Spring Forward This Weekend!
Don't forget to set your clocks ahead 1 hour before heading to bed on Sunday. We SPRING forward 1 hour early Sunday morning, which means our sunset will be 1 hour later starting Sunday! Don't be late.
Weather Outlook This Weekend
The weekend ahead looks pretty mild for mid March. Temps on Saturday will be nearly 20F warmer than average in the Twin Cities with readings dropping nearly 10F on Sunday as a storm system moves in.
Saturday Weather Outlook For Minneapolis
Saturday will be the pick day of the weekend with high temps approaching 60F in the metro, which will be nearly 20F above average. There will be plenty of sunshine as well, which will be as strong as the sunshine in late September around the Vernal Equinox.
Saturday Meteograms
Temps will quickly warm into the 40s and 50s through the day with the actual high temp approaching 60F by early afternoon.
Saturday Weather Outlook
High temps across the region on Saturday will be well above average with readings running nearly 20F above average. Saturday will be the pick day of the weekend with light winds and plentiful sunshine. Enjoy!
Sunday Weather Outlook
Weather conditions sour a bit on Sunday with clouds rolling in from the Southwest. Winds will also be a bit breezy as a storm system moves in with areas of rain changing to snow late in the day across the southwest. However, high temps will still be running nearly 10F above average for mid March.
Weather Outlook Through Early Next Week
Here's the weather outlook through the early part of next week. Note that areas of rain will change to snow late Sunday into Monday with some slushy accumulations close to home. Some of the heaviest will likely fall south of the Metro, but stay tuned!
Precipitation & Snowfall Potential
Here's the latest precipitation and snowfall potential through the weekend and into early next week, which shows up to 1" of total liquid falling across far southwest Minnesota. This pocket of heavy precipitation could also result in areas of heavy snowfall through early next week as well. Stay tuned.
Extended Temperature Outlook
Here's the extended temperature and weather outlook over the next 5 to 7 days. High temps on Saturday will warm to near 60F, which will be nearly 20F above average. We'll be a little cooler on Sunday with highs warming into the low 50s, but we'll still be nearly 10F above average. By Monday, we'll be a little closer to average for mid March with highs warming to near 40F. This cooler weather will also come with areas of rain and snow potential, which could accumulate across the region.
Countdown to Spring (Vernal Equinox)
Saturday, March 20th @ 4:37AM
the worst of winter's wrath is generally behind us during the month of March, but it still can be snowy at times. In fact, MSP typically sees around 9" of snow during this month, but more impressively, we gain more than 3 minutes of daylight each day during the month and if you do the math, we gain about an extra 1.5 hour of daylight through the month! The sunset on March 1st is around 6PM, but by the end of the month (and thanks to the time change on March 14th) our sunset on March 31st is at 7:40PM! The official start to spring (Vernal Equinox) is on Saturday, March 20th at 4:37AM this year.
Spring Leaf Index
"How do you know when spring has begun? Is it the appearance of the first tiny leaves on the trees, or the first crocus plants peeping through the snow? The First Leaf and First Bloom Indices are synthetic measures of these early season events in plants, based on recent temperature conditions. These models allow us to track the progression of spring onset across the country. March 8, 2021 Spring leaf out continues to spread north across the country. After arriving early in southern parts of Southwest and Southeast states, cold temperatures halted the progress of spring leaf out for several days across the northern part of the Southeast and Great Plains. Spring leaf out is now gaining momentum again as it moves into Midwest states. Spring bloom has arrived in parts of Southwest and Southeast states. Spring bloom is early in California and Arizona and late in parts of Southeast states."
Snowpack Melting Fast
Here's a look at the snowpack as of Friday, March 12th. Note that there was no snow measured at the MSP Airport, but there was a pretty decent amount to the North of the metro due to our recent system early this week. There was still 7" of snow on the ground in Duluth and 10" on the ground in Marquette, MI.
Extended Temperature Outlook
Here's the ECMWF & GFS extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis through the end of March. Temps will be fairly mild with reading jump to above average levels many times over the next couple of weeks.
8-14 Day Temperature Outlook
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows the above average temperature readings moving in across much of the nation and the Upper Midwest by the end of the month.
Minnesota Winters Are Increasingly "Lumpy"
By Paul Douglas
Despite a warming world, Minnesota winters won't be cancelled anytime soon. Delayed. Abbreviated. Yes. Not postponed. February's spasm of subzero weather was a reminder that many winters are trending milder, with sudden outbreaks of bitter cold. The arctic fronts aren't nicely spaced apart, winter often comes all at once. Winters are "lumpy" - erratic. Whether this is a result of rapid Arctic warming is a subject of considerable scientific debate.
For the record, MSP experienced 15 subzero nights this winter. The 30-year average is 23 nights below zero.
Residents of southern Minnesota may want to take out a restraining order against Old Man Winter by Monday. The same storm about to pummel Denver with 1-3 feet of snow will brush far southern Minnesota with plowable amounts Monday into early Tuesday. Early model runs suggest an inch or two metro, with over 6inches closer to the Iowa border. Lovely.
A fine, sun-filled weekend is likely with upper 50s today, followed by a string of 40s next week. AOK.
Extended Forecast
SATURDAY: Sunny and spectacular. Winds: SW 8-13. High: 58.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy and quiet. Winds: WSW 5. Low: 34.
SUNDAY: Clouds slowly increase, windier. Winds: E 15-25. High: 50.
MONDAY: Wet snow, heaviest south/west of MSP. Winds: E 10-20. Wake-up: 27. High: 34.
TUESDAY: Flurries taper, then peeks of sun. Winds: NW 5-10. Wake-up: 28. High: 41.
WEDNESDAY: Cloudy, sloppy mix far south? Winds: NE 8-13. Wake-up: 27. High: 44.
