Milder Air Continues
Here's the 850mb temp anomaly from midday Wednesday to midday Friday, which shows cooler blues sliding across much of the nation on Wednesday and Thursday. Note that readings will be a little cooler than average for some, but it won't be nearly as cold as it was last week. By Friday, milder temps will slide into the Upper Midwest once again.
Extended Temperature Outlook
Here's the extended weather outlook for Minneapolis over the next 5 to 7 days. Highs on Wednesday will be a little cooler than they were earlier this week, but we'll still be running slightly above average for the end of February. Thursday will be a little cooler yet, but Friday's highs could once again warm into the upper 30s, which will be more typical of mid March. The end of the weekend and into early next week could see a bigger cool down with highs only warming into the upper 20s, which will be nearly -5F cooler than average as we slide through the first few days of March.
Wednesday Weather Outlook
Here's the weather outlook for Minneapolis on Wednesday, which shows another mild day on tap with a breezy NW wind gusting close to 15mph through the day. Even though temps will be in the mid 30s, feels like temps will drop into the mid 20s.
Wednesday Meteograms for Minneapolis
The meteograms for Minneapolis on Wednesday. We'll see sunnier skies today behind the clipper that brought light rain/snow to the area Tuesday and early Wednesday morning. Note that winds will be a little breezy behind the clipper, which will make it feel a little cooler and in the 20s through much of the day.
Wednesday Weather Outlook
Here's the weather outlook across the region for Wednesday. Highs will be a little cooler than they were earlier this week, but we'll still be running slightly above average for the end of February. Most of the rain and snow that fell across parts of the region on Tuesday and early Wednesday morning will slide into the Great Lakes Region through the day Wednesday.
Extended Temperature Outlook
Here's the ECMWF & GFS extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis through the last few days of February and into early March. Note how much warmer it'll be over the next couple of weeks compared to how cold it was during the first half of February. Other than a slight dip in the temps late weekend/early next week, we're seeing more 30s and even a few 40s on the extended temperature map!
8-14 Day Temperature Outlook
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook suggests warmer than average temperatures across the Eastern half of the nation. Cooler than average temps will lingering across the western US and into Alaska.
The Land of Delayed Weather Gratification
By Paul Douglas
"No soup for you!" We've been living through a(bad) Seinfeld episode for nearly a year. Some have had it far worse than others. But we've all gotten an extra serving of delayed gratification. "When can I hug my grandparents?" "When can we safely plan a trip?" "Grandpa, what's a vacation?"
Which got me thinking about Minnesota's robust winters and our recent brush with Siberia. If every day was 70 and sunny would we start to normalize it - expect it? Do residents of San Diego or Honolulu get bored with their (perfect) weather? I doubt we'll be bored anytime soon. Even so, 40s brought out a flurry of t-shirt sightings in Minnesota. Awesome.
There is little doubt March will start out milder than average. Models predict a few 40s into next week; NOAA's GFS hints at 50sby the second week of March. Until we melt more snow that may be overly optimistic.
No subzero blasts or menacing storms are imminent , just a slow-motion thaw in the days to come. Is spring right around the corner? It's a big corner
Extended Forecast
WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny and pleasant. Winds: NW 10-15. High: 35.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy and mild. Winds: W 10. Low: 23.
THURSDAY: Mix of clouds and sunshine. Winds: W 7-12. High: 34.
FRIDAY: Clouds increase. Mild and breezy Winds: SW 15-30. Wake-up: 22. High: 37.
SATURDAY: Some sun. Above average. Winds: SW 5-10. Wake-up: 25. High: 39.
SUNDAY: Blue sky and a bit cooler. Winds: NW 8-13. Wake-up: 18. High: 29.
MONDAY: Clouds increase. Still quiet. Winds: W 7-12. Wake-up: 24. High: 36.
TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy. Milder than average. Winds: NW 10-20. Wake-up: Wake-up: 31. High: 32.
This Day in Weather History
February 24th
1835: The temperature at Ft. Snelling falls 26 degrees in only three hours.
Average High/Low for Minneapolis
February 24th
Average High: 32F (Record: 59F set in 1980)
Average Low: 16F (Record: -20F set in 1967)
Record Rainfall: 1.90" set in 1930
Record Snowfall: 4.8" set in 2007
Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
February 24th
Sunrise: 6:59am
Sunset: 5:54pm
Hours of Daylight: ~10 hours & 55 minutes
Daylight GAINED since yesterday: ~ 3 minutes & 3 seconds
Daylight GAINED since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 2 hours & 9 minutes
Moon Phase for February 24th at Midnight
2.1 Days Until Full "Snow" Moon
February 27th - 2:17AM CST - Usually the heaviest snows fall in this month. Hunting became very difficult, and hence to some tribes this was the Full Hunger Moon.
What's in the Night Sky?
"On February 24, 2021, the bright waxing gibbous moon shines in front of Cancer the Crab, the faintest constellation of the zodiac. Although the moon marks Cancer's place in the sky on this night, the moonlit glare will make Cancer tough to see. We're showing it to you now so that you can notice the stars to either side of the moon on March 24, and find these stars again when the moon has moved away. Then – if you have a dark sky – you can find Cancer and its hidden gem, the Beehive star cluster. You shouldn't have much trouble spotting some bright stars on either side of Cancer, along the zodiac. The Gemini stars, Castor and Pollux, lie to the west of tonight's moon whereas the star Regulus, the brightest in the constellation Leo the Lion, shines to the east of tonight's moon. As the Earth spins beneath the heavens throughout the night, going from west to east, the moon, Cancer, the Gemini stars and Regulus will all appear to move westward across the sky. The moon will set in the west in the wee hours before sunrise March 25."
