So Many Questions This Winter Season

Soak up 50F later today because a cooling trend is just as inevitable as pangs of holiday disappointment. No drama Sunday or Monday but a storm will side-swipe us with plowable snow Tuesday, maybe something in the 2-4" range. Check the blog for more details. -Todd Nelson

November 26, 2022 at 3:30AM
(@TNelsonWX/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Snow Next Week?

Here's the weather outlook from 7pm Monday to 7pm Wednesday, which shows a developing storm system moving through the middle part of the country through the first half of the week. Strong to severe storms will be possible across the Lower Mississippi Valley with heavy rainfall, while plowable snow will be possible the Upper Midwest.

Weather Outlook From 7pm Monday to 7pm Wednesday (WeatherBell/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Severe Threat Tuesday

According to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center, there is a risk of strong to severe thunderstorms on Tuesday across the Lower Mississippi Valley

Severe Threat Tuesday (NOAA SPC/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Warmer Week Ahead

The 850mb temp anomaly through the week ahead shows warmer than average temperatures continuing on Saturday before cooler temps arrive late weekend and into most of next week.

850mb Temp Anomaly Through Wednesday (Tropical Tidbit/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Warmer Week Ahead

Much warmer than average temperatures continue on Saturday with highs approaching 50F. Sunday will be cooler with readings back down in the 30s with even cooler air moving in by the middle part of the week and through the first part of December.

NBM Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis (WeatherBell/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Twin Cities Weather Outlook For Saturday

Here's the weather outlook for the Twin Cities on Saturday, November 26th. It'll be another quiet and very mild day with temps warming into the 50s by the afternoon.

Twin Cities Weather Outlook For Saturday (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Snow Depth

After a cold and somewhat snowy week last week, a number of locations around the region are still reporting snow on the ground. However, recent mild weather has allowed that snow to melt to a trace across much of Central and Southern MN. Far northern Minnesota is still reporting a decent amount on the ground with 6" in International Falls.

Snow Depth As Of Friday (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Weather Outlook on Saturday

Temps across the region on Saturday will be quite mild for this time of the year with readings warming into the 40s and 50s, which will be nearly 10F to 15F warmer than average. Clouds will be on the increase across the northern half of the state through the day.

Weather Outlook For Saturday (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Highs From Average on Saturday (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Meteograms For Minneapolis

Temps on Saturday will start in the mid 30s in the morning with highs reaching the lower 50s in the afternoon. The skies will remain sunny and dry with breezy southwesterly winds approaching 25mph at times.

Hourly Temps & Sky Conditions For Minneapolis on Saturday (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Hourly Wind Gust & Direction For Minneapolis on Saturday (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Precipitation Departure From Average This Fall

It has been a very dry Fall so far with precipitation running more than -4.85" below average (since September 1st). The September 1st - November 25th time period was the 4th driest on record.

Precipitation Departure From Average Since September 1st (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Precipitation Departure From Average Since Jan. 1st

The Twin Cities is nearly 9.82" below average for the year, which is the 19th driest start to any year on record (through November 25th). Meanwhile, International Fall, MN is still nearly 9.67" above average, which is still the 2nd wettest start to any year on record there.

Precipitation Departure From Average Since January 1st (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Drought Update

It has been a dry year for many across central and southern MN. Extreme drought continues across parts of the Twin Cities to the Minnesota River Valley where rainfall deficits have been the greatest. It would be nice to get a good soaking prior to heading into winter, but it doesn't appear that anything substantial is on the way anytime soon.

Minnesota Drought Update (US Drought Monitor/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Extended Precipitation Outlook

The extended precipitation outlook through the end of next week shows minor precipitation potential close to home. However, temperatures will be cold enough for snow, so this could cause some travel issues, but it's still too early to tell. Stay tuned...

NOAA’s WPC Extended Precipitation Outlook (WeatherBell/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis

The extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis shows well above average temperatures in place on Sunday with readings nearly +15F above average for the end of November. We'll be closer to average on Sunday and then well below average by the middle part of next week.