THURSDAY: Sunshine returns, breezy. Winds: N 10-20. Wake-up: 31. High: 47.
FRIDAY: Plenty of sunshine, quiet. Winds: N 5-10. Wake-up: 25. High: 46.
This Day in Weather History
March 13th
2006: A March snowstorm dumps 9.9 inches at the Twin Cities.
1851: Before the spring green-up, dry grassy areas are a fire risk. On this date prairie fires blazed in Minnesota.
Average High/Low for Minneapolis
March 13th
Average High: 40F (Record: 67F set in 2012)
Average Low: 23F (Record: -9F set in 1895)
Record Rainfall: 0.78" set in 2006
Record Snowfall: 9.9" set in 2006
Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
March 13th
Sunrise: 6:28am
Sunset: 6:17pm
Hours of Daylight: ~11 hours & 48 minutes
Daylight GAINED since yesterday: ~ 3 minutes & 9 seconds
Daylight GAINED since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 3 hours & 2 minutes
Moon Phase for March 13th at Midnight
0.9 Days After Last Quarter
What's in the Night Sky?
"If you're out on an evening walk, notice this seasonal aspect of the night sky. The famous constellation Orion the Hunter – an easy-to-spot star pattern in January and February – now seems to have moved and turned considerably. It's very low in the western part of the sky when the sun goes down. Orion will soon disappear into the sun's glare. Orion, like all the stars and constellations, shifts westward as the seasons pass. Unless they're in the far northern or southern sky – and therefore circumpolar – all stars and constellations spend some portion of each year hidden in the sun's glare. In other words, like blooms on trees or certain flowers or even specific animals in your locale, stars have their own seasons of visibility. All the stars and their constellations also move westward in the course of a single night. Orion is no exception. That motion, though, is due to Earth's spin. But the seasonal disappearance of Orion – its sinking into the sunset glare during the northern spring months (southern fall months) – is something else. It's as if we're riding on a carousel through space – spinning, yes – but also the entire structure is moving. That is, Earth is moving in orbit around the sun. As we move in orbit, our night sky points out in different directions – toward different parts of the Milky Way galaxy – at different times of year. Earth's motion in orbit brings the sun between us and Orion at this same time each year."
National High Temps Saturday
Here's the weather outlook on Saturday shows temps warming to above average levels across much of the nation on Saturday ahead of a potent storm system that will dump feet of snow along the Front Range of the Rockies. Denver, CO on the other hand will be nearly -20F below average with highs warming only into the mid 30s. Temps will be running below average across much of the Southwest in the wake of the storm system.
National Forecast Map For Saturday
The weather map on Saturday shows a very busy weather map with showers and storms across the Southern US and heavy snow falling in the Mountains.
National Weather Outlook
Here's the weather outlook through the weekend, which shows a very strong storm wrapping up across the Front Range of the Rockies with very heavy snowfall. We'll also be dealing with widespread storms and heavy rainfall in the Central US.
Severe Weather Outlook Saturday
According to NOAA's SPC, there is an ENHANCED Risk of severe storms in orange on Saturday. This is where there will be a good chance of large hail and tornadoes. The severe threat extends farther north and south from Kansas to southern Texas.
7 Day Precipitation Outlook
The precipitation potential over the next 7 days shows heavy precipitation across the Central US and in the the Gulf Coast States. Areas of strong to severe thunderstorms and flash flooding will be possible over the coming days.
7 Day Snowfall Potential
The extended GFS snowfall forecast over the 5 to 7 days show very heavy snowfall along the Front Range of the Rockies. There will also be areas of heavy snow across the Midwest heading into early next week.
Climate Stories
"Fire safety app simulates wildfires and shows a route to avoid them"
"Wildfires rampaging through rural communities are becoming a worryingly common sight thanks to climate change. A new mobile app could help guide those who are stuck onto a path to safety by providing simple directions like those given in maps applications. In recent years, massive wildfires in the US, Australia and Greece have led to scores of deaths, and there is a growing scientific consensus that these disasters will become more frequent as the planet continues to warm. "It's a very serious problem," says Andreas Kamilaris at the CYENS Center of Excellence."
See more from New Scientist HERE:
"Ten hazard alerts you might not know about"
"Advisories, watches and warnings are central to communicating the threats posed by natural hazards. Some, such as wind chill advisories, help us dress, while others, such as tornado warnings, can help save our lives. But there are many less commonly used alerts that many people may not be aware of, reflecting the diversity of natural hazards across our 50 states and 14 territories. The National Weather Service issues so many different kinds of alerts that it can confuse the public, its own research has found. As part of a hazards simplification effort, the Weather Service plans to phase out most "advisories" in 2024, while it will continue to issue watches and warnings."
See more from Washington Post HERE:
"THE SURPRISING ANIMAL THAT HELPS CONTROL FLOODING AND POLLUTION"
"Humanity has been a scourge on the environment since probably the dawn of time. As a species, humanity burned down forests to create farmland, and has committed genocide which affected the climate. But Mother Nature has created a way for nature to fix things. Just look hard enough, and you will find an animal that can mitigate much of the damage we humans have done. What animal, you ask? It's one that's unexpected, since it generally does the same thing as humans — build dams in rivers. Yes, it's the beaver. The United Kingdom undertook a five-year study to learn if it should reintroduce beavers to the wild to help control flooding and pollution. The Guardian reported the University of Exeter undertook the study after several beavers were found living in the wild in Devon. People were surprised that beavers existed in the UK at all. Hunters killed beavers to extinction in the country almost 400 years ago, and these were regular beavers, not the giant beaver. After all, beavers had been prized for their pelt that was eventually made into coats and top hats, which was the craze in North America in the 1800s."
