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"The U.S. Is in for Another Super-Dry Winter"
"The latest forecast from NOAA says that La Niña will make for a dry winter—a sign that we can expect another year of drought. Don't expect much relief from the ongoing drought out West this coming winter. La Niña is returning for its third consecutive year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced this week. This means that Western states will continue to see drier-than-average conditions this winter. "Drought conditions are now present across approximately 59% of the country, but parts of the Western U.S and southern Great Plains will continue to be the hardest hit this winter," said Jon Gottschalck, chief of the Operational Prediction Branch at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. "With the La Niña climate pattern still in place, drought conditions may also expand to the Gulf Coast."
Precipitation Departure From Average This October
It's been a dry October with many locations nearly 1" to 2" below average for the month of October. The Twin Cities is now more than 2" below average, which is the 8th driest October on record to date. However, with no more rain in the forecast through Monday, it appears that this October will be the 6th driest October on record in the Twin Cities.
Precipitation Departure From Average This Fall
If you look at the precipitation deficit for the season (since September 1st) the deficit is even greater. Many locations are well below average with the Twin Cities approaching 5" below average since September 1st, which will likely wind up being the 2nd driest 2 months of Fall on record at the MSP Airport.
Precipitation Departure From Average Since Jan. 1st
The Twin Cities is now approaching 10" below average for the year, which through the end of October on Monday will be the 16th driest start to any year on record (through October 31st). Meanwhile, International Fall, MN is still more than 9.50" above average, which is still the 2nd wettest start to any year on record there.
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.
Fall Color Update
And going going gone... That's basically it for the fall color season. Sure, there's a little bit of color here and there, but accord to the MN DNR, we are past peak color across the state and will have to wait until next fall for more.
See more from the MN DNR HERE & Travel Wisconsin HERE:
Astonishingly Dry Stretch Continues
The weather outlook through the weekend into next week shows another several day stretch of dry weather with well above average temperatures. However, there might be something brewing late next week across the Upper Midwest, stay tuned!
Precipitation Outlook
The extended precipitation potential over the next several days doesn't show much in the way of heavy precipitation. We'll likely stay dry through about Wednesday or Thursday of next week, but there could be some precipitation potential late in the week. It's still too early to say for certain, but something could be developing.
Weather Outlook on Saturday
The weather outlook on Saturday across the region shows temps warming into the 50s and 60s, which will be 10F to 15F above average for late October. We'll also have plenty of sunshine, which will make it feel more like a nice late September day.
Weather Outlook Saturday
The weather outlook for Minneapolis on Saturday shows very quiet weather in place for the last Saturday of October. Mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid 60s, will be well above average for this time of the year. Our splendid weather continues into late fall.
Meteograms for Minneapolis
The hourly forecast for Minneapolis on Saturday shows temps starting in the mid 40s in the morning and warming into mid 60s by the afternoon. We'll have dry and sunny skies with SSW winds around 10mph to 15mph.
Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis
The extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis over the next 5 days shows temps warming into the 60s over the next several days, which will be nearly 10F to 20F above average. In fact, a few communities could be near record warmth by Wednesday of next week!
Extended Weather Outlook For Minneapolis
The extended weather outlook over the next 7 days shows well above average temperatures continuing through the first few days of November. There could be some weather blowing through late next week, but it's too early to tell at this point. Stay tuned...
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 in place across the eastern half of the nation, while cooler than average temps will be found in parts of the Western US.
8 to 14 Day Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 Day precipitation outlook shows more active weather setting up across northern tier of the nation. Meanwhile, drier weather will set up along the East Coast and the Gulf Coast.
Dry & Mild Ahead. Feeling More Like Late September
By Todd Nelson, filling in for Douglas
Happy last Saturday of October! According to National What Day, today is reserved for National Trick or Treat Day, who knew? Sure, why not... We all need another excuse to eat candy.
Hard to believe it's the end of October. It feels more like late September with temps running a little more than a degree above average so far this month. Remarkably, the Twin Cities has only picked up 0.24 inches of rain this month and with no rain in sight through Halloween, this will be the 6th driest October on record. Season to date (since September 1st), the MSP Airport has only seen 0.48 inches of rain, which will be the 2nd driest start to fall on record. Uffda!
Our astonishingly dry weather continues over the next several days with temps nearing record warmth into early next week. According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, warmer than average temps will continue into early November with (potentially) more active weather on the horizon. In the meantime, enjoy the sublime October weather.
A Witch Watch has been issued for Monday. Stay tuned!
Extended Forecast
SATURDAY: Sunny and mild. Winds: SSW 7-12. High: 66.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear and quiet. Winds: S 5. Low: 42.
SUNDAY: Blue sky and comfortable. Winds: WNW 5. High: 63.
MONDAY: Spooktacular Halloween sunshine. Winds: SW 7-12. Wake-up: 39. High: 63.
TUESDAY: Dry and sunny again. Shocking. Winds: SSE 5-10. Wake-up: 44. High: 66.
WEDNESDAY: Warmer and breezier with more clouds. Winds: S 10-15. Wake-up: 51. High: 68.