5 Day Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Extended Weather Outlook For Minneapolis

The extended weather outlook over the next 7 days shows mild and quiet weather in place again on Saturday with temps cooling down to near average levels on Sunday. A storm system approaching Tuesday into Wednesday with minor snow accumulations possible. Then it'll be much colder by the 2nd half of next week.

7 Day Weather Outlook For Minneapolis (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis

Here's the ECMWF extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis through the end of the month and into early December. We could be near 50F again on Saturday with much cooler readings arriving as we head through the 2nd half of next week.

ECMWF Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis (WeatherBell/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

8 to 14 Day Temperature Outlook

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows warmer than average temps hanging on across Southeastern US with cooler than average temps returning to the Western half of the Central & Western US.

8 to 14 Day Temperature Outlook (NOAA CPC/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

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.

8 to 14 Day Precipitation Outlook (NOAA CPC/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

So Many Questions This Winter Season
By Paul Douglas

So many questions. Will extreme drought linger into 2023? [probably, but I'd love to be proven wrong] Will this be harsh winter, with stratospheric-warming events nudging the Polar Vortex into Minnesota? [no way to tell] We want to know the future, but a convergence of natural cycles makes it nearly impossible for clarity and confidence in the winter outlook.

I'm keeping an eye on the AO, the "Arctic Oscillation". It's about to go negative, which means weaker west to east jet stream winds; a loopier pattern that favors more frequent intrusions of numbing air. But will it stay negative most of winter? [probably not] Today's lukewarm weather bliss is just Old Man Winter catching his breath.

Soak up 50F later today because a cooling trend is just as inevitable as pangs of holiday disappointment. No drama Sunday or Monday but a storm will side-swipe us with plowable snow Tuesday, maybe something in the 2-4" range.

A few smacks of wintry weather are imminent, but nothing subzero yet. That's what January is for!

Extended Forecast

SATURDAY: Sunny and mild. Winds: SW 10-20. High: 51.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Increasing clouds clouds. Winds: NNW 5-10. Low: 32.

SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy and cooler. Winds: NW 10-20. High: 37.

MONDAY: More clouds than sun, still quiet. Winds: SE 8-13. Wake-up: 25. High: 40.

TUESDAY: Snow likely, could be plowable. Winds: N 10-20. Wake-up: 31. High: 33.

WEDNESDAY: Some sun, windy. Feels like January. Winds: W 15-30. Wake-up: 16. High: 20.

THURSDAY: Patchy clouds, still chilly. Winds: SE 8-13. Wake-up: 9. High: 29.

FRIDAY: Some sun, thawing out a little. Winds: S 7-12. Wake-up: 23. High: 37.

This Day in Weather History

November 26th

2001: A strong low pressure system develops in Colorado on the 25th, reached eastern Iowa during the evening of the 26th, then moved into eastern Wisconsin late on the 27th. It produced a wide swath of heavy snow across much of central Minnesota into West Central Wisconsin. Storm total snowfall of 8 inches or more was common, with a large area exceeding 20 inches. Specifically, Willmar picked up 30.4 inches, New London saw 28.5 inches, Collegeville had 23.4 inches, Litchfield and Granite Falls received 22 inches, and Milan had 20 inches. A convective snow band set up across this area on the 27th and remained nearly stationary for over 12 hours, resulting in the extreme storm totals. From 8 am on the 26th to 8 am on the 27th, Willmar received 21 of its 30.4 inches, setting a record for most snowfall in Willmar in a 24 hour period. The heavy wet snow downed numerous power lines, and at one point, at least 20,000 customers were without power in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Over one thousand traffic accidents were noted across the entire area. Most were minor, but one accident claimed two lives when a car spun out and collided with a semi near Mora.

1995: A narrow band of five to eight inches of snow falls from west central Minnesota around Canby and Granite Falls to east central Minnesota. This included much of the Twin Cities metro area.

1965: A snowstorm develops across northern Minnesota. 14.7 inches of snow fell at Duluth, along with 13.6 inches at Grand Rapids.

