"Major" atmospheric river storm hits California amid "relentless" rains"
"The most powerful in a "relentless parade" of atmospheric rivers is bearing down on California today through Wednesday. It brings with it the likelihood of widespread flash flooding, river flooding, mudslides and staggeringly high mountain snowfall totals. Why it matters: The whiplash from a bone dry to flood-prone state is a demonstration of how human-caused climate change is accentuating California's naturally fickle precipitation patterns. While flooding, power outages and landslides threaten Californians in the near-term, these storms are boosting reservoir levels, severely depleted by the Southwest's megadrought. State of play: Late Sunday, President Biden approved California's emergency declaration due to the atmospheric river storms, as requested by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. This will allow federal aid to begin flowing to the state. An estimated 133,000 customers were without power on Monday morning, as the Office of Emergency Management issued evacuation warnings for several areas in Santa Barbara County "due to potential flooding and debris flows." Flash flood warnings are in effect for Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. Evacuation orders have been issued for some communities, including locations along the San Lorenzo River in Felton, which has quickly climbed to major flood stage."
Wintry Mix PM Tuesday
Here's the weather outlook through AM Wednesday, which shows a weak disturbance pushing through the region late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning. This band of wintry precipitation could be responsible for a minor coating of snow along and north of the I-94 corridor just in time for the AM Wednesday morning commute.
Minor Snow Potential
A band of light snow will be possible overnight Tuesday into early AM Wednesday mainly along and north of the I-94 corridor with up to 1" possible. Folks along the MN North Shore could see a couple/few inches through AM Wednesday. These minor snow accumulations could be responsible for slick/slippery roads for the Wednesday morning commute.
Snow Depth
As of Sunday, January 8th, the MSP Airport recorded 15" of snow on the ground. Interestingly, this tied for the 4th greatest snow depth on record for January 8th! Cross country and snowmobile trails have been very busy and will likely stay busy over the next several days.
January Snowfall
Here's how much snow we've seen across the region so far this January. More than a foot has fallen through the first 9 days in the Twin Cities, St. Cloud and Sioux Falls, all of which are nearly a foot above normal so far.
Seasonal Snowfall
Taking a look at snowfall since July 1st, many locations have seen above average amounts so far this season, but folks from near Sioux Falls to the Twin Cities and towards Duluth are nearly 20" to 30" above average through January 8th.
Twin Cities Weather Outlook For Tuesday
The weather outlook for the Twin Cities on Tuesday, January 8th shows quiet weather in place with a high approaching 30F. Skies will be cloudier with light winds.
Weather Outlook on Tuesday
Temps across the region on Tuesday will warm into the 20s and lower 30s across much of the region, which will be nearly +5F to +15F above average for some. Skies will generally be cloudy and precipitation free.
Meteograms For Minneapolis
The weather outlook through the day Tuesday shows very mild temperatures starting in the mid 20s in the morning and warming to near 30F by the afternoon. Skies will generally be cloudy with a few peeks of sunshine with light winds.
Hourly Feels Like Temps
Feels like temps on Tuesday will be in the 20s, which won't be too terribly cold for mid January. In fact, this will actually feel pretty close to if not slightly above average for this time of the year.
Weather Outlook
An update to our weather forecast across the region shows a very weak disturbance moving through the Upper Midwest late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning with a minor snow coating along and north of the Mississippi River Valley. A larger storm system will pass south of us mid/late week with heavier snow across the Great Lakes Region. Other than that, conditions should remain fairly quiet over the next several days.
Minimal Precipitation Ahead
A band of light precipitation may be possible PM Tuesday into AM Wednesday along and north of the I-94 corridor with some 0.10" to 0.20" possible.
Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis
The extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis over the next 5 days shows milder weather in place through midweek. Readings fall to near average levels later this week and into the weekend ahead.
