Quiet Weather For Thanksgiving Day Travel

With the holiday on Thursday, this week's drought update was issued a day early by the USDA. Very little change occurred again this week in the status across the state, as only the abnormally dry category went up 0.04% - everything else stayed the same.

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Taking a quick peek at November stats so far (maybe a talking point for the Thanksgiving table? At least it won't be politics!!):

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Happy Thanksgiving! There will be no weather concerns in the metro as you head to any gatherings. Morning temperatures will start off in the mid-20s with highs in the low 30s under mainly sunny skies. With northwest winds around 10 mph, it'll feel more like the teens to low 20s throughout the day.

An isolated snow shower is possible on Thursday from Baudette to the Ely area, otherwise, quiet weather is expected as you head to Grandma's house! Most of the state will see a mix of sun and clouds to mainly sunny conditions.

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Friday: Quiet and clear weather is expected for any Black Friday in-person shopping. While temperatures will start off in the mid to upper teens if you're out before sunrise for any "big deals", highs will climb to the upper 20s.

Saturday & Sunday: We'll lump both days this weekend together, as similar weather can be expected. Highs will be in the low to mid-30s with mainly cloudy skies. A system will pass to our south and east this weekend, helping to increase winds. They'll be out of the southwest at 5-10 mph on Saturday, but turn to be out of the northwest during the day Sunday with gusts to 20 mph.

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Highs somewhat typical of late November will close out the month here in the metro, with mainly 30s expected through next week. By next weekend, highs could climb back to around 40F. While there could be a few scattered precipitation chances next week, I'm not tracking anything major at this point. For those who want to get out and participate in outdoor winter activities... snow is the only thing missing at this point!

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Giving Thanks For So Many Things This Year
By Paul Douglas

"To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven," wrote poet and theologian Johannes A. Gaertner.

I still hear my late mother's words in my head. "Start and end every day in gratitude for what you have, not what you desire. Billions of people would give anything to have your worst day".

Among a long list of things to be thankful for this year: "no weather". Yes it's chilly with a whiff of windchill, but a snow-free November has been another blessing. Maybe winter will seem shorter this year? Maybe I'm delusional?

A supernaturally quiet spell of weather lingers into next week. No storms. No arctic air. Temperatures a few degrees cooler than average but no gasp-worthy weather headlines. A clipper sparks Sunday flurries, with an inch or 2 from Des Moines to Chicago. Piddly stuff. We may hit 40F again by the end of next week. Thank you El Nino.

A 2-4" accumulation of turkey is likely later today. Is that "plowable"?_______________________________________________

Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast

THURSDAY: Chilled sunshine. Wake up 28. High 32. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind NW 10-20 mph.

FRIDAY: Mix of clouds & sun, risk of shopping. Wake up 19. High 30. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind NW 8-13 mph.

SATURDAY: Clouds increase, still dry. Wake up 25. High 33. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind SW 7-12 mph.

SUNDAY: Gray with a period of flurries. Wake up 26. High 34. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind W 10-20 mph.

MONDAY: More sunshine, still brisk. Wake up 23. High 32. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind W 10-15 mph.

TUESDAY: Patchy clouds. Wake up 20. High 33. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind S 8-13 mph.

WEDNESDAY: A few spits of snow. No big deal. Wake up 22. High 34. Chance of precipitation 30%. Wind W 10-15 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
November 23rd

*Length Of Day: 9 hours, 16 minutes, and 26 seconds
*Daylight LOST Since Yesterday: 2 minutes and 0 seconds

*When Do We Drop Below 9 Hours Of Sunlight? December 3rd (8 hours, 59 minutes, 24 seconds)
*When Is Sunrise At/After 7:30 AM? December 1st (7:30 AM)
*What Is The Earliest Sunset? December 8th-14th (4:31 PM)
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This Day in Weather History
November 23rd

2003: New London and Little Falls both receive 9 inches of new snow.

1983: Heavy snowfall accumulates over most of central Minnesota with snowfall totals from 4 inches to almost 1 foot. Minneapolis received 11.4 inches of snow, while Farmington had 11 inches.

1954: Very strong winds over Minnesota lead to considerable damage in downtown Wadena.

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For Thanksgiving Thursday, we'll be tracking two areas of precipitation across the nation. The concerning one will be in the Rockies, where we could see heavy snowfall. Some mixed precipitation will also be possible in the eastern Great Lakes and New England.

The only concern for the Thanksgiving Parade in New York City will be the winds - out of the northwest at 10-15 mph in the morning hours. Otherwise, mainly sunny skies and temperatures in the 40s are expected!

Most of the rain across the eastern United States through the end of the week will have fallen pre-holiday, though some rain will be possible in Florida and along the Mid-Atlantic/Southeastern seaboard on Friday.

Snowfall will top a foot at some of the highest elevations in the Rockies through the end of the week - particularly in southern Montana, Wyoming, and parts of Idaho.

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Oil Spill Off Louisiana Coast Shuts Output From 7 Drillers

More from Bloomberg: "A pipeline leak off the coast of Louisiana that dumped the equivalent of two Olympic-size swimming pools of crude to the Gulf of Mexico has forced seven drillers to shut in production, according to the US Coast Guard. There is no timeline for restarting output as the Coast Guard continues to search for the source of the release, Captain Kelly Denning said at a press briefing Tuesday. Rough seas and strong winds that slowed work in the first few days have subsided, allowing for cleanup and work to locate the source to advance."

A blueprint for climate-friendly holiday cooking

More from Grist: "Cooking a feast, whether it's for two people or 20, can come with some stressful considerations. What to make? How much to make? How to budget time and money? And, since you're here reading this newsletter, you may also be thinking about how to prepare delicious, celebratory meals that uphold your dedication to a clean, green, just world. Food writer and recipe tester Caroline Saunders has given this some thought. Saunders worked at Grist for a number of years before heading to pastry school at Le Cordon Bleu Paris to pursue her passion for climate-friendly desserts. She started a podcast and a newsletter on the topic, and this week, we asked her to share some of her favorite tips and recipes for building climate awareness into holiday cooking."

Climate change: Rise in Google searches around 'anxiety'

More from the BBC: "Online search queries related to "climate anxiety" have risen, according to data gathered by Google and shared exclusively with BBC 100 Women. Studies also suggests that women are more affected by climate anxiety than men. The rise of wildfires, floods and droughts around the world are just some of the highly visible signs of climate change. What is reported less is the impact of climate change on human minds. Climate anxiety - defined as feelings of distress about the impacts of climate change - has been reported globally, particularly among children and young people. Data from Google Trends shows that search queries related to "climate anxiety" have increased dramatically. Search queries in English around "climate anxiety" in the first 10 months of 2023 are 27 times higher than the same period in 2017."

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Thanks for checking in and have a great day!

- D.J. Kayser