"On September 29, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) began collecting aerial damage assessment images in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. Imagery is being collected in specific areas by NOAA aircraft, identified by NOAA in coordination with FEMA and other state and federal partners. Collected images are available to view online via the NGS aerial imagery viewer. View tips on how to use the imagery viewer. NOAA's aerial imagery aids safe navigation and captures damage to coastal areas caused by a storm. Aerial imagery is a crucial tool to determine the extent of the damage inflicted by flooding, and to compare baseline coastal areas to assess the damage to major ports and waterways, coastlines, critical infrastructure, and coastal communities. This imagery provides a cost-effective way to better understand the damage sustained to both property and the environment. View collected NOAA Emergency Response Imagery below. New imagery will be posted as soon as it is available."

See more from NOAA HERE:

Here's the 850mb temp anomaly from AM Sunday to AM Saturday of next weekend. Note the oranges and reds in place through midweek, which suggests above average temps through that time frame. However, there is a sharp cold front that will blast through late Wednesday with temps tumbling into the 40s and 50s on Thursday and Friday across the state with widespread frost/freeze concerns.

Here's a look at the extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis. Note that highs will warm into the 70s through Wednesday before the bottom falls out late week. High on Thursday and Friday will only warm into the 40s and 50s across the state, which will be well below average for early October.

This is fairly deep into the extended forecast, but there does appear to be fairly widespread frost/freeze potential on Friday morning. At this point, temps could dip into the 20s and 30s across much of the state. Stay tuned...

According to the US Drought Monitor (updated September 27th), severe drought continues in the Twin Cities. Areas of moderate to severe drought stretch from the Twin Cities to the MN River Valley, where precipitation amounts are running several inches below average since January 1st.

Here's the precipitation outlook through the first full week of October, which shows very little rainfall across the region. The best chance of any accumulation will be across the northern and western part of the state, where up to 0.25" may be possible.

Here's the weather outlook through the first week of October, which shows isolated rain chances through midweek. These rain chances will be fairly light across the Midwest with up to 0.25" rain possible for some. There will be a more potent front that arrives late Wednesday with more widespread showers across the Great Lakes Region and it could be cold enough for snow closer to the international border and the northern Great Lakes!

Thanks to dwindling daylight and chilly overnight lows, the fall color progress is really starting to come around. It won't be long now and those fall colors will be quite prevalent across the state. Enjoy!

The MN DNR has put together a nice graphic that shows typical dates for peak fall color. The northern par of the state starts to peak during the 2nd half of September into early October. Meanwhile, folks in the central part of the state and into the metro typically don't see peak color until the end of September into the middle part of October. It won't be long now - enjoy!

Here's the 30 year average for the first frost in Minneapolis, which lands on October 13th. Last year (2021) the first frost was on October 23rd. If you look at the full MSP record, which dates back to 1873, the latest frost was November 18th back in 2016, while the earliest frost was September 3rd back in 1974.

Here's the average first measurable snowfall (0.01") at MSP over the last 30 years, which lands on November 6th. Last year, MSP had its first measurable snow on November 13th. The last was on December 3rd back in 1928, while the earliest was September 24th in 1985.

Temperature on Sunday will be nearly +5F to +10F above average for the second day of October. There could be a few isolated showers here and there, but most will stay dry.

The weather outlook for Minneapolis on Sunday shows a mix of clouds and sun with temperatures warming to near 70F, which will be above average for early October. There could be a few isolated showers across the northern and western part of the state, but again, most will stay dry.

The hourly forecast for Minneapolis on Sunday shows temps starting in the mid 50s in the morning and warming to near 70F by the afternoon. Skies will generally be dry with a mix of clouds and sun. Southeasterly winds will be around 10mph-15mph.

The extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis over the next several days shows temps warming into the 60s and 70s through midweek, which will be above average for early October. However, there is a bigger cooldown lurking for late week with highs running well below average.

The extended weather outlook over the next 7 days shows milder weather in place through the first half of the week. A sharp cool front blows through midweek, which will drop temps to below average temps once again later in the week. In fact, daytime highs may only warm into the 50s with frosty overnight lows.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows above average temps continuing across much of the Western US with cooler than average readings in the eastern & northeastern US.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 Day precipitation outlook shows dry weather in place across the Midwest and Eastern US.

Hurricane forecasting has come a long way since the days of relying on ship reports to determine where a storm was heading. Today we have satellites, Doppler and sophisticated weather models.

Data shows that meteorologists do a better job predicting hurricane tracks than intensity. But "Ian" was a very difficult hurricane to predict. Landfall forecasts shifted from the Panhandle to Tampa, then Sarasota and finally Fort Myers, leaving little time for locals to evacuate inland.

