The Twin Cities has only seen 5.3" of snow so far this season with only a trace to a light coating of snow on the ground across much of the state. Last year at this time, the Twin Cities had already had already seen 33.3" of snow with 6" of snow on the ground. On the other hand, Duluth had already seen nearly 63" of snow with 27" of snow on the ground. What a difference!

Earth reached its closest distance to the sun yesterday, a phenomenon known as perihelion. During perihelion, Earth is approximately 3.1 million miles closer to the sun than it will be at aphelion on July 5. It's important to note that Earth's orbit around the sun is not perfectly circular, resulting in an occurrence of perihelion and aphelion once per year.

"Winter seasons have significant societal impacts across all sectors ranging from direct human health and mortality to commerce, transportation, and education. The question "How severe was this winter?" does not have a simple answer. At the very least, the severity of a winter is related to the intensity and persistence of cold weather, the amount of snow, and the amount and persistence of snow on the ground. The Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index (AWSSI) was developed to objectively quantify and describe the relative severity of the winter season."

It's probably no surprise, but most locations around the Midwest and Great Lakes have had a "Mild" winter so far. Again, we're still waiting for the other boot to drop, but being in an El Nino setup, a winter like last year is not really in the cards. The Midwest will likely see an overall warmer and less snowy winter.

See more from MRCC HERE:

Here's a look at the Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index (AWSSI) for Minneapolis, MN so far this winter season. With a lack of cold temps and snow, it may be no surprise that we are currently sitting under a "Mild" winter rating so far.

The Twin Cities has only seen ~5" of snow this season, which is nearly -14.0" below normal snowfall, which is the 24th least snowy starts to any season on record. With only ~8" of snow in Duluth, they are more than 2 feet below normal snowfall and good enough for the 8th least snowy starts to any season on record. Marquette, MI is nearly 54" below normal snowfall and currently sitting at the 4th least snowy start to any season on record.

Depending on what 30-year average you look at, December is typically the 1st or 2nd snowiest month out of the year in the Twin Cities. If you look at the last 30 years 1993-2022, December averages 12.7" of snow and is the snowiest month of the year, followed by January with nearly 11" of snow.

The weather outlook through the first week of January looks pretty quiet across much of the Midwest. However, things could get a little more interesting as we approach the weekend and next week. Some of the longer-range models are suggesting the potential of more active weather across the Midwest and Central US. Stay tuned...

The weather outlook for the Twin Cities on Wednesday, January 3rd will be quiet with lingering clouds. Temps will warm to around 30F with only a few peeks of sunshine.

Temperatures in the Twin Cities on Wednesday won't move very much with readings hovering in the upper 20s throughout the day. There could be a few peeks of sunshine in the afternoon, but much of the day will remain cloudy with northerly winds around 15mph to 20mph.

The weather outlook for Wednesday will warm into the 20s for much of the state with even colder conditions up north with highs only warming into the 10s. Despite being a little colder on Wednesday, temperatures will still be running about 5F above average for this time of the year.

The extended weather outlook for Minneapolis over the next 7 days will warm into the 20s and 30s through early next week, which will still be nearly 5F to 10F above average for early January. The week ahead keeps us still very quiet around the region, but as we approach the weekend and the following week, things could get a little more active. Areas of snow could develop as we approach the weekend with even more into early next week.

Temps in the Twin Cities through the first week and a half of January look to remain above average by nearly 5F to 10F. However, we are getting indications of cooldown as we approach mid-month. Note that we have had very little in the way of cold air this season, so it may feel quite a bit colder during the 2nd half of the month.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook, we're finally starting to see some changes. Note that colder than average temperatures may start to develop across the western half of the country, including the Midwest!

The 8 to 14 Day Precipitation Outlook shows more active weather across much of the nation, including the Midwest. With that being said, it looks like we may be seeing a better chance of snow.

A Minnesota winter is not a season. It's an occupation. Last year we picked up nearly 2 winters worth of snow. The first half of this winter has been typical for... Kansas. As we all know, past performance is not indicative of future results. In spite of an overwhelming El Nino signal locking in dry, mild, Pacific winds - there will be exceptions.

Each successive burp of chilly air will be preceded by a little snow. A coating to an inch Saturday, maybe a few inches next Monday? Enough to whiten lawns and fields. No big snowstorms, but potentially shovel-worthy. ECMWF ensemble models show highs topping 40F by early February after an abbreviated, edited version of a Minnesota winter.

If anyone asks we've picked up 6 minutes and 22 seconds of daylight since December 21. Notice any difference yet?

