Spring Has Sprung In A Hurry!
It took a while, but we finally got some much needed spring warmth. Unfortunately, it's coming in a hurry with our first 50F, 60F, 70F and 80F (possibly), all happening within a week or so. Our first 50F came nearly 1 month later than normal, while our first 60F came nearly 2 weeks later than normal. Our first 70F occurred on Monday, which is only a few days, but our first 80F could happen this week and it would be nearly 2 to 3 weeks ahead of schedule... How about that?!
Precipitation Potential
According to NOAA's WPC, the extended precipitation outlook for Minnesota looks fairly impressive through next Monday. A bigger storm system looks to drift into town late week and into the weekend ahead with some 1" liquid tallies, especially across the northern half of the state. Some locations across central and southern Minnesota may even get close to an inch of liquid as well. Stay tuned...
Snow Depth
As of Sunday, April 9th, the MSP Airport only had a trace of snow on the ground. However, much of central and northern Minnesota still has a pretty significant snowpack. Nearly 2ft to 3ft of snow is on the ground near Lake Superior and more than 3ft on the ground near across parts of the U.P. of Michigan.
Snow Pack Water Equivalent
According to the National Weather Service, there is still a lot of water locked in the snow pack. SWE stands for Snow Water Equivalent and as you can see in the figure below, several inches of water is locked in the snow pack across much of the state. With much warmer temps in the forecast over the next several days, a lot of water will be entering the river systems with flooding a growing potential over the coming days and weeks.
Flood Outlook
According to the National Weather Service, a number of river gauges around the region will be entering flood stage here over the next few days. Some spots will be at Moderate and even Major flood stage, which could cause issues in a few flood prone communities.
Elevated UV Index
The sun is quite a bit stronger now than it was a few weeks ago and with warmer temps in the forecast, people will likely be wandering outdoors a little more freely this week. With that being said, it'll be important to be sun aware as the UV Index will be at elevated levels this week. Make sure you're taking the proper precautions with your sensitive skin.
Extended Temperature Outlook
The NBM extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis shows a string of 60s and 70s through the week ahead, which will be some of the warmest weather we've seen since October and early November of last fall. Note that on Wednesday, we could see our first 80F reading, which would be the first since October 11th, 2022. Unfortunately, the quick warm up could lead to an increasing flood threat for maybe communities that live by rivers and streams over the coming days and weeks. Temps will take a hit by the weekend and into early next week with readings back in the 40s and 50s, which will be below average for this time of the year.
Twin Cities Weather Outlook For Tuesday
The weather outlook for the Twin Cities on Tuesday, April 10th will be very warm for this time of the year. In fact, we could get close to our first 80F reading of the year and the first 80F since October 11th of last fall. Southwesterly winds will be breezy with some 20mph to 25mph gusts possible with mostly sunny skies.
Weather Outlook on Tuesday
Temps across the region on Tuesday will warm into the 60s and 70s across much of the state, which will be nearly +15F to +25F above average for early/mid April Some locations across the southern part of the state, including near the Twin Cities could warm into the lower 80s.
Meteograms For Minneapolis
The hourly temps through the day Tuesday will start in the mid 40s in the morning and will warm quickly into the mid/upper 70s by the afternoon. Skies will generally be sunny with a few clouds from time to time. Southwesterly winds will be gusty with winds frequently up to 20mph to 25mph through the day.
Status of Spring
"April 10, 2023 - Spring leaf out continues to spread north. After arriving several days to weeks earlier than average (the period of 1991-2020) in much of the Southeast, lower Midwest, and mid-Atlantic, spring has slowed in the eastern U.S. Spring is 11 days late in Denver, CO, 2 days late in Chicago, IL, and 2 days early in Albany, NY. The West is mostly late. Yakima, WA is 12 days late, Boise, ID is 20 days late. Spring bloom has also arrived in southern states, days to weeks early in the Southeast, and days to over a week late in the Southwest. St. Louis, MO is 4 days early, Redding, CA is 17 days late. How typical is this year's spring? Darker colors represent springs that are unusually early or late in the long-term record. Gray indicates an average spring. Parts of the Southeast, lower Midwest, mid-Atlantic, and New York City area are seeing either the earliest spring leaf on record or a spring that only occurs once every 40 years (dark green). Parts of Arizona are seeing a spring that only occurs this late once every 40 years (purple). Spring bloom is latest on record across parts of the Southwest including California and Arizona, and earliest on record in parts of the upper Southeast including Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina."
See more from the National Phenology Network HERE:
Weather Outlook
It'll be a very warm week ahead in the Central US with temps warming to well above average levels. Much of the week will be dry, but a bigger storm system will move in late week and into the weekend with gusty winds and a rain/snow mix across the Midwest. The heaviest snow looks to stay well north of the Twin Cities. Winds will also be gusty with falling temps through the weekend.
Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis
Temps will warm into the 70s and possibly in the 80s through midweek, which will be nearly +20F to +30F above average. The record high for Minneapolis on Wednesday, April 11th is 83F set in 1968. Late week and into the weekend ahead will see a cooling trend with temperatures dropping to below average readings once again.
Extended Weather Outlook For Minneapolis
The next few days will remain dry and very mild with near record warmth, especially on Wednesday. A bigger storm system will drift into the region late week and into the weekend ahead with a chance of rain and snow. Note that temps will drop quite a bit and will actually be below average once again.
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 and especially across the northern tier of the nation and the Western US.
8 to 14 Day Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 Day precipitation outlook shows drier/quieter weather settling in across the Great Lakes. There will be more active weather in place across the Northwestern US.
One Of The Nicest Weather Weeks of '23
By Paul Douglas
Prepare yourself for a meteorologically magical week of weather across Minnesota and Wisconsin. As in "perfect blue sky", lukewarm temperatures and no humidity. Before the Big Bug Olympics kick off. Before debilitating allergies set in. Before conga lines of drenching thunderstorms threaten weekend plans. Weather perfection. San Diego-nice. We've earned it.
Snow is melting fast, allowing more of the sun's energy to go into heating up the air. There's a good chance of 80 degrees later today and Wednesday. By midweek you'll be able to work up a minor sweat outside, with huge piles of dirty snow reminding us of 89.7" of snow - the third most since 1884.
No rain is expected until late Friday and Saturday, tapping the brakes on melting snow and run-off, but the snow north/east of MSP contains near-record amounts of water. Spring flooding is inevitable.
The odds of slush have dropped Saturday night, but I'm keeping my driveway stakes in and snow tires on.
Today? Soak up an extra serving of weather bliss!
Extended Forecast
TUESDAY: Warm sunshine. Winds: SW 10-20. High: 80.
TUESDAY NIGHT: Clear and breezy. Winds: SSW 15-30. Low: 60.
WEDNESDAY: Hello June. Sunny, unusually warm. Winds: SW 15-25. High 82.
THURSDAY: Partly sunny, still balmy. Winds: S 10-20. Wake-up: 55. High 77.
FRIDAY: Showers and T-storms PM hours. Winds: S 15-30. Wake-up: 57. High 75.
SATURDAY: Showery rains, turning cooler. Winds: NW 10-20. Wake-up: 48. High: 53.
SUNDAY: Chilly with a few flurries. Winds: NW 10-20. Wake-up: 34. High: 43.
MONDAY: Glimmers of sun, a little better. Winds: NW 10-15. Wake-up: 30. High: 51.
This Day in Weather History
April 11th
1929: An intense downpour occurs in Lynd, Minnesota (near Marshall), where 5.27 inches of rain would fall in 24 hours.
Average High/Low for Minneapolis
April 11th
Average High: 55F (Record: 83F set in 1890 and 1968)
Average Low: 36F (Record: 12F set in 1940)
Record Rainfall: 1.58" set in 1887
Record Snowfall: 5.7" set in 1929
Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
April 11th
Sunrise: 6:35am
Sunset: 7:52pm
Hours of Daylight: ~13 hours & 17 minutes
Daylight GAINED since yesterday: +3 Minutes & 3 Seconds
Daylight GAINED since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 4 hour & 31 minutes
Moon Phase for April 11th at Midnight
National High Temps on Tuesday
Temperatures on Tuesday will be very warm across the the Midwest with temps running well above average. Some locations could even see record warmth across the Plains and the Front Range of the Rockies.
National Weather Outlook Tuesday
The weather outlook on Tuesday will be quiet and very mild across much of the Central US. Areas of rain and snow will be found in the Pacific Northwest.
National Weather Outlook
Weather conditions will be fairly quiet in the Central US through midweek. However, an area of rain and snow will develop in the Pacific Northwest and will drift east over the next few days.
Extended Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, the extended precipitation outlook shows heavier amounts of precipitation across the Southern US with several inches of rain possible. There will also be some heavier precipitation amounts across the Midwest and Pacific Northwest.
Snowfall Potential
According to the ECMWF (European model), heavy snow will be found across much of the high elevations in the Western US. There could also be heavier snow north of the Great Lakes Region.
Climate Stories
"Glaciers May Melt Even Faster Than Expected, Study Finds"
Evidence that ancient glaciers retreated more than a quarter-mile a day is a worrisome sign that glaciers today could melt—and contribute to sea-level rise—faster than was thought. Melting glaciers may be capable of shrinking much faster than scientists previously thought, according to a new study that adds to concerns about rapidly melting Antarctic ice, including the massive Thwaites Glacier, often called the "Doomsday Glacier" for its potential effect on sea-level rise. The study, published in Nature, found that thousands of years ago, glaciers in Europe retreated by up to 2,000 feet a day — more than a quarter-mile — for short periods. That's the fastest rate ever recorded and far faster than previous studies had suggested was possible. The findings could provide new insight into the fate of today's ice sheets and may suggest that glaciers in modern-day Greenland and Antarctica could melt faster than expected.
See more from Scientific American HERE:
"This tiny battery gets us one step closer to an EV with a 1,000-mile range"
"Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory and the Illinois Institute of Technology have created a solid-state battery that could be used to vastly expand the range of EVs, and it could unlock the ability to use batteries on short-haul aircraft and heavy trucks. But for now it's a lab-scale battery cell, about the size of a dime. I spoke with two of the leaders of the research this week. "I was doubtful in the beginning," said Larry Curtiss, a senior chemist at Argonne. He has been at the lab for more than 40 years and knows from experience that initial results might not be repeatable. But he and his colleagues from the two Chicago-area institutions found that their work could be replicated, with the results published in February in the journal Science."
See more from Fast Company HERE:
"Special pavement coating helps Los Angeles neighborhood stay cool"
"Last summer, the asphalt in a 10-block area in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacoima got a fresh coat of paint and a street mural painted by a local artist. "It has the California poppy on it, it has the nearby mountains on it, it has community members in it, it has the sun," says Gina Palino of the nonprofit Climate Resolve. She says it's not just any paint. It's a special coating designed to keep pavement cool by reflecting the sun's infrared rays. Traditional asphalt absorbs and stores heat from the sun, making urban areas hotter. And Pacoima has a lot of pavement and little green space. So Climate Resolve partnered with the city and other local nonprofits on a project to reduce urban heat in the area. Manufacturer GAF developed and donated the coating, and volunteers applied it to streets, parking lots, and basketball courts."
See more from Yale Climate Connections HERE:
