Tornado Drill Day Is Thursday!
Unlike
the technical malfunction that allowed the tornado sirens to sound
Tuesday morning in Hennepin County, when you hear the sirens go off late
today (Thursday) they are actually supposed to! As part of Severe
Weather Awareness Week in the state, two statewide tornado drills will
occur. More information on when they will be sounded from the Twin Cities NWS office:
1:00 PM: The National Weather Service will issue a simulated tornado watch for Minnesota and Wisconsin.1:45 PM: The National Weather Service will issue a simulated tornado warning all of Wisconsin. Note that most cities and counties will activate outdoor warning siren systems.
1:45 PM: The National Weather Service will issue a simulated tornado warning for Minnesota counties. Note that most cities and counties will activate outdoor warning siren systems.
2:00 PM: The National Weather Service will issue an "End of Test" message using the Severe Weather Statement product. It should be stated that outdoor warning sirens will not be sounded again for this all clear, nor will there be any warning tone on NOAA Weather Radio.
6:55 PM: Another simulated tornado warning will be issued for Minnesota and Wisconsin counties.
Today is a good day to remind yourself what you would do if a Tornado Warning is issued for your area. Click this link for some safety tips from the Minnesota Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, including what to do if you are in a house, outdoors, in a vehicle or in a shopping mall.
_______________________________________________
130-Year Anniversary.
Not only is Thursday statewide tornado drill day, but it is also the
130-year anniversary of the deadliest tornado in Minnesota history. The
tornado struck the St. Cloud and Sauk Rapids area late in the afternoon,
killing 72 and destroying 80% of the building in Sauk Rapids.
(Screenshot from the MNDNR's Tornado History page.)
_______________________________________________
Severe Weather Awareness Week: Flooding.
The topic of Severe Weather Awareness week in Minnesota and Wisconsin
Wednesday was flooding. Here are some graphics NWS Twin Cities posted on
twitter that focused on the topic and included some historic floods
from both states.
_______________________________________________
Hazy Wednesday
Did
you notice some haze in the sky Wednesday across southern Minnesota?
You wouldn't be the only one. I took this photo in the St. Cloud area in
the late afternoon hours.
Smoke and Fire Analysis courtesy of NOAA Satellite and Information Service
All
that haze was due to smoke from wildfires across Kansas and Nebraska
drifting northward as well as some spot fires across southern Minnesota
throughout the day. This did cause air quality values to rise into the
moderate range due to the fine particles in the air.
_______________________________________________
MODIS satellite image from Tuesday.
Ice Still Across Some Northern Minnesota Lakes.
While numerous lakes across southern Minnesota saw early ice outs,
there are still some lakes across northern Minnesota with ice on them,
including Red Lake (which sees an average ice out date of April 29) and
Lake of the Woods (average ice out date: May 2). This high resolution
satellite image, however, shows a crack in lower Red Lake Tuesday.
MODIS satellite image from Wednesday.
Since
it was a clear day across the region Wednesday, you could easily tell
which lakes still had ice on them across northern Minnesota. You could
also see what is left of the snow across portions of the Arrowhead. For
the latest ice out information from the Minnesota DNR, click here.
_______________________________________________
Spring Fever Warning - Atmospheric Euphoria
By: Paul Douglas
By: Paul Douglas
Flurries on a Tuesday, 70s on Thursday?
Welcome to spring on the prairie. A light-switch spring. Flip a switch -
cue the oohs & aahs. I predict precious little will get done today.
Job productivity and test scores will suffer. That stuff on your to-do
list? Forget about it.
Winter
was fairly tame (thank you El Nino!) but the arrival of sustained 70s
is always cause for celebration. I got so excited I set off the sirens Wednesday morning. My bad.
NOAA
data shows more deaths from flash flooding than tornadoes in Minnesota
over the last 30 years. A foot of rapidly moving water can sweep a small
car downstream; 2 feet can float an SUV or truck. "Turn around - don't
drown" is good advice indeed.
Nothing severe is brewing, but a few instability T-showers may bubble up over the weekend. 70s are likely into Saturday,
cooling into the 60s next week. No more wintry slaps looking out 2-3
weeks; no slush or windchill-babble lurking over the horizon.
Americans
living in the south and west take 70s for granted. Not Minnesotans.
Soak it up now - before bugs & humidity crash the party!
_______________________________________________
Extended Twin Cities Forecast
THURSDAY: Lukewarm sunshine. High 72. Low 52. Chance of Precipitation: 0%. Wind S 15-25 mph.
FRIDAY: Partly sunny, a balmy breeze. High 73. Low 55. Chance of Precipitation: 10%. Wind S 15-25 mph.
SATURDAY: More humid, stray T-shower. High 72. Low 57. Chance of Precipitation: 50%. Wind S 10-20 mph.
SUNDAY: Morning shower, then slow clearing. High 63. Low 45. Chance of Precipitation: 60%. Wind N 8-13 mph.
MONDAY: Intervals of sun, light winds. High 63. Low 43. Chance of Precipitation: 10%. Wind E 5-10 mph.
TUESDAY: Mix of clouds and sun, pleasant. High 67. Low 46. Chance of Precipitation: 10%. Wind E 5-10 mph.
WEDNESDAY: Fair weather holding pattern, dry. High 70. Low 49. Chance of Precipitation: 10%. Wind NE 5-10 mph.
FRIDAY: Partly sunny, a balmy breeze. High 73. Low 55. Chance of Precipitation: 10%. Wind S 15-25 mph.
SATURDAY: More humid, stray T-shower. High 72. Low 57. Chance of Precipitation: 50%. Wind S 10-20 mph.
SUNDAY: Morning shower, then slow clearing. High 63. Low 45. Chance of Precipitation: 60%. Wind N 8-13 mph.
MONDAY: Intervals of sun, light winds. High 63. Low 43. Chance of Precipitation: 10%. Wind E 5-10 mph.
TUESDAY: Mix of clouds and sun, pleasant. High 67. Low 46. Chance of Precipitation: 10%. Wind E 5-10 mph.
WEDNESDAY: Fair weather holding pattern, dry. High 70. Low 49. Chance of Precipitation: 10%. Wind NE 5-10 mph.
_______________________________________________
This Day in Weather History
April 14th
1983:
A 'surprise' snowstorm covers east central Minnesota. The Twin Cities
receives 13.6 inches, the all-time record for April. Brilliant blue
skies and bright sun appear the next morning.April 14th
1886: The deadliest tornado in Minnesota's history rips through St. Cloud and Sauk Rapids, leaving 72 people dead. 80 percent of all buildings in Sauk Rapids would be leveled as the tornado's width expanded to 800 yards. As it crossed the Mississippi it knocked down two iron spans of a wagon bridge and local witnesses said the river was 'swept dry' during the tornado crossing. 300,000 dollars damage would occur in Sauk Rapids, only 4,000 dollars of which was insured. The forecast for that day was for local rains and slightly warmer with highs in the 50's.
_______________________________________________
Average Temperatures & Precipitation for Minneapolis
April 14th
April 14th
Average High: 57F (Record: 89F set in 2003)
Average Low: 37F (Record: 18F set in 1928)
Average Precipitation: 0.09" (Record: 1.56" set in 1983)
Average Snowfall: 0.1" (Record: 13.6" in 1983)
________________________________________________
Average Low: 37F (Record: 18F set in 1928)
Average Precipitation: 0.09" (Record: 1.56" set in 1983)
Average Snowfall: 0.1" (Record: 13.6" in 1983)
________________________________________________
Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
April 14th
Sunrise: 6:29 AMApril 14th
Sunset: 7:58 PM
*Length Of Day: 13 hours, 28 minutes and 42 seconds
*Daylight Gained Since Yesterday: ~3 minutes & 0 seconds
*Next Sunrise That Is Before 6 AM: May 3rd (5:59 am)
*Next Sunset That Is After 8 PM: April 16th (8:01 pm)
________________________________________________
Thursday Minnesota Weather OutlookForecast cloud cover and precipitation every three hours between 7 AM Thursday and 7 AM Friday. Graphic: AerisWeather's Mapping Platform.
________________________________________________
National Weather
Severe Weather Outlook for Thursday.
Severe Weather Outlook for Friday.
Forecast rain through Tuesday
________________________________________________
Thanks for checking in and have a great Thursday! Don't forget you can follow me on Twitter (@dkayserwx) or on Facebook (Meteorologist D.J. Kayser)!
- D.J. Kayser
No comments:
Post a Comment