THURSDAY: Feels like late September. PM showers? Winds: SSE 10-15. Wake-up: 53. High: 65.
FRIDAY: Cloudy and breezy. Scattered showers. Winds: WNW 10-20. Wake-up: 46. High: 54.
This Day in Weather History
October 29th
2004: Exceptionally muggy conditions for October are felt over much of the state. Dew points surged into the middle to upper 60's over central and southern Minnesota. Ladybugs are extremely active.
1955: Early snow hits the Twin Cities, accumulating to 2.2 inches.
1905: Several inches of snowfall accumulate in south central Minnesota. Snow totals included 7 inches at Fairmont, 6 inches at Farmington, 4.5 inches at Montevideo, 4 inches at Faribault, and 3 inches at New London.
Average High/Low for Minneapolis
October 29th
Average High: 51F (Record: 78F set in 1922)
Average Low: 36F (Record: 15F set in 1925)
Record Rainfall: 1.01" set in 1896
Record Snowfall: 5.5" set in 1905
Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
October 29th
Sunrise: 7:47am
Sunset: 6:05pm
Hours of Daylight: ~10 hours & 18 minutes
Daylight LOST since yesterday: ~ 2 minutes & 50 seconds
Daylight LOST since Summer Solstice (June 21st): ~ 5 hour & 21 minutes
Moon Phase for October 29th at Midnight
2.0 Days Before First Quarter Moon
National High Temps Saturday
The weather outlook on Saturday shows well above average temps returning to the Upper Midwest with temps running nearly 15F above average! Dallas & Houston will be nearly 10F below average in the wake of a storm system that brought a few strong storms to the region with heavy rainfall on Friday.
National Weather Outlook Saturday
A slow moving storm system will bring scattered storms to the Gulf Coast States with a few isolated severe thunderstorms and locally heavy rain. Meanwhile, another storm system will take shape in the Pacific Northwest with areas of rain and high elevation snow.
National Weather Outlook
The weather outlook through Sunday keeps parts of the Central US a little active as a low pressure system moves from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Ohio Valley with rain and thunder. The best chance of severe storms will be PM Saturday across the Southern US.
Extended Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, areas of heavier precipitation will continue across the Southern US with isolated flood concerns. Meanwhile, widespread precipitation begins to take shape in the Western US with heavy mountain snow possible into next week.
Snowfall Potential
Here's the extended snowfall outlook, which shows heavy snow potential in the mountains across the Western US. It's too early to tell, but parts of the High Plains and Midwest could get in on some snow late next week as well. Stay tuned...
Climate Stories
"Sun activity: Aurora alert for northern US"
"Sun activity October 28: Aurora alert for northern US Today's top news: Effects from high-speed solar wind from the three large coronal holes we've been watching might provoke conditions for auroras displays at latitudes like those in the northern U.S. An alert for a G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm condition has been issued by NOAA/ SPWC. The storming might peak tonight (October 28, 2022) at around 18 UTC. It might extend into tomorrow morning. Aurora-chasers, get ready! We expect to keep having conditions for auroral displays for the next 3 to 4 days. Share your photos with us here. Last 24 hours: Sun activity is low, with mostly faint flaring in the B class range. There were only three C flares, the largest, a C1.3 flare. It was from AR3131 at 11 UTC on October 27, 2022. The sun continues granting us beautiful prominences on its northeast limb (edge) and on the west limb. Today, the sun has four labeled active regions. Next 24 hours: The forecast is for a 35% chance for C flares, 5% chance for M flares and 1% chance for X flares."
"The last solar eclipse of 2022 in pictures: Incredible photos from around the world"
"This year's second and final partial solar eclipse did not disappoint. The image above was captured by Jamie Carter from Cardiff, U.K. at 05:59 a.m. EDT (0959 GMT) when the sun was 12% obscured. The eclipse began at 4:58 a.m. EDT (0858 GMT) when the moon first began to cross the sun as seen from the northern Atlantic Ocean. It was visible to observers across most of Europe, as well as parts of northeast Africa, the Middle East and western Asia and ended at 9:01 a.m. EDT (1301 GMT) just south of India — right in time for a glorious sunset. A partial solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes between the sun and Earth but doesn't fully block the sun, so only a portion of our star is obscured. During a partial solar eclipse, the moon appears to take a "bite" out of our home star."
"The UN's new climate warning"
"The world is hurtling toward between 2.6 and 2.8°C (5.04°F) of warming above preindustrial levels by 2100 barring major new steps, a UN analysis warns. Why it matters: That's way beyond the 1.5°C target the Paris climate agreement set to avoid the most disastrous impacts of climate change. Driving the news: The 2022 "Emissions Gap Report," out this morning, shows the difference between where countries' emissions need to be to meet the Paris Agreement's targets, and what all of their pledged emissions cuts would actually achieve. The big picture: This year's gap report, combined with another analysis released Wednesday, sets a sobering scene for the upcoming COP27 climate talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. There, countries will be pressed to do more to slash emissions. The analysis, issued annually by the UN Environment Program (UNEP), has a faint silver lining, in that the upper range of projected warming has declined over time. A decade ago, it was as high as 4°C (7.2°F)."