WEDNESDAY: Mostly cloudy, breezy. Winds: NW 10-15. High 31.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy and chillier. Winds: NW 10-15. High 15.

THURSDAY: Plenty of sunshine. Winds: SW 8-13. High 29.

SATURDAY: Coating to an inch of light snow. Winds: S 8-13. Wake-up: 28. High 33.

SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy and dry. Winds: NW 10-15. Wake-up: 26. High: 31.

MONDAY: Couple inches of snow possible. Winds: NE 10-15. Wake-up: 27. High: 30.

TUESDAY: Drying out. A colder breeze. Winds: WNW 10-20. Wake-up: 25. High 28.

January 3rd

January 3rd

Average High: 24F (Record: 45F set in 1897 & 1998)

Average Low: 11F (Record: -36F set in 1885)

Record Rainfall: 0.46" set in 1999

Record Snowfall: 6.1" set in 1999

Sunrise: 7:50am

Sunset: 4:43pm

Hours of Daylight: ~8 hours & 53 minutes

Daylight GAINED since yesterday: 57 Seconds

Daylight GAINED since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 7 minutes

See more from Space.com HERE:

The weather outlook on Wednesday looks fairly mild across much of the nation for the third day of the new year except for the Southern US, where temps will be a little cooler. Weather conditions will turn more active across the Western US with areas of rain (and thunder) along the West Coast with some snow in the high elevations.

The National Weather Outlook on Wednesday will be a little more active across parts of the nation than it was over the New Year's holiday. A cool front will spark some rain/snow showers around the Great Lakes Region. Areas of rain and thunder will develop in the Southern US and a much larger rain/snow event will develop in the Western US.

The National Weather outlook through Thursday shows snowfall potential around the Great Lakes region through midweek. Areas of rain and thunder will be possible in the Southern US, but a much larger storm will develop in the Western US with heavier coastal rains and high elevation snow.

The extended precipitation outlook shows heavier precipitation developing across the Southern and Eastern US through early next week. Note that some of this on the northern side of the heaviest band of precipitation could be in the form of snow. We'll also see some heavier precipitation develop across the West Coast with several inches possible along the coast and in the higher elevations.

"From newborns saved by clean local power to the welcome return of an iconic lizard, our global reporters take stock of their most powerful moments in climate change of 2023. The change is happening so rapidly that even the time between major climate reports can be measured in tenths of a degree of warming. Between one landmark report by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2018 and another in 2023, humans warmed the world by about 0.1C. Taking stock of climate change can be difficult in a year of such rapid transformation as 2023. How much have we heated the world? Taking the surface temperature of an entire planet is no easy task. In any given year, variable natural events cause fluctuations in the temperature – such as El Niño and volcanic eruptions. Scientists use modeling to tune out this natural noise to measure the warming that is caused by human activity. In 2022, human-induced warming surpassed 1.25C for the first time. The year 2023 was even hotter. If you take an average over a decade – a measure used in the IPCC's sixth assessment report – the figure for human-induced warming between 2013 and 2022 was 1.14C."

See more from BBC HERE

"Climate anxiety is very real, but these good news stories from throughout 2023 prove there is hope for our planet. Eco-anxiety, climate doom, environmental existential dread - as green journalists, we see these terms used a lot - and often feel them ourselves. While there's a lot to be worried about when it comes to the climate and nature crises, we must not lose hope - because hopelessness breeds apathy. The media has an important role to play in combatting climate doom. It's our job to be truthful and accurate in our reporting, not trying to downplay or greenwash the situation. But it's also our job to show that there is hope. In 2022, as part of our ongoing effort to tackle eco-anxiety (both that of our readers and our own), we kept track of all the positive environmental news throughout the year - racking up over 100 stories of eco-innovation, green breakthroughs and climate wins. In 2023, we're confident the good news will keep on coming, as renewable power soars, vulnerable ecosystems gain rights, and climate protocols start to pay dividends."

See more from EuroNews HERE

"It's been a busy year for nature and climate news in 2023. Here are some of our most-read stories from the past 12 months on Agenda. Nature and climate: from polycrisis to extreme temperatures, COP28 deals to ocean treaties. With 2023 poised to become the hottest year ever documented, it's been a record-breaking 12 months for all the wrong reasons. Throughout the year, we have reported on the outcome of the COP28 climate talks in Dubai, scientific climate studies, historic treaties, and droughts, floods, storms, wildfires and other weather extremes. We've also been keen to highlight positive events like reforestation efforts, nature wins, and innovations that conserve and protect biodiversity and the natural world. Here we look back at some of the most-read nature and climate stories of this year."