1896: A severe Thanksgiving day ice storm develops over southwest and central Minnesota. 1.42 inches of freezing rain falls at Bird Island, and 1.20 inches of freezing rain falls at Montevideo. The ice causes a great deal of damage to trees and shrubs.

Average High/Low for Minneapolis

November 26th

Average High: 37F (Record: 62F set in 1914)

Average Low: 23F (Record: -16F set in 1977)

Record Rainfall: 1.76" set in 1896

Record Snowfall: 5.0" set in 1970

Twin Cities Almanac For November 26th (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis

November 26th

Sunrise: 7:24am

Sunset: 4:35pm

Hours of Daylight: ~9 hours & 10 minutes

Daylight LOST since yesterday: ~ 1 minute & 50 seconds

Daylight LOST since Summer Solstice (June 21st): ~ 6 hour & 26 minutes

Moon Phase for November 26th at Midnight

36.3 Days After New Moon

Moon Phase For November 26th at Midnight (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

National High Temps Saturday

The weather outlook on Saturday milder weather in place across the Midwest with highs running nearly 10F to 15F above average. However, cooler temps will be place across the Southern and Western US.

National Weather Outlook For Saturday (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
National Highs From Average on Saturday (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

National Weather Outlook Saturday

The weather outlook for Saturday shows showers and storms across the Southern US with pockets of heavy rainfall.

National Weather Map For Saturday (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

National Weather Outlook

The weather outlook through Sunday shows widespread showers and storms across the Southern and Eastern US with locally heavy rain. Meanwhile, there is another developing storm system

Weather Outlook Through Sunday (NOAA WPC/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Extended Precipitation Outlook

According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, the extended precipitation outlook brings heavier precipitation potential across the Southern & Southeastern US. There will also be heavier precipitation in the Pacific Northwest.

Extended Precipitation Outlook (NOAA WPC/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Snowfall Potential

According to the ECMWF (European model), areas of heavy snowfall will be found in the Western US, especially in the high elevations.

ECMWF Extended Snowfall Outlook (WeatherBell/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Climate Stories

(NOAA/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

"Tempting solution: cool the planet artificially"

"Technologies that deflect the sun's rays could prevent heatwaves and droughts. Yet they could also have undesiderable effects on ecosystems and human populations. Switzerland wants to see a study on the potential and risks of these technologies. But some scientists are calling for an immediate ban on an idea they believe to be "harmful to humanity". A plane with a wingspan of about 100 metres takes off from an airport in the US. There are no passengers or goods on board. There isn't even a pilot. This aircraft is remote-controlled from the ground and is equipped with storage tanks and a vaporiser. Once it reaches the stratosphere, at an altitude of about 20km, it disperses billions of particles of sulphur dioxide. The aim is to reflect back a portion of the sun's rays into outer space."

"Living Next Door to Rising Seas: Portraits From Palau"

"As world leaders gather for COP27, few will hear the stories of Palauans coping with surging storms, growing heat waves and dying coral reefs that threaten their millennia-old civilization. As world leaders convene in Egypt for COP27, the annual United Nations climate summit, small Pacific island nations facing erasure from rising seas are once again demanding that industrialized countries responsible for their plight take action. Ocean issues are on the agenda at this year's COP, as is loss and damage, UN jargon for compensating developing nations for climate disasters. But most wealthy countries have thus far offered little to help island peoples survive climate-driven typhoons, heat waves and biodiversity loss."

"Climate change will clearly disrupt El Niño and La Niña this decade, 40 years earlier than we thought"

"You've probably heard a lot about La Niña lately. This cool weather pattern is the main driver of heavy rain and flooding that has devastated much of Australia's southeast in recent months. You may also have heard of El Niño, which alternates with La Niña every few years. El Niño typically brings drier conditions to much of Australia. Together, the two phases are known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation—the strongest and most consequential factor driving Earth's weather. And in recent years there has been much scientific interest in how climate change will influence this global weather-maker."

Thanks for checking in and don't forget to follow me on Twitter @TNelsonWX

@TNelsonWX (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
about the writer

about the writer

Todd Nelson

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