Another Record Breaking Day Expected Thursday

Geeze was it a warm one out there on Wednesday! We came close to the first 90F of the year on Wednesday but just fell short by a couple of degrees. The high at MSP airport topped off at 88F, breaking the record of 83F.

Sioux Falls, Rochester, and Eau Claire also all set records Wednesday.

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The third 80F day of 2023 is on the way for Thursday, as we stay warm, sunny, and breezy. Morning temperatures will only drop down into the upper 50s with highs once again popping into the mid-80s. The record high for Thursday is 84F set back in 2006, so another record-breaker of a day looks to be on tap.

Winds will increase into the afternoon hours, with gusts of 30-35 mph possible.

With strong gusty winds and low humidity values, Fire Weather Watches are in place across southern Minnesota for Thursday afternoon and evening. Most areas under Red Flag Warnings (which were in place on Wednesday) are also under the Fire Weather Watch for Thursday. Any fires that develop could quickly spread.

There will be a temperature divide across the state on Thursday - and it won't only be because of the snow still on the ground up north. A cold front will slowly be working southeastward Thursday, bringing temperatures in the 80s across southern Minnesota, but they'll be stuck in the 40s in northwestern parts of the state. This front will also bring rain chances across the northern half of the state.

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Six-hour precipitation loop between 7 AM Friday to 7 AM Monday.

That cold front sinking southward will somewhat stall out heading into the end of the week across the state, and eventually, an area of low pressure will work eastward bringing more widespread rain chances. The best chance of showers in the metro look to be from late Friday into the weekend, with the potential of some snow Saturday Night into Sunday.

As we look toward the weekend:

Friday: We should start off dry and sunny, but rain chances will work into the metro during the overnight hours. Upper 70s are expected for highs with breezy south winds gusting to 30 mph.

Sunday: Both rain and snow showers will be possible. Highs will be in the 40s, but once again winds will gust to around 40 mph out of the northwest.

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More 80s Today But Spring May Get Canceled
By Paul Douglas

I was humming Pat Benatar's "Fire and Ice" tune yesterday, which was probably in poor taste. Uh oh. Looks like I'm getting canceled again. I had my reasons, Your Honor. Staring out at the bearded snow bank in my flower bed as the mercury soared to record-breaking territory (mid-80s!) Low humidity and gusty winds created ideal fire weather across southern counties. That fire risk will be with us until spring green-up, which may happen faster than anyone thought a few weeks ago. From nagging winter to instant summer in the blink of an eye. Crazy.

Expect more 80s today (record high at MSP is 84F in 2006) with 70s spilling into Friday. A grumble of thunder is possible late Friday as colder air returns. Rain much of Saturday ends as slushy snow Saturday night into Sunday, and an inch or two of slush may accumulate on green(ish) lawns and slow-moving robins, with plowable amounts possible over Wisconsin. Spring at this lofty latitude should come with a big warning label. Never get your hopes up with the weather. Ever.

Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast

THURSDAY: Warm sun. Another record? Wake up 60. High 85. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind S 15-25 mph.

FRIDAY: Fading sun, few T-showers late. Wake up 63. High 78. Chance of precipitation 60%. Wind S 15-25 mph.

SATURDAY: Colder with periods of rain. Wake up 44. High 48. Chance of precipitation 80%. Wind NW 15-25 mph.

SUNDAY: Windy with slushy snow possible. Wake up 33. High 38. Chance of precipitation 70%. Wind NW 15-35 mph.

TUESDAY: Blue sky, cool breeze. Wake up 32. High 55. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind E 8-13 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Few showers, possible thunder. Wake up 43. High 60. Chance of precipitation 60%. Wind SE 10-20 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
April 13th

*Length Of Day: 13 hours, 23 minutes, and 34 seconds
*Daylight GAINED Since Yesterday: 3 minutes and 2 seconds

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This Day in Weather History
April 13th

1949: A late-season snowstorm dumps over 9 inches in parts of the Twin Cities metro area.

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On Thursday, an area of low pressure moving into the Southeast will bring shower and thunderstorm potential. A system working through the Rockies toward the Upper Midwest will provide some rain and snow chances. And a system approaching the Pacific Northwest will provide areas with another round of rain and snow this week. Record highs will be possible from the Upper Midwest to the Northeast.

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Funding for weather stations that provide critical data is under threat

More from NPR: "Networks of weather stations throughout the U.S. provide data that's crucial for emergency responders, farmers and researchers but funding for them is precarious. Across the U.S., networks of weather monitors known as mesonets record data for farmers, researchers and emergency responders. This information is vital when it comes to issuing storm warnings and understanding climate science. But financing for many state mesonets is on shaky ground."

The EPA Faces Questions About Its Approval of a Plastic-Based Fuel With an Astronomical Cancer Risk

More from ProPublica: "The Environmental Protection Agency is facing a lawsuit filed by a community group and questions from a U.S. senator over the agency's approval of fuels made from discarded plastic under a program it touted as "climate-friendly." The new scrutiny is in response to an earlier investigation by ProPublica and the Guardian that revealed the EPA approved the new chemicals even though its own scientists calculated that pollution from production of one of the plastic-based fuels was so toxic that 1 in 4 people exposed to it over their lifetime would be expected to develop cancer. That risk is 250,000 times greater than the level usually considered acceptable by the EPA division that approves new chemicals, and it's higher than the lifetime risk of cancer for current smokers."

More from Scientific American: "Sea levels have surged along the coastlines of the southeastern United States, new research finds — hitting some of their highest rates in more than a century. They've risen more than a centimeter a year over the last decade — about triple the global average — and the effects on communities near the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean already are being observed in the form of increased flooding, more severe hurricanes and eroding shorelines. "We have seen the impacts quite significantly," said Sönke Dangendorf, an expert in coastal engineering at Tulane University and lead author of the new study. The study, published Monday in the journal Nature Communications, is the latest to point out the trend. Another study, published earlier this month in the Journal of Climate, highlighted a similar pattern — sea-level rise of more than a centimeter per year since 2010 along the Gulf and Southeast coasts. The studies indicate that the affected region spans from the western Gulf up to Cape Hatteras in North Carolina."

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- D.J. Kayser