National High Temps Wednesday
What a difference a week makes! Temps across much of the Central US are MUCH warmer than it was last week when we were dealing with historic wintry weather and extreme cold. Keep in mind that many locations across the southern US were dealing with subfreezing daytime highs, so this will be a big change from last week.
National Forecast Map For Wednesday
The weather map on Wednesday shows a cool front sliding into the Northeast with areas of light rain and snow. This front will extend all the way into the Lower Mississippi Valley with areas of light rain along the Gulf Coast. There will also be a little light snow across the Rockies.
National Weather Outlook
Here's the weather outlook through Friday. There was a clipper that moved through the Upper Midwest on Tuesday and early Wednesday, but will quickly move into the Northeast by Thursday with areas of light rain/snow trailing behind it. Other than a few lingering snow showers across the Rockies, there isn't a lot of major weather disruptions happening at the moment.
7 Day Precipitation Outlook
The precipitation potential over the next 7 days shows heavier precipitation potential across parts of the Lower Mississippi Valley and into the Tennessee Valley. We'll also see more heavy precipitation across the high elevations and along the coast in the Northwest.
7 Day Snowfall Potential
The extended GFS snowfall forecast doesn't show quite as much activity as it did last week when folks in the southern US were dealing with historic wintry weather and cold. Much of the snow over the next 5 to 7 days will be found along the northern tier of the nation and also in the Western Mountains.
Climate Stories
"Stunning Video Shows Huge Ice Sheet Breaking Off Lake Michigan Shoreline"
"Parts of Lake Michigan froze over earlier this month amid an extended cold spell in and around the Chicago area that brought nine consecutive days of snowfall, just short of a record that has stood for 78 years. One of the more breathtaking sights has been that of the frozen shores of Lake Michigan, which has been drawing visitors looking to take a rare opportunity to stand on the ice sheet that has been covering the water, and post pictures and footage of the phenomenon to social media. However, with temperatures now creeping just above freezing, the ice that has gripped the lake has started to break apart and melt away. Parts of Lake Michigan froze over earlier this month amid an extended cold spell in and around the Chicago area that brought nine consecutive days of snowfall, just short of a record that has stood for 78 years. One of the more breathtaking sights has been that of the frozen shores of Lake Michigan, which has been drawing visitors looking to take a rare opportunity to stand on the ice sheet that has been covering the water, and post pictures and footage of the phenomenon to social media. However, with temperatures now creeping just above freezing, the ice that has gripped the lake has started to break apart and melt away."
"Why snow doesn't melt when you set it on fire"
"After a snowstorm hit Atlanta and a good portion of the Eastern Seaboard in January of 2014, snarling traffic and stranding many, rumors circulated that it wasn't snow. Some said that it was fake snow, either deposited via chemtrails, or made up of psychoactive substances, or nanobots. (If I had nanobots, I wouldn't waste them by spreading them haphazardly over Atlanta. I'd pick Bavaria, so I could infiltrate the Illuminati.) Similar misinformation is cropping up on social media in the wake of Winter Storm Uri in the American South. A strange conspiracy, to say the least. Some viewers, especially those who have not encountered snow before, could possibly be forgiven for believing the idea had some merit. A rash of videos showed people torching snow, only to see it (apparently) not melt, leaving a black char mark on the exterior of the white stuff ... as if it were synthetic, and not just made of frozen water. Fed up with these misleading videos, astronomer and science writer Phil Plait took a lighter to snow in Boulder, Colorado, and got a similar result. But this is merely how real snow behaves. As Maggie Koerth-Baker wrote at BoingBoing, Plait takes advantage of the situation to explain the science behind what is going on in, in this video:"
See more from Popular Science HERE:
"3 Things People Get Wrong About The Polar Vortex And Climate Change"
"I was interviewed by several media outlets this week about the extreme cold that plunged into the United States. The events, particularly in Texas, were tragic and deserved the coverage. As a weather - climate expert often called upon by the media, I could not help but notice three things that continue to surface in these dialogues. I suspect they may reveal themselves within broader public discourse as well. The first one relates to the Polar Vortex itself. It is very common to get comments like "The Polar Vortex caused this cold outbreak?" or "The Polar Vortex came into the United States this week." The Polar Vortex is not a storm that comes to get us like the boogeyman or a tornado. An "oldie but goodie" blog post by Brian McNoldy, a weather expert at the University of Miami, is a solid reference on this point. McNoldy wrote, "The polar vortex (also sometimes called the circumpolar vortex) is a large, persistent, upper-atmospheric, cyclonic circulation that forms and exists over the winter pole." Many people might be surprised to learn that other planets have them too. McNoldy continues, "It is not a winter storm, or a storm of any kind. It's just a natural part of Earth's circulation 10 to 30 miles up in the atmosphere." If the Polar Vortex is disrupted or weakened, then Arctic air can spill into the lower 48 states in one of the U-shaped features (trough) below. NOAA scientist Michelle L'Heureux explained it brilliantly in the New York Times by using the analogy of the Polar Vortex as a chain-linked fence holding in a group of animals. If there is a breach in the fence, a few animals might escape, but if the entire fence collapses, they all come piling out."
