Snow Totals From Friday-Friday Night Winter Storm
A band of heavy snow fell across southern Minnesota into Wisconsin Friday and Friday Night, with a wide area seeing at least six inches of snow (indicated by the yellows and oranges). Some of the top totals came out of the south and east metro due to a stationary band of heavy snow that developed. Due to it some areas received at least a foot to a foot and a half of snow. The top total was from 3 miles east of St. Paul, where 21" of snow was reported. Below are the top snow totals out of southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin:
Officially at MSP, 11.8" of snow fell according to the Twin Cities National Weather Service Office, with 8.9" in Eau Claire and 2.5" in St. Cloud.
Here are the snowfall totals across the region at climate sites for Friday, December 10th (this does not include snow that fell after Midnight Saturday). Based on this, you can see a record 11.0" of snow fell through Midnight Friday Night at MSP (with the additional 0.8" falling after Midnight). The previous record for December 10th at MSP was a paltry 2" set in 2016. Record snow also fell in Rochester, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Wausau, and Rhinelander. As of Saturday morning, there were 12" of snow on the ground at MSP.
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Sunday Weather Outlook
Sunday will be warmer here in the Twin Cities than what we saw Saturday with a mix of sun and clouds to mainly sunny skies. Morning temperatures will start off in the mid-20s, climbing to the mid-30s for highs. With south-southwest winds around 10 mph, it'll still feel more like the mid-20s during the afternoon hours.
A mix of sun and clouds to mainly sunny skies are expected statewide on Sunday as highs climb into the 30s statewide. While these highs will be near average across southern Minnesota, they will be around 15F degrees above average in northern parts of the state.
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Temperatures Nearing Record Highs Wednesday?
Yes, there might be a foot of snow on the ground at MSP, and over a foot and a half in parts of the south and east metro, but that might not help stop a surge of warm, moist air into the Upper Midwest Wednesday with a strong low-pressure system. Highs in the Twin Cities are expected to soar to around 50F on Wednesday, which would fall just shy of the record, but in areas like Rochester, Mason City, Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Wausau the records for the day could easily be shattered. This will also bring some rain (and maybe thunder) to the Twin Cities during the second half of the day into the overnight, changing over to snow late Wednesday Night.
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I May Need a Bigger Doppler
By Paul Douglas
I'm 'gonna need a bigger Doppler. A reader texted "Paul, my sense is we're seeing fewer snowstorms, but when it does snow it often falls harder". Residents from Prior Lake to Hudson might agree.
When weather stalls crazy things can happen. On Friday a heavy snow band stalled, squeezing out 15-20" in a narrow, 20-mile-wide snow blitz in the south metro.
The soggy remains of Hurricane Ida dumped 3" rain/hour on New York City in early September. It may have been a 10,000 year flash flood.
What is going on? Supersized rain (and snow) events are a symptom of a warming atmosphere, which now holds 7-8% more water vapor than it did 100 years ago. More fuel for extreme precipitation events.
Play in the snow today, because a warming trend is coming. Models show 50s Wednesday with a slight thunder threat late in the day. Go figure.
A weak storm Friday may drop a couple inches in the metro with plowable amounts in central Minnesota.
Santa, I'd like a big red bow on my turbocharged Doppler. I've been a good boy.
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Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast
SUNDAY: Partly sunny, breezy. Wake up 20. High 35. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind SW 10-15 mph.
MONDAY: Sunny and milder. Wake up 22. High 40. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind S 3-8 mph.
TUESDAY: Blue sky, quiet weather. Wake up 26. High 41. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind SE 10-15 mph.
WEDNESDAY: Periods rain, rumble of thunder? Wake up 37. High 52. Chance of precipitation 80%. Wind S 15-35 mph.
THURSDAY: Sunny and brisk. Wake up 25. High 29. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind W 15-25 mph.
FRIDAY: Some snow, heaviest central MN. Wake up 18. High 28. Chance of precipitation 60%. Wind NE 7-12 mph.
SATURDAY: Sunny and chilly again. Wake up 5. High 16. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NW 10-15 mph.