Extended Weather Outlook For Minneapolis
The extended weather outlook into mid month shows fairly quiet weather in place with temperatures returning to near normal levels later this week and weekend ahead. Again, there could be a minor wintry mix late Tuesday night into early AM Wednesday, mainly north of the Twin Cities, but we should generally stay quiet into the upcoming weekend.
Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis
The NBM extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis over the next several days shows fairly mild weather in place through mid month. There might be a minor cool blip later this week, but that will actually be closer to average for this time of the year. I don't see anything Arctic anytime soon.
850mb Temperature Anomaly
Milder than average temperatures linger close to home through about midweek before a brief cool blip late week and into the weekend ahead. It doesn't appear to last too long as warmer than average temps look to return through most of next week.
8 to 14 Day Temperature Outlook
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows warmer than average temperatures across much of the eastern half of the nation and especially in the Northeast.
8 to 14 Day Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 Day precipitation outlook shows more active weather in place across parts of the nation.
What's With The Seasonal Lag? Light Mix Tuesday Night
By Todd Nelson, filling in for Douglas
Believe it or not, the next 2 weeks are typically the coldest for us here in Minnesota with average highs in the lower 20s and overnight lows in the single digits. How can this be 3 to 4 weeks after the Winter Solstice / the shortest day of the year? Millie Vanilli was right, "Blame it on the rain"!
Back to our 5thgrade geography lesson, water covers 70 percent of the Earth's surface and because water has a higher heat capacity than land, it takes a while to heat up! This phenomenon is called "Seasonal Lag". Similarly, in summer our warmest weather typically occurs in July, a few weeks after the Summer Solstice in June.
With that being said, I don't see any Arctic slaps anytime soon. In fact, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center suggests that more tolerable temps will be with us into the 2nd half of January. Yes please!
A light wintry mix develops Tuesday night with a minor coating of snow possible across the northern half of the state. Good news, that mini Mt. Everest at the end of your driveway will stay status quo for now. Hooray!
Extended Forecast
TUESDAY: AM Fog. Mix overnight. Winds: SE 5-10. High: 32.
TUESDAY NIGHT: Light wintry mix overnight. Winds: SE 5. Low: 25.
WEDNESDAY: Slushy AM coating north. Cloudy. Winds: NW 8-13. High: 33.
THURSDAY: Breezy & cooler. Passing flurries. Winds: NW 10-15. Wake-up: 23. High: 28.
FRIDAY: More PM sunshine. Less wind. Winds: NW 5-10. Wake-up: 16. High: 24.
SATURDAY: Mix of clouds and sun. Nothing rough. Winds: SSE 5-10. Wake-up: 14. High: 29.
SUNDAY: Increasing clouds. Afternoon thaw. Winds: SE 5-10. Wake-up: 23. High: 35.
MONDAY: Cloudy and mild. Light mix late? Winds: WSW 5-10. Wake-up: 28. High: 35.
This Day in Weather History
January 10th
1990: A January 'heat wave' forms. MSP Airport warms to 49 degrees.
1975: The 'Blizzard of the Century' begins. Also called the 'Super Bowl Blizzard,' it was one of the worst blizzards ever. The pressure hit a low of 28.62. This was the record until 1998.
Average High/Low for Minneapolis
January 10th
Average High: 23F (Record: 52F set in 2012)
Average Low: 9F (Record: -30F set in 1886)
Record Rainfall: 1.13" set in 1975
Record Snowfall: 4.0" set in 1975, 1976
Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
January 10th
Sunrise: 7:49am
Sunset: 4:51pm
Hours of Daylight: ~9 hours & 02 minutes
Daylight GAINED since yesterday: +1 Minutes & 28 Seconds
Daylight GAINED since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 15 minutes
Moon Phase for January 10th at Midnight
3.8 Days Before Last Quarter Moon
National High Temps on Tuesday
Temperatures across the nation on Tuesday will be quite a bit warmer than average with the most significant warming in place across the Southern US, where record highs are possible in Texas.
