Record Warmth For Some on Christmas Eve
Here were the high temperatures from Christmas Eve on Friday. The numbers with the "R"s on them were the records for December 24th. The high in the Twin Cities was 43F and fell shy of the 46F record, which was set in 1957.
Weather Outlook From Midday Sunday to AM Tuesday
Here's the weather outlook from midday Sunday to AM Tuesday. Snow will spread through the region with the heaviest expected to fall across the northern half of the state, where some 4" to 8" tallies or more.
Snowfall Potential Through Monday
Here's the extended snowfall potential through Monday, which shows some 4" to 8" tallies (or more) from North Dakota to MN's North Shore. The Twin Cities appears to be in the 2" to 4" range with lighter amounts in the south metro.
Another Round of Snow Tuesday
Another storm system will move through the Upper Midwest on Tuesday with more shovelable/plowable snow expected through AM Wednesday.
Precipitation Departure From Average Since January 1st
Here's a look at the precipitation departure from average since January 1st and note that most locations are still several inches below average, including the Twin Cities. The MSP Airport is still -5.83" below average since January 1st, which is the 54th driest January 1st - December 24th on record.
Sunday Weather Outlook
Here's the weather outlook for Minneapolis on Sunday, which shows snow developing during the 2nd half of the day. The heaviest snow is expected overnight. High temperatures will warm into the upper 20s to near 30F, which will be slightly above average for the end of December.
Meteograms for Minneapolis
The hourly temps for Minneapolis on Sunday show temps starting in the mid 10s in the morning and warming to near 30F by the afternoon. Snow will develop in the afternoon with gusty east winds through the day.
Chilly Feels Like Temps on Sunday
Here are the hourly feels like temps for Minneapolis on Sunday, which show readings starting in the single digits in the morning, but will be warmer (near 20F) in the afternoon.
Weather Outlook For Wednesday
High temps across the region on Wednesday will warm into the 10s & 20s across much of the state, which will be near and slightly above average across much of the state. A few folks in southern Minnesota could warm into the lower 30s, which will be nearly +5F to +10F above average.
Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis
Temperatures will warm to above average levels on Sunday and Monday before a MUCH bigger cool down arrives for the 2nd half of the week. High temperatures will be nearly -15F to -20F below average on Wednesday and Thursday with readings struggling to get into the teens. Overnight lows will dip into sub-zero range for the first time this season this week.
Extended Weather Outlook For Minneapolis
Here's the extended weather forecast through the last week of the year shows snow chances on Sunday and Tuesday before colder temperatures arrive for the 2nd half of the week.
Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis
According to the ECMWF & GFS extended temperature outlook, we'll be much cooler for the week ahead with a first chance of sub-zero readings during the last week of the year.
8 to 14 Day Temperature Outlook
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows below average reading across the Western US and northern tier of the nation into early January. Meanwhile, much of the Southern US will running well above average once again.
8 to 14 Day Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, more active weather in place across the nation.
Outlook: A Good Week For Snow Lovers
By Paul Douglas
Winters may be shrinking with fewer battery-draining subzero days overall, but a parade of industrial-strength arctic fronts is all but inevitable from late December into February.
NOAA data shows 6 of the 10 warmest winters for MSP have taken place in the last 15 years. I doubt a carbon-copy rerun of February's Polar Vortex, but we're about to get a taste of what a Minnesota winter can deliver.
After a brown Christmas things are looking up for snow lovers. Storm #1 arrives tonight with 2-5" for the metro, with a band of 6-10" setting up over central Minnesota. Storm #2 comes Tuesday, with another 3-6" possible in the metro by Wednesday morning. Storm #3 is possible next weekend but ECMWF isn't impressed, at least not yet.
Each snowy swirl of low pressure drags progressively colder air south of the border, and I expect highs in single digits and teens by Tuesday, with subzero lows possible by late week.
Not sure about you, but in December I'll take frozen water over tornadoes. Any day of the week.
Extended Forecast
SUNDAY: 2-5" metro snow tonight. Winds: E 10-20. High: 29.
SUNDAY NIGHT: Snow likely. Winds: E 10-15. Low: 16.
MONDAY: Windy with falling temps, some PM sun. Winds: W 20-40. High: 18.
TUESDAY: Potentially plowable snow PM hours. Winds: NE 10-15. Wake-up: 3. High: 16.
WEDNESDAY: Blue sky, a bit brisk. Winds: W 8-13. Wake-up: 8. High: 11.
THURSDAY: Coating of flurries possible. Winds: S 5-10. Wake-up: -1. High: 16.
