Winter Storm Watch - More Snow On The Way!
A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for Thursday afternoon through Friday morning as snow accumulations of 4+ inches are expected during that time.
WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT
WHAT...Heavy snow possible. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 7 inches possible.
WHERE...Portions of central, east central, south central, southeast, southwest and west central Minnesota.
WHEN...From Thursday afternoon through Friday morning.
IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the Thursday evening and Friday morning commutes.
Another Snow Event Late Week
Here's the Weather Outlook From AM Wednesday to PM Friday, which shows our next storm system moving into the Midwest through the 2nd half of the week. Areas of snow will develop during the day Wednesday, but the heaviest snow will move in Thursday through early Friday, especially across southern Minnesota
Snowfall Potential
Here's the snowfall potential through Friday, which shows the potential for fairly widespread 4" to 8" across the southern half of the state. The heaviest snow will likely be found across the southern part of the state and along the MN/IA border.
Extended Temperature Outlook
The NBM extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis over the next several days shows temperatures hovering in the 30s through mid month. It may be a little cooler than average for the 2nd weekend of March, but it won't be frigid.
Snow Depth
As of Monday, March 6th, the MSP Airport had 9" of snow on the ground. Much of the state of Minnesota and into northern Wisconsin has a pretty significant snowpack. Nearly 2ft of snow is on the ground near Lake Superior and almost 3ft on the ground near Marquette, MI.
Consecutive Days With At Least 1" of Snow Depth
Believe it or not, the MSP Airport has had at least 1" of snow on the ground for 98 consecutive days as of March 7th, which is 28th longest stretch on record. We'll definitely have snow on the ground for quite a while, so we'll definitely be making a run as we head through the rest March and into April.
Seasonal Snowfall
Many locations are nearly 2ft to 3ft above average snowfall for the season from Sioux Falls to the Twin Cities and north toward Duluth. After Monday's snow event, 74.7" of snow has fallen at the MSP Airport so far this season (since July 1st), which is the 5th snowiest start to any season on record and nearly 33" above average. Duluth has seen nearly 103" of snow this season and the 5th snowiest start to any season on record there.
Twin Cities Weather Outlook For Wednesday
The weather outlook for the Twin Cities on Wednesday, March 8th will be fairly quiet through the first half the day under mostly cloudy skies. We may see a little snow late in the day, but it won't amount to much.
Weather Outlook on Wednesday
Temps across the region on Wednesday will warm into the 20s and 30s across much of the state, which will be close to average for early/mid March. Skies will be cloudier in the morning with areas of snow possible late in the day, especially across western MN.
Meteograms For Minneapolis
The weather outlook for the Twin Cities through the day Wednesday shows temps starting around 30F in the morning and warming into the mid/upper 30s in the afternoon. Skies will generally remain Cloudy with areas of light snow developing late in the day. Southeasterly winds will be a bit breezy with gusts to near 20mph.
Hourly Feels Like Temps
Feels like temps on Wednesday will hover in the 20s through much of the day with breezy east to Southeasterly winds through the day.
Weather Outlook
After a quiet Tuesday across the Midwest, things get a little more interesting through the 2nd half of the day. Light snow develops on Wednesday and becomes heavier across the region Thursday into early Friday with shovelable/plowable amounts likely for some. We could actually see a little more snow as we head into the weekend, which could help pad the snow stats. Meanwhile, round of Pacific precipitation will impact the West Coast with heavier rain and mountain snow.
Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis
Temps over the next several days will warm into the 30, which will be close to average for early/mid March. We'll see a slight cool down late week and into the weekend, which will be a little cooler than average for this time of the year.
Extended Weather Outlook For Minneapolis
Weather conditions will turn more active again through the 2nd half of the week with areas of shovelable/plowable snow through AM Friday. We'll see a little more light snow late weekend with high temps hovering around the mid 30s.
8 to 14 Day Temperature Outlook
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows cooler than average temperatures across much of the nation, with the exception of parts of the Southern US.
8 to 14 Day Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 Day precipitation outlook shows more active weather in place across much of the nation and especially in the Western US and in California.
California Continues To Export Big Storms
By Paul Douglas
There is no El Nino warm phase of the Pacific (yet) but a persistent firehose of moisture, an "atmospheric river", has swamped California under record snows - buckling rooftops and stranding people in their homes and cabins in the Sierra Nevada. The Donner Pass has picked up more than 48 FEET of snow so far this winter.
Storms weaken as they cross the Rockies, then, like an atmospheric zombie, regenerate and strengthen as they push east, growing fat on Gulf moisture. A steady stream of California storms resulted in Minnesota snowfall 2-3 feet above average, to date, and relatively few arctic outbreaks - if that's any consolation.
This next system looks less impressive than it did earlier in the week. Light snow arrives later today with heavier snowfall late Thursday into Friday morning. 3-6" may fall, with the best chance of 6" over the I-90 corridor. A clipper drops more snow Saturday PM into Sunday morning, when another 2-4" may pile up. Anything over 85" at MSP means a Top 5 winter snowfall.
