Peak Wind Gusts Wednesday (Through 5 PM)

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Highs Wednesday (Through 5 PM)

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November 2017 To Be One Of The Driest, Least Snowiest On Record For The Twin Cities

While we have had an interesting month temperature-wise across southern Minnesota, with a very cold start only to see much warmer air take over for most of the second half, it has also been quite dry. The Twin Cities has only received 0.39″ of liquid (whether in the form of rain or melted snow) through the 28th. With no additional precipitation expected through Thursday, that means this month would end as the 21st driest in the Twin Cities. We have also only received 0.6″ of snow, which would tie us for the 18th least snowiest November on record. Only 30 Novembers on record since 1875 (not including 1880 which has missing snow data for most of the month) have had less than an inch of snow fall during the month, the most recent occurring in 2009 when only a trace fell.

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Series of Arctic Slaps Arrive Next Week
By Paul Douglas

If you have one foot in boiling water, the other frozen into an icy block, do you feel “average”? Probably not. The biggest weather extremes take place near the center of continents, well away from the moderating influence of mild ocean water.

Exhibit A: Minnesota. If you like this spell of supernaturally mild, quiet weather try and memorize the sky in the coming days, because the weather pendulum swings in the opposite direction next week. A gusher of numbing air will flow southward out of Canada in waves, each one colder than the last.

A lack of snow cover may limit how cold it can get, but by mid-December highs hold in single digits and teens, with a few subzero lows possible.

Without the insulating effects of snow, this next spasm of brittle weather may result in water pipes rupturing. Keep a trickle of water flowing to reduce the odds of pipe problems.

In the meantime daytime highs flirt with 50F into Sunday, before the Canadian dam bursts and we pay a price for these balmy days.

Hey, it’s just the weather. Don’t like the 7-Day? Trust me, it’ll change soon enough.

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Extended Twin Cities Forecast

THURSDAY: Lots of sun, pleasant. High 46. Low 30. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NW 8-13 mph.
FRIDAY: More October than December. Mild. High 50. Low 34. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind S 8-13 mph.
SATURDAY: Mild sun, a weather siesta. High 51. Low 36. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NW 5-10 mph.
SUNDAY: More clouds, a few showers around. High 53. Low 38. Chance of precipitation 60%. Wind SE 10-15 mph.
MONDAY: Showery rains, turning windy & colder. High 43. Low 25. Chance of precipitation 60%. Wind NW 10-20 mph.
TUESDAY: Dusting of flurries? Feels like teens. High 28. Low 16. Chance of precipitation 50%. Wind NW 15-25 mph.
WEDNESDAY: Wintry slap. Dig out the heavy coats. High 25. Low 13. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NW 10-15 mph.

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This Day in Weather History
November 30th

2006: Lake effect snow occurs downwind of the larger lakes in Minnesota. Northwest winds from 8 to 12 mph accompanied an air mass in the single digits. This moved over lakes with water temperatures near 40 degrees. A cloud plume from Mille Lacs stretched all the way to Siren Wisconsin. Snow from Ottertail Lake and Lake Lida reduced visibilities at Alexandria to a few miles. Even some low clouds formed from Lake Minnetonka and were observed at Flying Cloud Airport.

2000: A surface low pressure system moves into extreme southwestern Minnesota from South Dakota. The heaviest snow reported was in the 6 to 8 inch range, and fell in a narrow band just southwest of the Minnesota River in and around the Canby (Yellow Medicine County) and Madison (Lac Qui Parle County) areas. Northeast winds rising out of the Minnesota river valley up the slopes of the Buffalo Ridge in southwest Minnesota helped enhance snowfall amounts. The northeasterly winds between 10 and 20 mph were responsible for producing visibilities in the one to two mile range.

1991: A storm dumps 14 inches of snow in the Twin Cities in about 12 hours.

1896: Bitterly cold temperatures are reported across Minnesota. A low of 45 below zero occurs at the Pokegama Dam.

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Average Temperatures & Precipitation for Minneapolis
November 30th

Average High: 33F (Record: 62F set in 1922)
Average Low: 18F (Record: -17F set in 1964)
Average Precipitation: 0.05″ (Record: 0.84″ set in 1934)
Average Snow: 0.5″ (Record: 8.0″ set in 1934)

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Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
November 30th

Sunrise: 7:30 AM
Sunset: 4:33 PM

*Length Of Day: 9 hours, 3 minutes and 11 seconds
*Daylight Lost Since Yesterday: ~1 minute and 35 seconds

*Latest Sunrise: December 30th-January 5th (7:51 AM)
*Earliest Sunset: December 5th-13th (4:31 PM)

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Minnesota Weather Outlook

It’ll be another warm, nice day as we end the month of November Thursday, with highs in the 30s and 40s across the state. We’ll see a mix of clouds and sun, with cloudier skies expected across far northern Minnesota.

In what shouldn’t be a shock to anyone who has been enjoying the nice weather recently, Thursday will once again be above average across the state – in most locations by 5 to 15 degrees.

Winds will be strong once again Thursday across the state, especially early on in the day. Winds should be on the decrease, especially across southern Minnesota, as we head into the afternoon hours.

If you’ve been looking for colder air, you might not have to wait for much longer. Models are indicating that a blast of cold air will move south across the eastern and central United States toward the middle of next week, which will drop temperatures for areas east of the Rockies, including us in Minnesota. A secondary blast of cold air moves in behind it into next weekend.

While highs look to remain in 40s to even around 50 through early next week, you can see the blast of cold air start moving in by next Tuesday and Wednesday, with temperatures dropping to highs only in the 20s and 30s. Some models indicate even colder air in place by the middle of the month across the Twin Cities.

Precipitation chances look somewhat minimal over the next seven days in the Twin Cities, with the best chance of receiving any being from late Sunday into Monday. That is likely to be in the form of rain. We’ll have to watch precipitation chances as well as temperatures tumble next week (which if any occurred would be in the form of snow), however it looks like we could remain fairly dry at the moment.

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National Forecast

A frontal system will be moving into the Pacific Northwest Thursday, bringing another round of rain and snow to the region. Some rain will be possible across the eastern United States as a cold front continues to march south and east, squashing some of the heat that has been prevalent over the past few days across the eastern two-thirds of the country. Some snow may also be possible in parts of New England by the evening. High pressure will keep conditions calm across the central United States.

Most of the country will see above average temperatures for the last day of November – with numerous areas 5-15 degrees above average.

With a couple fronts expected to end the week, the wettest weather through Monday morning will be across parts of the Pacific Northwest, with 2″+ of liquid expected.

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Earths Oceans Could Become More Acidic

As cold water rushes into the ocean due to the melting of glaciers and sea ice, Earths oceans could quickly become more acidic. More from Scientific American: “Melting glaciers might be making ocean water more acidic, an unexpected finding that’s given scientists new cause for concern.  A new study published yesterday in the journal Nature Climate Change suggests surprising ways that climate change is drastically altering the water chemistry in deep seas—a process that may happen faster than researchers anticipated. The threat of ocean acidification has drawn increasing attention in recent years. The ocean absorbs a substantial amount of the carbon dioxide that humans emit into the atmosphere—and when carbon dioxide goes into the sea, a chemical reaction occurs that causes the water to become more acidic. That’s a big concern for marine biologists, as research suggests that the decreasing pH levels could disrupt the ability of corals, mollusks and other marine organisms to build the hard outer shells they need to survive.

Climate Change Affecting Coastal North Carolina Residents

Residents along the Outer Banks are having to deal with rising sea levels and homes that have become uninhabitable. More from InsideClimateNews: “This hurricane season, Lance Goldner harbored an unusual wish: that his beach house on North Carolina’s scenic Outer Banks would collapse in a storm.  Goldner bought the property with his brother 14 years ago, when it was part of a row of cottages perched above the high-tide line. They’d planned to rent it out, but for much of the past decade, the faded yellow structure has stood vacant. Today, insulation spills from its bowels. Windows are boarded up. And high tides wash underneath between pilings, even on calm days.” (Image: A beach nourishment project underway in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, shows the difference between a newly nourished beach, in the background, and an area where the shoreline has eroded. Credit: Nicholas Kusnetz/InsideClimate News)

The Pando Aspen Grove Is Dying

The heaviest organism on Earth is dying… but not due to climate change. Instead it’s being eaten by deer. More from Earther: “Think of the heaviest living organism on Earth, and an image of a blue whale might come to mind. In fact, the honor goes to a single massive cluster of quaking aspen stems in Utah—but maybe not for long. The Pando aspen grove, a 106-acre colony composed solely of quaking aspens, is a clone; it started out as a single male tree thousands of years ago. Quaking aspens reproduce using a process called suckering: A single tree sends out long, shallow roots. New stems, and new shoots, or “suckers,” then grow out of these roots. These suckers, under the right conditions, grow into what looks like entirely separate aspen trees, creating a vast, interconnected grove. ” (Image: Utah’s aspen grove. Image: Wikimedia Commons)

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Thanks for checking in and have a great Thursday! Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter (@dkayserwx) and like me on Facebook (Meteorologist D.J. Kayser)!

 – D.J. Kayser

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