FRIDAY: Patchy clouds, not as numbing. Winds: SE 8-13. Wake-up: 6. High: 28.
SATURDAY: Cloudy, snow may stay south. Winds: NW 10-15. Wake-up: 6. High: 12.
This Day in Weather History
December 26th
1990: Much of central Minnesota sets record low temperatures near 30 degrees below zero, while others had lows in the teens below zero. Cambridge had the coldest temperature with 31 below. Mora was close behind, with a low of 30 below. Other notably cold lows were at St. Cloud, with 29 below, and Melrose and Menomonie, WI with 27 below.
Average High/Low for Minneapolis
December 26th
Average High: 25F (Record: 52F set in 2011)
Average Low: 14F (Record: -27F set in 1996)
Record Rainfall: 0.60" set in 1880
Record Snowfall: 5.1" set in 1988
Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
December 26th
Sunrise: 7:49am
Sunset: 4:37pm
Hours of Daylight: ~8 hours & 47 minutes
Daylight GAINED since yesterday: ~ 22 seconds
Daylight GAINED since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 1 minute
Moon Phase for December 26th at Midnight
0.2 Days After Last Quarter
National High Temps Sunday
The weather outlook on Sunday shows above average temperatures across parts of the eastern half of the nation. Highs in the Southern US will be nearly +20F to +25F above average, where records highs will be found once again.
National Weather Outlook
The weather through the early next week shows active weather continuing in the Western US with more heavy rain & mountain snow. There will be a couple of shots of accumulating snow in the Upper Midwest Sunday night and again Tuesday.
Extended Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, areas of heavy precipitation will be found in the Western US, where several inches of liquid precipitation will be possible. We're also getting indications of heavier precipitation across parts of the Ohio Valley and Upper Mississippi Valley/Great Lakes Region.
Extended Snowfall Potential
Here's the extended snowfall potential through the last full week December. Note that heavy snowfall potential will continue in the high elevations in the Western US as well as parts of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes Region.
Climate Stories
"How climate change impacts extreme weather across America"
"In November 2021, delegates from nearly 200 countries met in Glasgow for the COP26 conference to discuss and negotiate policy around climate change. Significant victories included halting and reversing deforestation in 90% of the world's forests, cooperation between the U.S. and China to curb emissions, and language specifying the phasing down of coal — the first language of its kind in a U.N. climate pact. Although it's unclear if there is a direct correlation between climate change and phenomena like tornadoes and thunderstorms, there is an established and undeniable link between rising temperatures and heat waves, increased precipitation, reduced snowpack, flooding, fires, and intense tropical storms and hurricanes. Read on to learn about climate change and how it's affecting weather and other natural phenomena in the United States, which regions are being hit the hardest, and where these weather events are most prevalent. Visit thestacker.com for similar lists and stories."
See more from Baltimore Sun HERE:
"2022 likely to be another top 10 warmest year"
Despite the second La Niña in a row, 2022 is likely to rank as one of the top 10 warmest years on record globally, the UK Met Office predicts. Why it matters: Every year since 2015 has been a top 10 warmest year in the Met Office's data set. Details: La Niña events are characterized by cooler than average temperatures in the equatorial tropical Pacific Ocean, which tend to hold global average temperatures down slightly. The occurrence of such events in consecutive years is known as a "double-dip" La Niña. The average global temperature for 2022 is projected to be between 0.97°C (1.7°F) and 1.21°C (2.2°F) above preindustrial levels, with a central estimate of 1.09°C (1.97°F). This would mark the eighth straight year in which temperatures have exceeded 1.0°C (1.8°F) above pre-industrial levels. Of note: In a sign of how swiftly and significantly the world is warming, the Met Office says that the El Niño years that occurred at the end of the 1990s, leading to global heat records at the time, now rank lower than 2021 and that 2022 will likely beat them as well.
"The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2021"
"Thrilling discoveries, hurdles in the fight against Covid and advancements in space exploration defined the past year. Covid-19 dominated science coverage again in 2021, and deservedly so. The disease garnered two entries on this list of our picks for the most important science stories of the year. But other key discoveries and achievements marked the year in science too, and they deserve more attention. NASA and private companies notched firsts in space. Scientists discovered more about the existence of early humans. And researchers documented how climate change has impacted everything from coral reefs to birds. Covid-19 will continue to garner even more attention next year as scientists work to deal with new variants and develop medical advances to battle the virus. But before you let stories about those topics dominate your reading in 2022, it's worth it to take a look back at the biggest discoveries and accomplishments of this past year. To that end, here are our picks for the most important science stories of 2021."
See more from Smithsonian Mag HERE:
