Misleading Sun Saturday With Highs Only In The Teens

Saturday will be a day of misleading sunshine in the Twin Cities. Morning temperatures will start off in the mid-single digits (feeling more like the single digits below zero), climbing only to the mid-teens for highs. We'll still see strong winds - out of the west-northwest to begin the day but becoming southwest - sustained at 5-15 mph. These winds won't be as strong as they were Friday and Friday Night, though.

The big concern across the state Saturday will be the cold air in place. While we could see a few 20s in southwestern Minnesota, it'll be in the single digits (above zero, thankfully) and teens across the rest of the state. We'll see a mix of sun/clouds to mainly cloudy skies across northern Minnesota, with sunnier skies from central Minnesota southward.

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Another sunny day is ahead for Sunday with highs a touch warmer - climbing into the mid-20s. As we roll into Monday we will be watching a system that'll bring parts of central and southern Minnesota a quick puff of snow - starting in the metro right before the morning rush and pushing out by the midday hours. Up to an inch or so could be possible as that quickly moves through the region.

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Daylight Set To Increase In 23 Days
By Paul Douglas

Like so many Minnesotans I miss the daylight even more than I miss the warmth. December is the darkest month with only 8 hours and 46 minutes of daylight on the Winter Solstice, which arrives December 21. But in 23 days the amount of daylight will increase (by a whopping minute). Progress!

Today qualifies as "Nanook" with highs in the teens and a windchill dipping to -10F, in spite of a cloudless sky. January is in a hurry, it seems.

Temperatures moderate a bit Sunday (we are now at that magical time of year when "freezing" and "warm front" can be used in the same sentence). Oof. A coating to an inch of snow is possible Monday, and weather models hint at a more significant snow and ice event a week from today. Something to look forward to. We're in a drought - we NEED the snow right?

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Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast

SATURDAY: Arctic sunshine. WC: -10F. Wake up 6. High 14. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind W 10-15 mph.

MONDAY: Nuisance snow. Icy coating? Wake up 24. High 32. Chance of precipitation 80%. Wind W NW 10-20 mph.

TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy, a bit chilly. Wake up 8. High 17. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind W SE 5-10 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Light snow, best chance north of MSP. Wake up 16. High 28. Chance of precipitation 30%. Wind W S 8-13 mph.

THURSDAY: Blue sky. Wake up 10. High 23. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind W 5-10 mph.

FRIDAY: Partly sunny, probably no drama. Wake up 8. High 26. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind E 8-13 mph.

Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
December 3rd

*Length Of Day: 8 hours, 59 minutes, and 4 seconds
*Daylight LOST Since Yesterday: 1 minute and 24 seconds

*Shortest Daylight Of The Year: December 21st (8 hours, 46 minutes, 10 seconds)
*Latest Sunrise: December 30th-January 5th (7:51 AM)
*Earliest Sunset: December 5th-December 13th (4:31 PM)

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This Day in Weather History
December 3rd

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Another day of active weather is expected Saturday across the lower 48. A cold front extending from the Great Lakes to the Deep South will produce showers, thunderstorms, and snow. We're also watching systems out west with rain and snow. While the Northern Plains/Upper Midwest will be fairly quiet, it will be chilly with highs in the single digits for some.

The heaviest rain and snow through the weekend will be out in the western United States, with several feet of snow possible for the Sierra and areas of California seeing 3"+ of rain.

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Hurricane Season Ends, Marked by Quiet August and Deadly September

Will Minnesota Democrats pass 'most significant climate legislation in history' next year?

More from MinnPost: "In Gov. Tim Walz's first term, DFLers in Minnesota produced lots of official reports on climate change and had plenty of grand plans meant to address the issue. But nearly all of those proposals stalled in the Republican-held Senate, or failed to even pass the DFL-led House. With the Legislature now fully in Democratic hands after the November election, leaders are promising an ambitious climate agenda aimed at shrinking carbon emissions. "Because of the rising awareness of climate change I think there's more momentum than ever," said Sen. Nick Frentz, a DFLer from North Mankato who will chair the Senate's Energy, Utilities and Environment Committee. "I think this year's Minnesota Legislature is going to pass the most significant climate legislation in history.""

On Dec 6, a Minute of Global Darkness

More from Time And Date: "Just like at any other moment, the Sun will illuminate one half of the globe on December 6 at 19:56 UTC. The other half will be dark, and people living there will experience nighttime. The reason why so many people will be in darkness is that the world's most populated areas will be on the night side of Earth at that moment. That includes nearly all of Asia, which is home to about 60 percent of all humans. Meanwhile, the Americas, New Zealand, and most of Australia will be bathed in sunlight. However, while being huge landmasses, relatively few people live there. North and South America combined only make up about 13 percent of our worldwide population."

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Thanks for checking in and have a great day!

- D.J. Kayser