Extended Forecast
WEDNESDAY: Light snow develops. Winds: SE 10-15. High: 35.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Snow likely overnight. Winds: E 10-15. Low: 30.
THURSDAY: Snow becomes heavier, 3-6". Winds: E 10-20. High: 34.
FRIDAY: Snow tapers to flurries. Winds: NE 8-13. Wake-up: 27. High: 33.
SATURDAY: More snow arrives PM hours. Winds: SE 15-25. Wake-up: 28. High: 32.
SUNDAY: Snow tapers to flurries. Few inches. Winds: W 10-20. Wake-up: 30. High: 37.
MONDAY: Clouds, few flurries. Winds: NW 10-20. Wake-up: 25. High: 31.
TUESDAY: Sunny and cool. Winds: SE 3-8. Wake-up: 17. High: 34.
This Day in Weather History
March 8th
2004: A vigorous Alberta Clipper brings an intense snow burst across the Twin Cities from 9:30 am to noon. 2.5 inches fell, with most of it accumulating in an hour at the State Climatology Office on the University of Minnesota St. Paul Campus. Numerous crashes were reported across the metro area with I-94 closed at Highway 280 and also at White Bear Avenue. In a rare scene, television programming was interrupted to report on the snow situation. By early afternoon most of the snow had moved into Wisconsin and road conditions rapidly improved.
1892: A blizzard hits Minnesota, with 70 mph winds recorded at Easton. Duluth was hit especially hard with 60 mph winds causing large drifts. Residents were able to walk out of their second story windows.
Average High/Low for Minneapolis
March 8th
Average High: 37F (Record: 70F set in 2016)
Average Low: 22F (Record: -8F set in 1877)
Record Rainfall: 0.94" set in 1999
Record Snowfall: 12.5" set in 1999
Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
March 8th
Sunrise: 6:37am
Sunset: 6:09pm
Hours of Daylight: ~11 hours & 31 minutes
Daylight GAINED since yesterday: +3 Minutes & 8 Seconds
Daylight GAINED since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 2 hour & 45 minutes
Moon Phase for March 8th at Midnight
1.8 Days After The Full "Worm" Moon - "12:29 p.m. CST In this month the ground softens and the earthworm casts reappear, inviting the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signals the end of winter, or the Full Crust Moon because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation."
National High Temps on Wednesday
Temperatures on Wednesday will be warmer than average across the Southern US with temps running nearly +10F to +20F above average with near record warmth for some near the Gulf Coast. Meanwhile, folks in the Western US will be cooler than average by nearly -10F to -20F with a few spots dealing with record cold high temps.
Record Warmth on Wednesday
A few spots along the gulf Coast and in the Southeastern US will be warm enough for record warmth. Temps in the Southeastern US have had a number of days with record warmth over the past couple/few weeks.
Record Cold High Temps Wednesday
Meanwhile, in the Western US, there will be a few communities that see record cold high temperatures with temperatures running well below average.
National Weather Outlook Wednesday
The weather outlook for Wednesday shows areas of rain and snow across parts of the Western US. There will also be a little snow across parts of the Midwest with spotty showers and storms across the Southern US, some of which could be strong to severe.
National Weather Outlook
Weather conditions will turn a little more active across the Central US as a storm system develops. Areas of heavier snow will move into the Midwest with scattered showers and storms in the Central & Southern US, some of which could be strong to severe. Meanwhile, rounds of heavy Pacific precipitation will move through Western US.
Extended Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, the extended precipitation outlook shows heavier amounts across parts of the Central & Southern US with localized flooding possible. The heaviest precipitation will be found across the Western US and especially in the high elevations, especially in California.
Snowfall Potential
According to the ECMWF (European model), heavy snow will be found across much of the high elevations in the Western US and across the northern tier of the nation. Some spots in the Midwest could get some plowable snow once again.
Climate Stories
"29 Surreal Pictures Of What 15 Feet Of Snow Looks Like In California"
"'Atmospheric River' Threatens California With Flash Floods, More Snow"
California is expected to receive more snow later this week, likely bringing more flooding to the state that has grappled with above-average rainfall throughout this winter. AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alan Reppert told Newsweek on Monday afternoon that the "atmospheric river" will likely strike California's northern and central regions on Friday. The storm could bring up to 8 inches of rain to the Sierra Nevada mountain range, bringing the risk of floods to much of the northern part of the state, according to AccuWeather. California, known for its dry conditions, has experienced continuous storms recently, bringing a high amount of precipitation that has caused substantial flooding and damage to the state's infrastructure, while also alleviating a years-long drought.
Teen hikers stranded in California snowstorm for days huddled together to survive, authorities say
"Two 17-year-old boys are lucky to be alive after getting stranded in a snowstorm during a multi-day hike on a mountain trail in Southern California last week, authorities said. Riley Ramirez, of Cyprus, California, and Cole White, of Portland, Oregon, were on a 10-day trek on the Pacific Crest Trail near the San Gorgonio Mountains when the severe weather dumped feet of snow in the mountains and left them unable to contact help, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office said Friday. After losing contact with the teens, Ramirez's father, Cesar Ramirez, told The Associated Press that he called the sheriff's office for help."
