Gradual temperature inflation

What exactly was that cold, white, (foreign), crystalline substance falling out of a slate-gray sky on Monday? Old-timers referred to it as s-n-o-w.

I did a little research on the subject, consulted my trusty Merriam-Webster dictionary:

"SNOW"

Pronunciation: \ˈsnō\

Function: noun

Usage: often attributive

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English snāw; akin to Old High German snēo snow, Latin niv-, nix, Greek nipha (accusative)

Date: before 12th century

1 a : precipitation in the form of small white ice crystals formed directly from the water vapor of the air at a temperature of less than 32°F (0°C).

For the record only .9" snow fell on St. Cloud (officially, at the airport) during the month of January. According to NOAA records that made snowfall in January, 2010 the FIFTH LEAST in the last 109 years for the St. Cloud area. The least January snow ever reported: .1" in 1990. It turns out the last few Januarys have been unusually fickle (and snowless). A meager 2" fell on St. Cloud during January, 2007, then only a year later 1.8" fell in January, 2008. In contrast, the last "Top 10" January snowfall was 1999, when 18.4" was dumped on central Minnesota. Aah, the good 'ol days.

St. Cloud's Gloomiest Januarys (for snow-lovers). With .9" last month add 2010 as #5 to the list. Graphic courtesy of St. Cloud State University (and Professor Bob Weisman).

:            STATION           MAX     MIN     SNOW  SNOW
:             NAME             TEMP    TEMP    FALL  DEPTH
AXN : ALEXANDRIA MN ARPT     :  10  /    2      M      M
STC : ST CLOUD MN ARPT       :  12  /   -1  /  0.9     9
MSP : MINNEAPOLIS MN ARPT    :  16  /    8  /  0.8     8
RWF : REDWOOD FALLS MN ARPT  :  16  /    5  /   M      M
DLH : DULUTH AIRPORT         :  11  /  -11  /  0.0     25
INL : INTERNATIONAL FALLS    :   7  /  -22  /   T      19
HIB : HIBBING ARPT           :  10  /  -14      M      M
GNA : GRAND MARAIS MN        :  20  /    0  /   M      M
RST : ROCHESTER MN ARPT      :  19  /    6  /  1.0     11

Statewide Climate Recap. Data as of 7 pm Monday evening. St. Cloud picked up .9" Monday (as much as fell all of January!). The Twin Cities: .8" with 1" in Rochester. Final amounts may be a bit higher, especially south of the Twin Cities, where the heaviest bands from Monday's clipper set up. Note Duluth: reporting a healthy 25" of snow on the ground. Even Rochester has more snow on the ground than St. Cloud or the Twin Cities. Very odd.

Snapshot of a Clipper. Monday evening's weather map showing a cyclonic swirl of snow. The purple/red dots show IFR conditions, where cloud ceilings and visibilities are lowest (implying heavier amounts of snow). For the latest "surface map" for the Upper Midwest click here.

Encouraging Trends. The models are in close agreement about the impending warming trend through the end of the week - some divergence about the cooling trend early next week, but there's little doubt that a colder front pushes back into Minnesota by Monday.

Next "Nuisance Snow"? The GFS model is hinting at a little light snow Friday and Saturday, possibly mixed with freezing drizzle at times. Amounts should be light, under an inch or so. With afternoon highs in the upper 20s to near 30 most (major) roads may just be wet/slushy by then.

A few (random) weather headlines:

* Next week's cold push won't be as bitter (or enduring) as this latest outbreak - 2 or 3 days of highs in the teens.

* The mercury return to the mid 20s, possibly 30 again by the end of next week.

* I still don't see a major storm (snow, ice or rain) looking out 10-14 days. Beyond that time frame the crystal ball gets very, very murky. Maybe we'll ease into February after all.

Paul's Outlook for St. Cloud

Today: Slippery start. Flurries giving way to peeks of sun. Winds: NW 8-13. High: 11

Tonight: Partly cloudy, quite cold. Low: -1

Wednesday: Becoming mostly cloudy - decent travel conditions. High: 15

Thursday: Overcast, a bit milder. High: near 20

Friday: A period of light snow, possibly mixed with freezing drizzle. High: 23

Saturday: Light snow/flurries, potential for a slushy coating to 1" High: 24

Sunday: Better travel day. More clouds than sun. High: 22

Monday: Windy, turning colder with more sunshine. High: 17