National Weather Outlook Tuesday
The weather outlook for Tuesday shows a light wintry mix across the Midwest and Great Lakes overnight. We'll also see ongoing heavier precipitation in the Western US and especially across California.
National Weather Outlook
Weather conditions in the Western US will continue to remain quite active through midweek with flooding rainfall and heavy mountain snow possible. Meanwhile, an area of low pressure will scoot through the Central & Southern US mid/late week with areas of rain and thunder. There will also be a light wintry mix across the Midwest through midweek.
Extended Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, the extended precipitation outlook shows pockets of heavy rainfall along and east of the Mississippi River and especially in the Northern New England States. The heaviest precipitation will still be found in the Western US, mainly in California and into the Pacific Northwest.
Snowfall Potential
According to the ECMWF (European model), heavy snow will be found across much of the high elevations in the Western US. Some locations in the Sierra Nevada Range could see more than 100" through the week ahead. There will also be decent snowfall potential in the Northern New England States and into Eastern Canada.
Climate Stories
"10 Costliest Climate Disasters of 2022"
In 2022, there were 10 climate-fueled extreme weather events that caused more than $3 billion worth of damage each. That's the disturbing conclusion of UK charity Christian Aid's annual review of the year's costliest and most destructive climate disasters, released December 27. "Having ten separate climate disasters in the last year that each cost more than $3 billion points to the financial cost of inaction on the climate crisis," Christian Aid CEO Patrick Watt said in a press release. "But behind the dollar figures lie millions of stories of human loss and suffering. Without major cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, this human and financial toll will only increase. The report, "Counting the Cost 2022: A Year of Climate Breakdown," first listed the 10 costliest extreme weather disasters of the past year. The $3 billion floor is an escalation from 2021's report, which listed 10 disasters that cost $1.5 billion or more. The 2022 events were, in order of damage amount"
- Hurricane Ian in the U.S. and Cuba: More than $100 billion.
- European drought: More than $20 billion.
- Flooding in China: More than $12.3 billion.
"Ship taller than Eiffel Tower will build biggest offshore wind farm"
"Including its 130-metre-long legs, the Voltaire wind turbine installation vessel is 336 metres high. It is on its way from China to the North Sea, where it will install huge new turbines at Dogger Bank. A ship taller than a skyscraper is heading to the North Sea to build the world's largest offshore wind farm at Dogger Bank, off the north-east coast of England. The Voltaire "jack-up" ship – so called because it deploys its four 130-metre-long legs to stand on the sea floor – reaches 336 metres, just taller than the Eiffel Tower. Its main deck crane can lift wind turbine components weighing 3200 tonnes – more than 22 times the weight of the Statue of Liberty's copper and iron body. "Our vessel has been designed especially to install the highest offshore structures"
See more from New Scientist HERE:
"Extreme Weather Events Showcase Value Of Machine Learning"
"Upcoming global average temperature measurements are unlikely to yield surprises. The real question is how we adapt, says one scientist. Across much of the country, the holidays were ushered in with strong winter storms, with every region of the country impacted by extreme weather from Christmas into the new year. The West Coast has experienced the most recent extreme weather with its third atmospheric river event in just three weeks bringing record rainfall and winds along the California coast. Buffalo, NY, is still digging out from its record holiday snowstorm and much of the Northern Plains saw record snowfalls just last week. The southern states weren't spared from extreme winter weather with Florida and other parts of the southeast experiencing record cold temperatures over Christmas. While these weather events are all quite different — from heavy snows to rain to extreme cold — the one thing they have in common is the challenge it brings to the 1,400 utility companies across the country. Extreme weather events are increasing, and utilities and customers alike are feeling the impact. According to Climate Central, the United States has experienced a 67% increase in major power outages from weather-related events since 2000, a trend predicted to continue as extreme weather events increase in frequency. With these most recent weather events across the country, on Christmas Eve alone, over 1.6 million U.S. customers were without power. The troubles continue now in California with nearly 196,000 Californians without power last week and more storms over the Pacific ready to move in bringing similar conditions."
