Motorcycling in Minnesota in February?
Geez! Now that's a sight in February, especially in Minnesota! When the mercury hits 60F in the Twin Cities during the winter anything can happen!
How warm is it? Here's an excerpt from Mark Seeley's weekly Weather Talk:
Record High February Temperatures: Last Friday was a remarkably warm day with many climate observers in southern and western counties reporting daytime high temperatures in the 50s F. Some communities reached new record maximum temperatures for the date including 55°F at Milan, 56°F at Canby, Pipestone, and 58°F at Redwood Falls. The reading at Redwood Falls broke the previous statewide record high temperature of 57°F set at Luverne in 1977. It appears as though more record high daily temperature records around the state may be threatened this Friday through Monday (Feb 17-20). So far this month observers around the state are reporting mean February temperatures that average 5 to 9 degrees above normal. By the end of the month I would not be surprised to see some climate stations running over 10 degrees F above normal, for perhaps the warmest February since 2002. Several all-time state maximum temperature records may be threatened and I would not be surprised to see a 70°F reading occur somewhere in the state. If so, that would be just the third time in history such a temperature occurred during the month of February. The only other years were 1896 and 2000.
Golfing in February?
Yes, this weather is getting REALLY strange now. Not sure I can ever remember contemplating whether or not to make a tee time in February. Thanks to Cedar Creek Golf Course for the image below, who will be OPEN for golf this weekend... unreal!
(Image below courtesy: Cedar Creek Golf Course Facebook Page)
Visible Satellite on Friday
The visible satellite image from Friday showed mostly sunny skies across state and if you look close you can almost see the snow melting across the the Central Part of the state.
Incredible February Warmth
Here's a snapshot of temperatures around the region around 4pm Friday afternoon. Note how widespread the 50s and 60s were! That's nearly 30F to 35F above average for mid February!
Snow Depth Ranking
The latest snow depth and ranking from the MN DNR shows that much of southern Minnesota is now snow free! However, much of extreme northern Minnesota still has nearly 12" or more of snow on the ground.
____________________________________________________________________________
Flying Over Lake Minnetonka
Thanks to @AndreSiffert on Twitter for the picture below who flew over Lake Minnetonka late last week and noticed very few (if any) ice houses on the lake. The recent warm weather has created uneasy and unsafe ice conditions around area lakes... be careful!
_______________________________________________________________________________
Officials Warn of Thinning Ice Around Area Lakes
I feel cheated. I love winters in Minnesota and everything that comes along with it. Call me crazy, but I like the snows, I like the extreme cold temps and I love the winter sports. Unfortunately, this winter has been stunted. The coldest 3 months (on average) for the northern hemisphere, which is also known as Meteorological winter has been running well above average in the temperature department. Month by month here it is for the Twin Cities:
December: +1.2F above average
January: +5.3F above average
February (thru the 15th): +6.2F above average
January: +5.3F above average
February (thru the 15th): +6.2F above average
Because of that, official are warning of thin ice on area lakes. There have been several cars that have already gone through lakes, so angler should stay aware of their situation before heading out.
How Rare are 50F+ in February in the Twin Cities?
Take a look at the red lines below, this tells us how many times the Twin Cities has seen 50F or warmer since the late 1800s. Note that we've only had a maximum of 6 days and has happened only 3 times, in the 1930s and again in 1981. Note that the next 6 days are forecast to be at or greater than 50F!
Extended Temperature Outlook for Minneapolis
Here's the temperature outlook through February 26th, which shows well above average temperatures continuing through the weekend and into early next week. Note that Friday's high temperatures was the first time we've 50F and 60F in the Twin Cities since November 28th (55F) and November 16th (61F). This weekend will continue to feel very much like April with highs in the 50s to near 60 degrees! Unreal!
Record Warmth Continues...
Thanks to the National Weather Service for the numbers below, which tell us how high the record highs are from 2/16 to 2/22 in Minneapolis, St. Cloud and in Eau Claire. Note that several of these records have a chance at being beaten in the days to come. If you're a fan of this warmer weather during meteorological winter, enjoy!
Here are some number from the National Weather Service:
What is the record for consecutive days with highs of 50 degrees or higher in February?
Twin Cities: 6 days (1930 and 1981)
St. Cloud: 5 days (1981)
Eau Claire: 7 days (1930)
How often does the temperature reach 60 degrees or higher in February?
Twin Cities:
There have only been 4 days on record (back to 1873) when the temperature has reached 60 degrees or warmer in February (1896, 1921, 1981, 2000).
The earliest 60 degree reading on record is February 15th (1921).
St. Cloud:
There have been no days on record with a temperature of 60 degrees or warmer in February since temperature records began in St. Cloud in 1894.
The earliest 60 degree reading on record is March 3rd (1905).
St. Cloud: 5 days (1981)
Eau Claire: 7 days (1930)
How often does the temperature reach 60 degrees or higher in February?
Twin Cities:
There have only been 4 days on record (back to 1873) when the temperature has reached 60 degrees or warmer in February (1896, 1921, 1981, 2000).
The earliest 60 degree reading on record is February 15th (1921).
St. Cloud:
There have been no days on record with a temperature of 60 degrees or warmer in February since temperature records began in St. Cloud in 1894.
The earliest 60 degree reading on record is March 3rd (1905).
______________________________________________________________________________
Widespread Record February Warmth Through Early Next Week
As temperatures warm later this week, record warmth could follow. The images below show where record warmth is forecast (circles) for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Note that by Friday, record warmth could stretch as far north as Minneapolis, MN, St. Cloud, MN, and Fargo, ND!
As temperatures warm later this week, record warmth could follow. The images below show where record warmth is forecast (circles) for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Note that by Friday, record warmth could stretch as far north as Minneapolis, MN, St. Cloud, MN, and Fargo, ND!
______________________________________________________________________________
Golf clubs this weekend, then shovels late week?
By Todd Nelson, filling in for Douglas.
By Todd Nelson, filling in for Douglas.
Does anyone else think this weather is a bit strange? Golf courses are open, grills are being fired and brave souls are wearing shorts! What the heck?
February 2017 in the Twin Cities is off to a very warm start. In fact, the average temperature is running nearly 7 degrees above average. Note that February typically sees about 5 sub-zero nights in the Twin Cities and we haven't seen one yet. At this rate, I don't think we'll even go below zero this month.
After widespread record warmth across the Upper Midwest on Friday, we have another chance to see record warmth over the weekend and into early next week. Interestingly, the same storm that is flooding parts of southern California will bring scattered showers and rare February rumbles to a neighborhood near you on Monday.
Enjoy the mild weather while you can. Long range forecast models are suggesting the potential of accumulating snow across parts of the Upper Midwest late next week. Talk about weather whiplash. Good grief. Stay tuned for more on that. Happy grilling
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Extended Forecast:
FRIDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear, mild and quiet. Winds: W 5-10. Low: 36
SATURDAY: Hazy sun. Hints of April. Winds: WSW 5. High: 52.
SATURDAY NIGHT: More clouds, still mild. Winds: W 5. Low: 35.
SUNDAY: Another record high? More PM clouds. Showers develop overnight. Winds: SE 5-15. High: 58.
MONDAY: Record warmth again. Breezy with scattered showers and rumbles. Winds: SSE 10-20. Wake-up: 46. High: 58.
TUESDAY: Sun returns. Still feels like April. Winds: SW 5-15. Wake-up: 44. High: 56.
WEDNESDAY: Hazy sun. Last very warm day. Winds: WSW 5-15. Wake-up: 40. High: 54.
THURSDAY: Breezy. Rain/snow mix develops. Winds: NE 10-20. Wake-up: 35. High: 43.
FRIDAY: Windy. Rain changes to wet snow. Winds: NNW 15-25. Wake-up: 32. High: 35.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
This Day in Weather History
February 18th
February 18th
1979: This is one of the rare times that Lake Superior completely freezes over.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Average High/Low for Minneapolis
February 18th
February 18th
Average High: 30F (Record: 58F set in 1981)
Average: Low: 14F (Record: -21F set in 1903)
Average: Low: 14F (Record: -21F set in 1903)
*Record Snowfall: 7.0" set in 1961
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Sunrise Sunset Times For Minneapolis
February 17th
February 17th
Sunrise: 7:08am
Sunset: 5:46pm
Sunset: 5:46pm
*Daylight Gained Since Yesterday: ~2 minutes & 58 seconds
*Daylight Gained Since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~1 hour & 51 minutes
________________________________________________________________________________
*Daylight Gained Since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~1 hour & 51 minutes
________________________________________________________________________________
Moon Phase for February 16th at Midnight
0.5 Days Before Last Quarter
0.5 Days Before Last Quarter
________________________________________________________________________________
Weather Outlook For Saturday
Saturday will be another extremely warm day for February across the Upper Midwest. Highs in the 40s and 50s will be 20F to nearly 25F above average!
Weather Outlook For Saturday
Winds will mainly be light across the region on Saturday, but they will be out of a more westerly direction. Won't don't really look to pick until early next week as a storm system rolls through the region.
Weather Outlook for Through Early Next Week
Here's the weather outlook from Saturday to AM Tuesday. Note that we stay dry through the weekend, but a storm system arrives late Sunday into Monday with widely scattered showers and even a few rumbles of thunder! Interestingly, the 30 year average for the Twin Cities suggests that February averages less than 1 day of thunderstorms (0.1 days) during the month.
Precipitation Potential Thru Tuesday
Our next storm system moving through the Upper Midwest early next week will have the potential of dropping 0.25" to 0.50" liquid across the region, some of this could be aided by thunderstorm activity on Monday. Note that the heaviest precipitation looks to fall along and east of the Mississippi River Valley into Wisconsin.
Late Week Wintry Mix and Snow Chance?
Talk about weather whiplash, take a look at the storm system that long range weather models are trying to develop by late next week. It is still WAY too early to talk about what exactly is going to happen here, but it's interesting that we could go from several days of record warmth in February to snowfall in just a few short days. Stay tuned.
_______________________________________________________________
8 to 14 Day Temperature Outlook
According to NOAA's CPC, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook suggests warmer than average temperatures continuing across much of the Upper Midwest from February 26th - March 2nd. There may be a slight cool down late month, but the overall trend remains warmer than average.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Temperature Outlook
National Temp Outlook
Take a look at the temperature anomaly through Saturday, February 25th. Note that the despite a quick shot of cooler than average temps by the middle and end of this week, the eastern half of the country looks to stay warmer than average through much of that time period. Colder than average temps begin moving into the western part of the country next week and perhaps into the central part of the country by the last weekend of the month.
________________________________________________________________________________
National Weather Outlook
Here's the national weather outlook through the weekend, which continues to show another surge of Pacific moisture moving through the Western US. As this first surge of moisture works east through the Central US, thunderstorms and heavy rainfall will develop across the Gulf Coast States and bring thunderstorms to parts of the Upper Midwest on Monday. Another surge of Pacific Moisture looks to blast the West Coast as we head through the rest of the weekend and early next week.
_____________________________________________________________________
Waves of Pacific Moisture in the Western U.S. Continue
Several rounds of heavy precipitation have blasted the West Coast and we're not quite done yet. Another surge of heavy precipitation will push through the region this week and weekend ahead with more possible into early next week with significant rainfall and flooding along with heavy mountain snow.
More Heavy Rains in California
.png)
5 Day Precipitation Forecast
Very Soggy on the UCLA Campus
Take a look at all the umbrellas on the UCLA campus from Friday afternoon. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and on Friday, they were getting hammered by extremely heavy rainfall and very gusty winds!
Here's a closer look at how much rain could fall across parts of California and the Southwest through AM Wednesday. Note that some spots near Los Angeles, San Francisco and Redding, CA could see nearly 4" or more, which could lead to additional flooding.
Why So Much Moisture?
Heavy precipitation has been falling across the Western U.S. due to rivers of Pacific moisture plowing into the region. Note the deep plumes of Pacific moisture that seems to be directed right toward the West Coast, these are the Atmospheric Rivers that are responsible for the extensive precipitation. Note the next big plume setting up just west of the region, this will be responsible for another heavy surge through the week ahead.
According to NOAA's WPC, the 5 day precipitation forecast suggests widespread 6" to 9"+ precipitation amounts across the West Coast through the early weekend. This will likely help improve the drought even more as we head into the 3rd week of February.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Radar Estimated Precipitation Past 30 Days
Improving California Drought
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the California drought continues to improve. Note that over the last 3 months, we have seen major improvement in the Exceptional, Extreme and Severe drought. With the additional moisture expected this week, we should continue to see even more improvement!
_________________________________________________________________
Snowfall Potential
Here's the snowfall potential through the end of next week, which shows heavy mountain snow continuing across parts of the Western U.S.. Also note the snow potential across the Midwest late next week... while it is still WAY to early to tell what's happening with that particular snow chance, it's worth watching. Stay tuned!
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Latest Seasonal Snowfall Tallies Across the Country
According to NOAA's NOHRSC, here are the latest seasonal snowfall tallies (in map form) across the Lower 48. Note that there are heavy pockets across in Intermountain West and across the Great Lakes Region, but the heaviest is across the Northern New England States. Some spots there have seen nearly 96" of snow or more since September 30, 2016.
Heavy Snow in the Northeast
Take a look at these 10 days snowfall tallies from across parts of the Northern New England States. 3 different storms over the last 10 days have left some locations buried under nearly 5ft. of snow or more! Here are some of the latest snowfall tallies from the National Weather Service out of Caribou, ME.
Snowiest February in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
While storm after storm has been dumping heavy snow across parts of the Northeast, some of the same storms have also been bringing heavy snow to parts of eastern Canada. Take a look at the webcam below from the Chester Golf Club in Nova Scotia, Canada, note the heavy drifts on the deck! Interestingly, the Halifax Airport in Nova Scotia has just set a record for the most snow during the month of February with 138.4cm (~54.4"). The Halifax Airport also set a new snow depth record, which was 86cm (~33.9"), beating the old record of 81cm (~31.9") set on Feb 23, 2004.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Feels More Like Spring Than February
Thanks to my cousin Jessica Gust for the picture below who is spending time in Atlanta, GA where spring has apparently already sprung! She snapped these pictures from the Atlanta Botanical Garden... it looks beautiful Jess, thanks!
According to USA National Phenology Network, areas in the green color below show where spring has already sprung across parts of the Southern U.S.. Their definition of spring is this: The appearance of the first tiny leaves on the trees, or the first crocus plants peeping through the snow? "The Spring Leaf Index is a synthetic measure of these early season events in plants, based on recent temperature conditions. This model allows us to track the progression of spring onset across the country."
"The map below shows locations that have reached the requirements for the Spring Leaf Index model (based on NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction Real-Time Mesoscale Analysis temperature products)."
Start of Spring Anomaly 2017
Interestingly, spring has sprung 20+ days ahead of normal in some locations across the Southern U.S..
"We can evaluate whether spring is arriving early, late, or right on time this year at a location by comparing the day of year the Spring Leaf Index requirements were reached in 2017 to the day of year the Index is typically reached. We determine what is typical for a location by averaging the day the Index was reached over the 1981-2010 period. The number of days a between when the Index was reached this year and when it is typically reached at a location is called the “anomaly.”"
Thanks to my cousin Jessica Gust for the picture below who is spending time in Atlanta, GA where spring has apparently already sprung! She snapped these pictures from the Atlanta Botanical Garden... it looks beautiful Jess, thanks!
Start of Spring... Already?
"The map below shows locations that have reached the requirements for the Spring Leaf Index model (based on NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction Real-Time Mesoscale Analysis temperature products)."
"We can evaluate whether spring is arriving early, late, or right on time this year at a location by comparing the day of year the Spring Leaf Index requirements were reached in 2017 to the day of year the Index is typically reached. We determine what is typical for a location by averaging the day the Index was reached over the 1981-2010 period. The number of days a between when the Index was reached this year and when it is typically reached at a location is called the “anomaly.”"
___________________________________________________________________
"A NASA Astronaut Just Pulled Off an Awesome Prank in Space"
NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson just pulled off a prank that's literally out of this world. Whitson, a veteran space traveler, is one of six people living and working on the International Space Station right now. And while astronauts are usually pretty busy in space, Whitson found time Monday (Feb. 13) to surprise her Russian crewmates with a gag you could only pull off in space. As you can see here, Whitson packed herself inside a cargo bag and enlisted two partners-in-prank (NASA's Shane Kimbrough and France's Thomas Pesquet) to surprise their Russian crewmates. [Fun in Zero G: Awesome Weightless Photos] "They were quite surprised when I popped out!" Whitson wrote in a Twitter post.
(NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson pops out of a cargo bag during a prank on the International Space Station on Feb. 13, 2017. Credit: Peggy Whitson/Twitter/NASA)
"The Northern Lights is distracting drivers, Icelandic police warn"
"We are all familiar with the risks of driving under the influence of alcohol, but what about driving under the influence of the Aurora Borealis? Well, that’s becoming an increasing problem in Iceland, according to local police, who say foreign motorists are driving dangerously because they are being distracted by the Northern Lights. According to the local news site, Víkurfréttir, police stopped two motorists for driving dangerously last week; in both incidents the officers suspected the drivers were drunk, but soon realised they had a more innocent explanation for their behaviour: they had been distracted by the light show above them."
(Motorists have reportedly been "driving under the influence of the Aurora Borealis"CREDIT: AP/FOTOLIA)
________________________________________________________________________________
"Scientists have just detected a major change to the Earth’s oceans linked to a warming climate"
"A large research synthesis, published in one of the world’s most influential scientific journals, has detected a decline in the amount of dissolved oxygen in oceans around the world — a long-predicted result of climate change that could have severe consequences for marine organisms if it continues. The paper, published Wednesday in the journal Nature by oceanographer Sunke Schmidtko and two colleagues from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel, Germany, found a decline of more than 2 percent in ocean oxygen content worldwide between 1960 and 2010. The loss, however, showed up in some ocean basins more than others. The largest overall volume of oxygen was lost in the largest ocean — the Pacific — but as a percentage, the decline was sharpest in the Arctic Ocean, a region facing Earth’s most stark climate change."
(Big waves generated by the Nazare canyon just off the coast of Nazare, central Portugal, in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. (Francisco Leong/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images))
"Firefall wows visitors at California’s Yosemite National Park"
"The "firefall" phenomenon at California’s Yosemite National Park is back. In mid-February each year, the sun hits the Horsetail Fall at just the right angle to create an illusion that looks like lava flowing off the side of the cliff instead of water. The firefall only lasts for a few minutes at sunset, and draws hundreds of visitors hoping to capture an out-of-this-world shot."
See more from USAToday.com HERE:
(Image credit: sangeetadeyphotograph via Instagram)
_____________________________________________________________________________
See more from USAToday.com HERE:
(Image credit: sangeetadeyphotograph via Instagram)
Thanks for checking in and don't forget to follow me on Twitter @TNelsonWX
No comments:
Post a Comment