Warming Trend - 50s Possible By The Middle Of The Week!

Statewide Snow Depth

If you're looking to go snowshoeing, there isn't a whole lot of the state you can currently do that in. You have to go up to northeastern Minnesota, where there are some areas with about 2-4" of snow on the ground. Tettegouche State Park on Friday reported up to 2" of snow on the ground, and they said, "What snow we had is slowly going away but watch for icy spots on trails." Find more snow reports from the Minnesota DNR by clicking here.

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Drought Update

As we look at the latest Drought Monitor update, released this past Thursday, we continue to see a good portion of the state in at least abnormally dry conditions. The amount of the state at that criteria is 76.7%, up from 44.5% the week before. 10.7% of the state is in moderate drought, up from 8% the previous week. Severe drought stayed the same at 0.3% (down in far southwestern Minnesota).

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I'm Dreaming of a Beige Christmas
By Paul Douglas

Conversations I never thought I would have: "Dad, can I stop over to borrow the dog trimmers? I need to give myself a haircut". Or asking loved ones "Who have you seen in recent days? Have you been responsible?" Like dating, only worse.

2020 is a reminder that the things we're not worried about are the things we SHOULD worry about. Like a once-in-a-century pandemic. Or the snowiest October on record, giving way to a snow drought and green lawns in December.

Our extended siesta from the wicked winds of winter lasts into Thursday, with a string of 40s, even an outside shot at 50F Wednesday. That's 20-25F above average for mid-December. And no, this lack of blobs on Doppler radar can't go on indefinitely.

Models suggest a sloppy mix next Friday, possibly ending as a few inches of slushy snow Saturday AM. It's too early for specifics. I see a few days in the 20s the third week of December, but a thaw is possible 2-3 weeks out.

What about a Beige Christmas? Hey, it's 2020. Lower your expectations.

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Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast

SUNDAY: Partly sunny. Wake up 27. High 39. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind W 5-10 mph.
MONDAY: Plenty of sun, status quo. Wake up 26. High 40. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind SW 7-12 mph.
TUESDAY: Blue sky, amazingly quiet. Wake up 28. High 44. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind W 7-12 mph.
WEDNESDAY: Sunny, more like late October. Wake up 31. High 48. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind NW 7-12 mph.
THURSDAY: More clouds, a bit cooler. Wake up 30. High 42. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NE 7-12 mph.
FRIDAY: Cloudy with a rain/snow mix. Wake up 32. High 35. Chance of precipitation 70%. Wind NE 10-15 mph.
SATURDAY: Snow tapers, few inches of slush? Wake up 26. High 32. Chance of precipitation 80%. Wind NW 15-30 mph.

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This Day in Weather History
December 6th

1950: A snowstorm hits Duluth with 23.2 inches of snow in 24 hours, and a storm total of 35.2 inches.

1939: Warm weather occurs over parts of Minnesota. The high temperature hits 62 at New London.

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Average Temperatures & Precipitation for Minneapolis
December 6th

Average High: 30F (Record: 63F set in 1939)
Average Low: 16F (Record: -19F set in 1972)
Average Precipitation: 0.04" (Record: 0.53" set in 1935)
Average Snowfall: 0.4" (Record: 4.4" in 1969)
Record Snow Depth: 21" in 1991

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Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
December 6th

Sunrise: 7:36 AM
Sunset: 4:31 PM

*Length Of Day: 8 hours, 54 minutes and 42 seconds
*Daylight LOST Since Yesterday: ~1 minute and 10 seconds

*Day With The Least Amount Of Daylight? December 21st (8 hours, 46 minutes, and 11 seconds)
*When Is The Latest Sunrise?: December 29th-January 5th (7:51 AM)
*When Is The Earliest Sunset?: December 4th-13th (4:31 PM)

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Twin Cities And Minnesota Weather Outlook

A mix of sun and clouds are expected as we head toward the second half of the weekend in the Twin Cities. Sunnier skies are likely toward the morning hours, with a few more clouds for the afternoon. Morning temperatures will start off in the 20s, climbing to around 40F for a high.

As we look statewide on Sunday, we will see a mix of sun and clouds for most locations. There will be more clouds than sun across eastern, and particularly northeastern, Minnesota, with more sun in the afternoon out west. Highs will range from around freezing up north to near 50F in portions of southwestern Minnesota.

These highs will be above average across the state Sunday, up to 15-20F degrees above average out in western portions of the state. The average high in the Twin Cities for December 6th is 30F.

We'll see a warming trend as we head into the work week, with highs in the low to mid-40s expected Monday and Tuesday. Highs will peak on Wednesday, reaching the low 50s in the Twin Cities - 20-25F degrees above average! We won't keep that amount of warmth around heading into Thursday, however, as highs cool back into the low 40s.

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National Weather Forecast

As we look at Sunday, the nor'easter impacting the Northeast will be departing, but some rain and snow will still be possible, particularly earlier in the day. An area of low pressure moving through the Southeast will help produce some showers, with snow mixing in at spots in the Mid-Atlantic. Some rain and snow will also be possible in the Pacific Northwest.

From Saturday through Monday, the heaviest precipitation will fall in the Northeast due to the nor'easter moving through during the weekend. Some coastal areas could see up to 3" of rain, with portions of Maine seeing up to 20" of snow.

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More carbon may benefit trees less than thought

More from Climate News Network: "As springs arrive earlier, and the growing season gets longer with ever-milder winters, Swiss scientists have identified a paradox: global warming driven by more carbon in ever-higher greenhouse gas emissions could actually trigger unexpectedly earlier autumn leaf change. So even as winters get later, milder and shorter, that glorious display of autumn colour in leaves as they turn old and die could arrive a little ahead of time. So far the finding, based on computer simulation, is tentative, applying only to observed deciduous forests in central Europe. But if confirmed, and if it matches reality more widely across the planet, then it may mean that the forests of the world actually start to take up less carbon than climate scientists had calculated."

Cows Get Hot, Too: A New Way to Cool Dairy Cattle in California’s Increasing Heat

More from Inside Climate News: "Marinus Dijkstra and his 1,550 dairy cows all felt the effects of the 100-degree temperatures that blasted Southern California last summer. As a result of the heatwave, Dijkstra's Lakeview Dairy Farm in Riverside County saw a significant decrease in milk production, a drop that cost the dairy about $2,250 a day. Dijkstra had to spend an additional $1,500 each month on electricity, trying to keep his cows cool in the summer's extreme heat. California dairy farmers spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year trying to keep their cattle cool, as increasingly high summer temperatures, driven by climate change, heat up the country's biggest dairy state."

Airbus Bets on Hydrogen to Deliver Zero-Emission Jets

More from Bloomberg Green: "There are plenty of obstacles standing in the way of developing the first zero-emission, hydrogen-powered plane. It’s tricky to safely store and use the highly combustible fuel. There aren’t any airports equipped to refuel jets with it. And the cost of hydrogen itself is prohibitive, at least if you want to avoid producing greenhouse gases. Yet in September, Airbus SE gave itself five years to develop a commercially viable hydrogen aircraft. The world’s biggest planemaker has the backing of its stakeholders—the French, Spanish, and German governments, who have pledged to be carbon neutral by 2050—and billions of euros in government subsidies. Even with help it’s going to be a herculean task that will require reinventing the trillion-dollar aviation industry."

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