Saturday Snowfall
Light snow and drizzle fell much of the day Saturday with minimal amounts across the region. The heaviest (1.5") fell in Chisago City, while the metro saw generally less than 1". As temperatures fell late afternoon, roads got slippery, which goes to show that you don't need a lot of snow for the roads to get a little dicey.
Twin Cities Weather Outlook For Sunday
The weather outlook for the Twin Cities on Sunday, December 10th will be dry and quiet with temps warming around the freezing mark.
Meteograms For Minneapolis
Temperatures in the Twin Cities will start in the low/mid 20s in the morning and will warm into the low 30s by the afternoon under dry skies. northwesterly winds around 10mph to 15mph.
Weather Outlook For Sunday
The weather outlook for Sunday will warm into the 20s and 30s across the state, which will be a little above average for this time of the year.
Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis
The 5 day temperature outlook for Minneapolis will be quite a bit warmer than average, especially through into early next week with readings in the 30s and 40s.
Extended Weather Outlook For Minneapolis
The extended weather outlook for Minneapolis into early next week with readings in the 30s and 40s into next week. There's an outside chance that we hit 50F by Thursday. Not much weather to speak of either. It looks like we'll stay mainly dry with no big snow events in sight.
The Extended Outlook Calls For Warmer Temps
According to NOAA's National Blend of Models, the extended forecast looks very warm through the end of the week with high approaching 50F by Thursday. There appears to be a string of 40s late week and into the weekend. Note that we're currently sitting at the 9th warmest start to any December on record.
8 to 14 Day Temperature Outlook
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows warmer than average temperatures continuing across much of the nation and especially in the Midwest.
8 to 14 Day Precipitation Outlook
The 8 to 14 Day Precipitation Outlook shows more active weather across parts of the Southern US and drier weather across the northern tier of the nation.
More March-Like Weather on the Way This Week
By Todd Nelson, filling in for Douglas
For any Simpsons fans out there, you'll appreciate this. In one episode, a calendar on the wall of the Springfield Elementary School was misprinted to show a month called Smarch. Homer Simpson walked by wearing a trapper hat and a flannel and lamented "Lousy Smarch Weather".
Snizzle (bless you)! That would be the correct term for yesterday's all-day snow and drizzle mix. My youngest son, Cash, asked me yesterday with conviction, "Do you remember when it used to snow in December?" Heh.
Depending on what 30-year climate averages you look at, December is typically the 1st or 2nd snowiest month of the year for Minneapolis, averaging nearly 12 inches. We've managed a measly inch, so far this month and a little more than 4 inches for the season. We're currently in one of the top 10 least snowy starts to any snow season on record. Is this a symptom of El Nino? Yes, more than likely. Will we ever get snow? Yes, more than likely. I'm just waiting for the other boot to drop.
The sun returns today with 40s (and possibly 50F again) by midweek. Uffda!
Extended Forecast
SUNDAY: Sun returns. Winds: WNW 5-10. High 33.
SUNDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear and quiet. Winds: W 5. Low: 19.
MONDAY: Sunny and mild for mid December. Winds: WSW 5-10. High: 38.
TUESDAY: Breezy. A few more chilly clouds. Winds: WNW 15-25. Wake-up: 29 High 30.
WEDNESDAY: Still sunny. Feels like March again. Winds: SW 5-15. Wake-up: 18. High 39.
THURSDAY: What month is it again? Almost 50F. Winds: SW 10-15. Wake-up: 30. High 47.
FRIDAY: More clouds. A sprinkle or two? Winds: WNW 5-10. Wake-up: 33. High 42.
SATURDAY: Mix of sun and clouds. Still mild. Winds: SW 10-15. Wake-up: 27. High 40.
This Day in Weather History
December 10th
1992: By this time there is partial ice cover in the Duluth harbor.
1979: A 'heat wave' develops across Minnesota. Highs of 54 at Twin Cities and 57 at Winona are recorded.
1978: Alexandria ends its fourteen day stretch of low temperatures at or below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
1889: A late season thunderstorm is observed at Maple Plain.
Average High/Low for Minneapolis
December 10th
Average High: 31F (Record: 54F set in 1979)
Average Low: 17F (Record: -18F set in 1977)
Record Rainfall: 0.68" set in 2021
Record Snowfall: 11.0" set in 2021
Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
December 10th
Sunrise: 7:39am
Sunset: 4:31pm
Hours of Daylight: ~8 hours & 52 minutes
Daylight LOST since yesterday: 1 Minutes & 13 Seconds
Daylight LOST since Summer Solstice (June 21st): ~ 6 Hour & 51 Minutes
Moon Phase for December 6th at Midnight
2.0 Day After Last Quarter Moon
National High Temps on Sunday
The weather outlook on Sunday will be warmer than average across the Central US with temps running nearly +10F to +20F above average. Areas of heavy precipitation will be found across the Pacific Northwest.
National Weather Outlook For Sunday
The National Weather Outlook on Sunday shows areas of heavy rain and snow continuing across the Pacific Northwest. There will also be some active weather along the East Coast, but much of the rest of the nation will be quiet.
National Weather Outlook
The National Weather outlook through Tuesday will be quite unsettled across the Pacific Northwest with heavy rain and a little mountain snow. There will also be active weather in the Eastern US with lingering rain and snow in the Northeast through the early week time frame.
Extended Precipitation Outlook
The extended precipitation outlook shows heavier precipitation across the Eastern US. The heaviest precipitation will be found in the Northwestern US with several inches of rain and flooding in the coastal communities with high-elevation snow possible.
Extended Snowfall Outlook
According to the ECMWF weather model, heavy snows are in the forecast across the high elevations in the Western US. There will also be some heavier snow across the Northern New England States.
Climate Stories
"These are the worst states in the winter, according to Thrillist"
"Winter is coming. And depending on where you live, you may be bracing for months of bad weather. Thrillist recently ranked all 50 states by how miserable the winters are, factoring in weather, winter activities and just "general malaise experienced by residents" to determine which states are the worst between December and March. Naturally, Hawaii fares well on the list, earning the 50th spot as the "least worst" spot to spend winter in. Florida, Arizona and California are all next, followed by Colorado, New Mexico, Louisiana (New Orleans' Mardi Gras celebrations in early March really help out the state's ranking), Nevada, Georgia and Alabama. In the middle of the list, Vermont sits proudly at 25. Yes, winter is brutal, but it can also be idyllic. Vermont can also be a pretty place to visit and is in proximity to many more higher-ranking states. Perhaps surprisingly, Alaska ranks thirteenth on the list, despite the lack of daylight in most of the state. Alaskans are used to the dark and cold, and activities like watching the Aurora Borealis at night or mushing through the snow help pass the time."
"Inside the Marshall Islands' life-or-death plan to survive climate change"
"The Pacific island nation is seeking $35 billion to protect against sea-level rise and prevent a mass exodus. The Marshall Islands extend across a wide stretch of the Pacific Ocean, with dozens of coral atolls sitting just a few feet above sea level. The smallest of the islands are just a few hundred feet wide, barely large enough for a road or a row of houses. The country's total landmass makes up an area smaller than the city of Baltimore, but it occupies an ocean territory almost the size of Mexico. Over the past two years, government officials have fanned out across the country, visiting remote towns and villages as well as urban centers like its capital of Majuro to examine how Marshallese communities are experiencing and coping with climate change. They found that a combination of rapid sea-level rise and drought has already made life untenable for many of the country's 42,000 residents, especially on outlying atolls where communities rely on rainwater and vanishing land for subsistence."
"1 big thing: AI's energy problem"
"Hi, it's Ryan. I confess to already breaking out my holiday season sweaters. Today's AI+ is 1,232 words, a 4.5-minute read. Situational awareness: Spotify is cutting 17% of its staff, or roughly 1,500 people globally, in its latest round of layoffs this year. Running AI is much more energy-intensive than other forms of computing, but as leaders gather for the COP28 global climate summit in Dubai, we know relatively little about AI's net impact on climate change. Why it matters: Increasing adoption of AI may make it one of the biggest uses of energy globally — putting pressure on AI providers to measure and publish data on energy use and energy sources. A growing body of evidence suggests using AI to improve physical systems — from farming processes to supply chains and buildings — will allow us to avoid around 10% of today's emissions. Driving the news: AI has been a top theme for COP28."