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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
December 12th
*Length Of Day: 8 hours, 49 minutes, and 21 seconds
*Daylight LOST Since Yesterday: 44 seconds
*Day With Least Sunlight: December 21st (8 hours, 46 minutes, and 11 seconds)
*Latest Sunrises Before We Start Gaining Morning Light: 7:51 AM between December 30th and January 5th
*Earliest Sunsets Of The Year: 4:31 PM between December 5th and December 14th
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This Day in Weather History
December 12th
2004: A strong cold front pushes through Minnesota during the early morning hours. By dawn, winds turn to the northwest and increase to 25 to 40 MPH with gusts as high as 70 MPH. The windiest part of the day was from mid morning through mid afternoon when many locations suffered sustained winds in the 30 to 45 MPH range. The highest wind gusts recorded in southern Minnesota during this time included 71 MPH in Welch and 62 MPH near Albert Lea, St. James, Winthrop and Owatonna. Other notable wind gusts included 59 MPH at New Ulm, 58 MPH in Mankato, 55 MPH in St. Cloud and Morris, 54 MPH at Redwood Falls, and 52 MPH at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. Scattered trees were downed and a few buildings received minor roof damage across the region.
1939: A December gale along the North Shore leads to winds clocked at 48 mph at Duluth.
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National Weather Forecast
The main weather story on Saturday will be frontal boundaries and an atmospheric river impacting the west coast, bringing heavy rain and snow to the region. The cold front that has been marching east across the country through the end of the week and beginning of the weekend will be mainly offshore, but still draped across portions of Florida producing some showers and storms.
The heaviest rain and snow through Monday will be out west, where several feet of snow will fall in the Cascades, Sierra, and northern Rockies/Intermountain West and several inches of rain is possible - especially in coastal areas.
Here's a closer look at some of the expected rain and snow totals across portions of the western United States in the next few days.
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At least 50 likely dead in Kentucky alone, governor says, after tornadoes hit central and southern US
More from CNN: "Storms unleashed devastating tornadoes late Friday and early Saturday across parts of the central and southern US including Kentucky, where the governor says the death toll will exceed 50 after "one of the toughest nights in Kentucky history." More than 30 tornadoes have been reported in at least six states. A stretch of more than 200 miles from Arkansas to Kentucky might have been hit by one violent, long-track twister, CNN meteorologists say. Among the most significant damage: Tornadoes or strong winds collapsed an occupied candle factory in Kentucky, an Amazon warehouse in western Illinois, and a nursing home in Arkansas, killing people at each site and leaving responders scrambling to rescue others."
Strong polar vortex brings brutal sub-zero cold to Siberia, Scandinavia and Alaska
More from The Washington Post: "Late November and early December have brought record-breaking warmth to many parts of the Lower 48 states and other locations in the midlatitudes. But incredible cold has infiltrated areas nearer to the Arctic. Historically frigid weather, tens of degrees below zero, has invaded northeast Russia, Scandinavia, Alaska and northern Canada in recent weeks. The cold is related to an unusually strong polar vortex that has trapped bone-chilling air over the high latitudes, allowing little of it to escape to the south."
Most of Amazon's Pollution-Spewing Warehouses Are Built In Communities of Color
More from Gizmodo: "The toll Amazon's ruthless efficiency has taken on its workers has been well-documented at this point. But a new investigation by Consumer Reports reveals the degree to which Amazon's warehouses disproportionately affect entire communities of color as well, and how all company's excess pollutants could be worsening these communities' health. The report found that most of Amazon's U.S. warehouses are in neighborhoods with a greater share of residents of color compared to the median neighborhood in the same metro area. Specifically, of the 722 Amazon warehouses analyzed, 508 of them were in neighborhoods with more non-white residents. Nearly 60% of the company's warehouses are also located in neighborhoods with a greater share of low-income residents than those in their metro area's median neighborhood."
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Thanks for checking in and have a great day! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@dkayserwx) and like me on Facebook (Meteorologist D.J. Kayser).
- D.J. Kayser