There is little infrastructure to accommodate millions of evacuees east of I-75. Newcomers to Florida may be more skeptical when evacuation orders do arrive, and some didn't have transportation options or money to flee their beachfront homes. We need to find better/smarter ways to move people, even on those rare occasions when there's only 24-36 hours of advance lead-time.

Today should be sunnier and drier with a shot at 70, with mid-70s Monday and Tuesday, before 50s and frost return by late week.

London Vikings weather: 50s and wet.

SUNDAY: Partly sunny, lukewarm. Winds: SE 7-12. High: 70.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy. Winds: SSE 5-10. Low: 55.

MONDAY: Partly sunny and pleasant. Winds: S 10-15. Wake-up: 54. High: 73.

TUESDAY: Damp with a few showers. Winds: SW 8-13. Wake-up: 58. High: 66.

WEDNESDAY: Intervals of sunshine. Winds: NW 7-12. Wake-up: 57. High: 68.

THURSDAY: Chilly breeze, feels like October. Winds: N 10-20. Wake-up: 43. High: 53.

FRIDAY: A little frost? Cool blue sky. Winds: SW 5-10. Wake-up: 35. High: 51.

SATURDAY: Some sun, few showers. Winds: SE 7-12. High: 69.

October 2nd

1953: A record high of 90 for the St. Cloud area is recorded in 1953 (and later tied in 1992). Minneapolis also sets a record that same day in 1953 with a high of 89 degrees.

1849: Persistent rain at Ft. Snelling accumulates to 4 inches in one and a half days.

October 2nd

Average High: 66F (Record: 89F set in 1953)

Average Low: 47F (Record: 22F set in 1974)

Record Rainfall: 2.18" set in 2017

Record Snowfall: None

October 2nd

Sunrise: 7:12am

Sunset: 6:52pm

Hours of Daylight: ~11 hours & 39 minutes

Daylight LOST since yesterday: ~ 3 minutes & 6 seconds

Daylight LOST since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 4 hour & 1 minutes

0.3 Days Since First Quarter Moon

The weather outlook on Sunday shows well below average temperatures in place in the Eastern US, where remnants of Ian will be present. It'll be pretty close to average for early October in the Central US and well above average in the Pacific Northwest.

The remnants of Ian will linger across the Mid-Atlantic States with showery, cool and gusty winds. Meanwhile, a stagnant area of precipitation will be found along the Front Range with high elevation snow possible.

The weather outlook through Monday shows remnants of Ian lingering across the Mid-Atlantic States with breezy, cool and showery weather. Lingering precipitation will be found across the Front Range and Intermountain-West.

According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, areas of heavy rain from the remnants of Ian will begin to fade in the Mid-Atlantic States. There will also be wetter weather through the Intermountain-West

"Of all the hazards that hurricanes bring, storm surge is the greatest threat to life and property along the coast. It can sweep homes off their foundations, flood riverside communities miles inland, and break up dunes and levees that normally protect coastal areas against storms. As a hurricane reaches the coast, it pushes a huge volume of ocean water ashore. This is what we call storm surge. This surge appears as a gradual rise in the water level as the storm approaches. Depending on the size and track of the hurricane, storm surge flooding can last for several hours. It then recedes after the storm passes. Water level heights during a hurricane can reach 20 feet or more above normal sea level. With powerful waves on top of it, a hurricane's storm surge can cause catastrophic damage."

See more from The Conversation HERE:

"Hurricane Ian carved a cruel path of destruction across the Florida Peninsula overnight, emerging over the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Canaveral as a large and wet tropical storm at 11 a.m. EDT Thursday. Along its path, Ian dumped record amounts of rain, including over two feet near New Smyrna Beach and over a foot in Orlando. The torrential rains triggered multiple flash flood emergencies and record river flooding. Though greatly reduced in strength, the destructive hurricane is now headed for South Carolina, where landfall as a category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds is expected to occur on Friday morning."

See more from Yale Climate Connections HERE:

"After its driest three-year stretch on record, California braces for another year with below-average snow and rain. Conditions are shaping up to be a "recipe for drought." As California's 2022 water year ends this week, the parched state is bracing for another dry year — its fourth in a row. So far, in California's recorded history, six previous droughts have lasted four or more years, two of them in the past 35 years. Despite some rain in September, weather watchers expect a hot and dry fall, and warn that this winter could bring warm temperatures and below-average precipitation. Conditions are shaping up to be a "recipe for drought": a La Nina climate pattern plus warm temperatures in the Western Tropical Pacific that could mean critical rain and snowstorms miss California, according to Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with UCLA and The Nature Conservancy."

See more from Local News Matters HERE: