted Through Tuesday
WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST TUESDAY...
WHAT...Heavy snow. Total snow accumulations of 8 to 14 inches. Locally higher amounts are possible.
WHERE...Portions of central and west central Minnesota.
WHEN...Until 6 PM CST Tuesday.
IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions will make for difficult travel. The cold wind chills as low as 25 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 8 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST TUESDAY.
WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 7 inches. Locally higher amounts are possible.
WHERE...Portions of west central Wisconsin and central, east central and south central Minnesota.
WHEN...From 8 PM this evening to 6 PM CST Tuesday.
IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions will make for difficult travel. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The cold wind chills as low as 20 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.
Plowable Snow Potential Through Tuesday
Here's the weather outlook from AM Tuesday to AM Wednesday, which shows a large storm system moving through the Midwest through the first half of the week. Areas of heavy snow will continue across parts of the region on Tuesday with the system finally pulling away on Wednesday. Meanwhile, strong to severe thunderstorms will be possible across the central US again on Tuesday with locally heavy rainfall.
Tuesday's Snow
Tuesday will likely see plowable snow across much of the region with some 4" to 8" amounts possible.. When you combine the 2 day snowfall event, some across central Minnesota and northern Wisconsin could see well over a foot of snow, while folks closer to the Twin Cities metro might see more like 4" to 8" of snow. Still a noteworthy storm with gusty winds and blowing snow expected as well.
"Snow will become more widespread Tuesday morning, with travel impacts expected across the region. Here's how much more snow we're expecting by the time it ends Tuesday evening."
Tuesday Weather Outlook
The weather outlook for Minneapolis on Tuesday shows cold temps hovering around 10F for much of the day. Due to strong winds, feels like temps will be in the single digits below zero all day. There will also be areas of heavy snow through the day with shovelable/plowable amounts likely by the evening.
Meteograms for Minneapolis
The hourly temps for Minneapolis on Tuesday show temps hovering around 10F with northerly winds gusting close to 30mph through the day. Areas of snow will continue with plowable amounts likely by PM Tuesday.
Wind Chill Values Tuesday
Feels like temps for Minneapolis on Tuesday will be in the single digits below zero all day with strong wind gusts expected up to nearly 30mph.
Weather Outlook on Tuesday
Tuesday will be another cold and snow day across the region with highs running nearly -20F to -30F below average. Many spots around the region will only warm into the single digits above and below 0F with record cold highs possible for some.
Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis
The extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis over the next several days shows well below average temps in place through the week ahead. The last full week of February will end on a very chilly note with highs nearly -10F to -20F below average.
Extended Weather Outlook For Minneapolis
The extended weather outlook through the week ahead shows cold and snowy weather in place on Tuesday. The rest of the week will be quieter with a slight chance of light snow on Thursday, but it will be cold with highs only warming into the teens and overnight lows dipping down into the sub-zero range.
Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis
According to the ECMWF & GFS extended temperature outlook, temps will be quite chilly through the last full week of February with highs only warming into the 10s and 20s. However, we're getting indications of a modest warm up as we get closer to the early part of March.
8 to 14 Day Temperature Outlook
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows cooler than average temps across much of the Eastern US, while above average temps settle in across the southwestern US.
8 to 14 Day Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8-14 Day precipitation outlook somewhat drier weather settling in across the Southern tier of the nation. However, more active weather will be possible across the northern tier of the nation.
A Cold, Plowable Storm Slows Traffic Today
By Paul Douglas
Minnesota has it's own annual winter Olympics. We shorten it to "winter". Shovel-wrestling, car-rocking, plowing competitions, and graceful ice-dancing (hanging onto a snow blower for dear life). There is something for everyone.
Many are wrapped up in the How-Many-Inches Lotto, breathlessly listening to forecasts, placing their bets. Totals are important, so is wind and TEMPERATURE! Cold storms are much more dangerous than snow that falls closer to 32F. At 10F today's snow will be light and powdery, prone to blowing & drifting. In spite of good intentions, MnDOT salt does not work well when it gets this cold. The result: today's 4-8" in the metro may result in Gold Medal levels of traffic disruption. Be careful out there.
The hour grows late - we are weary. Let me end with a message of hope and unity, something most of us might actually agree on: "milder weather would be nice". I see a run of 20s and 30s next week. Winter is far from over (hello March Tournament Snows) but we are turning a small corner.
Extended Forecast
TUESDAY: 4-8" metro, 10-15" north. Winds: N 15-25. High: 12.
TUESDAY NIGHT: Snow fades overnight. Breezy & Cold. Winds: NNW 10-15. Low: -2. Feels like: -15.
WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny, better travel. Winds: NW 7-12. High: 9.
THURSDAY: Another couple inches of powder? Winds: N 7-12. Wake-up: 1. High: 13.
FRIDAY: Bright sunshine, still chilly. Winds: W 7-12. Wake-up: 0. High: 15.
SATURDAY: Blue sky, almost pleasant. Winds: W 10-15. Wake-up: 8. High: 30.
SUNDAY: Cooler, few flakes around. Winds: NW 7-12. Wake-up: 16. High: 20.
MONDAY: Plenty of sunshine. Winds: SE 5-10. Wake-up: -1. High: 21.
This Day in Weather History
February 22nd
1922: A blizzard, ice storm and thunderstorms all occur on the same day across Minnesota. Winds hit 50 mph in Duluth while thunderstorms were reported in the Twin Cities. Heavy ice over southeast Minnesota with 2 inches of ice on wires near Winona. Over two inches of precipitation fell. This was also one of the largest ice storms ever in Wisconsin history with ice four inches in diameter on telegraph wires. One foot of ice covered wire weighed 11 pounds. One killed and four injured in Wisconsin.
Average High/Low for Minneapolis
February 22nd
Average High: 31F (Record: 59F set in 2017)
Average Low: 16F (Record: -22F set in 1873)
Record Rainfall: 1.13" set in 1922)
Record Snowfall: 8.8" set in 1913
Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
February 22nd
Sunrise: 7:01am
Sunset: 5:50pm
Hours of Daylight: ~10 hours & 48 minutes
Daylight GAINED since yesterday: ~ 3 minute & 01 seconds
Daylight GAINED since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 2 Hour & 02 Minutes
Moon Phase for February 22nd at Midnight
0.6 Days Before Last Quarter Moon
National High Temps Tuesday
The weather outlook on Tuesday shows well above average temperatures across the eastern half of the nation, where some record highs will be possible. There will also be some record warm overnight lows on Wednesday morning. However, record cold high temps will be possible across parts of the Midwest and High Plains, where temps will be nearly -30F to -40F below average.
National Weather Outlook
Weather conditions will remain somewhat active across the Central US as a big storm system develops with heavy rain and severe storms in the Southern US. There will also be areas of heavy snow across the Midwest and Great Lakes Region. Another area of low pressure will slide into the Southwestern US with areas of rain in California and heavy snow across parts of the Rockies and Southwest.
Extended Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, areas of heavy precipitation will be found across parts of the Central and Eastern US. There will also be some decent precipitation across parts of the Upper Midwest and across the Western US.
Extended Snowfall Outlook
Here's the ECMWF extended snowfall outlook through the week ahead, which shows areas of heavy snow from the Central US to the Great Lakes. There also looks like to be heavy snow across the northern tier of the nation. There could also be some decent snowfall across parts of the Southwestern US, including California, Arizona and New Mexico.
Climate Stories
"Unprecedented Image Captures Freakishly Large Solar Eruption"
"The blast of hot gas stretched 2 million miles—and probably more. The Solar Orbiter spacecraft had a front-row view this week of the Sun giving out an unusually large belch, resulting in a one-of-a-kind image. Solar Orbiter observed the solar prominence, or filament, on February 15, according to a European Space Agency release. Solar prominences are clouds of solar gas held above the surface of the Sun's magnetic field, and they often appear as gigantic looping structures that last for days or even weeks. These events can result in coronal mass ejections (CMEs), in which expelled gas races out through the solar system. If directed at Earth, CMEs can mess up our technologies—like newly launched satellites. Thankfully, this ejection was not directed toward Earth. Quite the opposite, actually. The view from Solar Orbiter, a joint mission of NASA and ESA, suggests the filament originated on the Sun's far side from the perspective of the spacecraft."
"Tackling climate change includes seeking equitable mental health care"
"As climate change drives extreme events and long-term changes to Earth's environment, the physical impacts on human health – deaths caused by high temperatures, respiratory illnesses brought about by wildfire smoke, and more – are on the rise. But anxiety, stress, and other mental health impacts of these changes are harder to track. Still, as extreme weather events accelerate and people around the world become more aware of the planet's climate future, researchers and health professionals are documenting an uptick in associated mental health stress. This finding includes anxiety about what the future may look like, depression in the face of real or expected losses of life or homes, and despair as individuals observe a lack of action by political leaders. Unsurprisingly, research shows these mental health impacts disproportionately affect marginalized communities, such as Indigenous populations and low-income communities of color. Tackling climate change requires transformation of behaviors and of the economy, but this level of change can be achieved only through political pressure from a critical mass of individuals and communities spanning demographics, socio-economic status, and geographies. Achieving and sustaining that level of action requires that a majority of those people not be incapacitated by climate anxiety or despair."
See more from Yale Climate Connections HERE:
"January 2022: Earth's 6th-warmest January on record"
"Australia, Paraguay, and Uruguay measured their highest temperature on record, while Montenegro and Myanmar measured their lowest temperature on record. January 2022 was Earth's sixth-warmest January since global record-keeping began in 1880, 0.89 degree Celsius (1.60°F) above the 20th-century average, NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, NCEI, reported February 14. NASA rated January 2022 as the fifth-warmest January on record, 1.20 degrees Celsius (2.16°F) above the 1880-1920 period, which is its best estimate for when preindustrial temperatures occurred. January 2022 was the sixth-warmest January on record according to the Japan Meteorological Agency and the European Copernicus Climate Change Service. Minor differences in the agencies' rankings can result from the different ways they treat data-sparse regions such as the Arctic. Notably, last month was the warmest January on record to occur during a La Niña event. Global air temperature tends to cool slightly during La Niña and warm slightly during El Niño, on top of the longer-term warming caused by human-produced greenhouse gases."
See more from Yale Climate Connection HERE:
