Paul Douglas On Weather
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Snow Totals This Past Week

It's been a snowy week in the state. Over the past five days in the Twin Cities, we have picked up 7.1". The most snow fell on Thursday, when 4.9" fell.

It's been much snowier up north, with Duluth seeing 26.5" of snow over the work week. Both Wednesday and Thursday saw over 10" falling. Thursday's 10.8" set a new record for December 15th.

The 22.3" that fell over Wednesday and Thursday is the 7th snowiest two-day total from a single storm. You can see on this above list that it falls as the 8th - that's because snow from the Halloween Blizzard is technically in there twice.

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Cloudy And Chillier Sunday

It'll be a mainly cloudy Sunday in the Twin Cities, with cooler temperatures than we've seen the past week or so. Morning temperatures will start off in the upper single digits (feeling more like the low to mid-single digits below zero). Highs will only climb to the mid-teens, but with still somewhat strong northwest winds around 10 mph it'll feel more like the single digits in the afternoon.

Partly sunny to mostly cloudy conditions are expected statewide on Sunday, with highs ranging from the single digits out in western Minnesota to near 20F up along the North Shore by Lake Superior.

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Highs Struggle This Work Week - Wednesday Snow Chance?

Struggle bus time! In the lead-up to Christmas, temperatures are going to STRUGGLE this week. After we get back the teens for Monday, temperatures look like they will plummet into the single digits for the rest of the week. Some of the coldest air will come in for Thursday and Friday with the potential that highs might not make it ABOVE zero. Since 2000, a subzero high in December at MSP has only occurred 5 times - most recently in 2017 when December 30th had a high of -6F and the 31st had a high of -5F.

That second surge of cold air comes on the heels of a snow potential for the Wednesday time frame. A system moving through the central United States will produce an area of low pressure - but how this unfolds exactly is still in question with differences in the models. Stay tuned the next several days for the latest on this potential system. However, if we do get snow, we will likely see some icing issues on roadways due to vehicles traveling over the snow. This is due to DOT chemicals not working as well at the lower expected temperatures.

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Early Look At Christmas

Right now Christmas looks cloudy and cold! Morning temperatures appear to right now start off potentially in the teens below zero, with highs potentially struggling to make it to zero. For the record, the coldest high on Christmas Day was -11F in 1884. The coldest low was -39F in 1879.

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Significant Shot Of Snow and Cold This Week
By Paul Douglas

If high temperatures stay below 0F on Friday it will be only the 6th subzero December day at MSP since 2000. In 2017 we enjoyed 2 days of subzero fun, and it may happen later this week, setting the stage for a brittle Christmas weekend.

Enjoy a few spurts and squirts of sunshine today with temperatures in the teens. The next inevitable cold front squeezes out an inch or two of fluff Monday PM into early Tuesday. A much more formidable full-frontal arctic blast approaches midweek, with a period of accumulating snow Wednesday into much of Thursday.

This snow event is too far out for specifics, but after looking at the model guidance and predicted temperatures and winds, I expect near-blizzard conditions, especially Thursday/Friday. This looks plowable, possibly crippling for parts of the Upper Midwest, with a foot of more of wind-whipped powder close to home. I could see impassable roads across Minnesota by Thursday. A numbing (very white) Christmas weekend gives way to a thaw in time for New Year's. Hang on tight!

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Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast

SUNDAY: Some sun, chilly. Wake up 6. High 13. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NW 7-12 mph.

MONDAY: 1-2" snow possible PM hours. Wake up 5. High 15. Chance of precipitation 80%. Wind E 7-12 mph.

TUESDAY: Flurries taper, some clearing. Wake up 7. High 11. Chance of precipitation 40%. Wind NW 7-12 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Snow gets steadier and heavier. Wake up 2. High 6. Chance of precipitation 100%. Wind NE 10-15 mph.

THURSDAY: Heavy snow. Blizzard potential. Wake up -12. High -1. Chance of precipitation 100%. Wind NW 20-40 mph.

FRIDAY: Gusty, drifting snow causes problems. Wake up -12. High -2. Chance of precipitation 30%. Wind NW 20-40 mph.

SATURDAY: Partly sunny. Jingle bells are frozen. Wake up -9. High 3. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NW 15-30 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
December 18th

*Length Of Day: 8 hours, 46 minutes, and 34 seconds
*Daylight LOST Since Yesterday: 17 seconds

*Shortest Daylight Of The Year: December 21st (8 hours, 46 minutes, 10 seconds)
*Latest Sunrise: December 30th-January 5th (7:51 AM)
*When is Sunset at/after 5 PM?: January 17th (5:00 PM)

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This Day in Weather History
December 18th

1923: Southern Minnesota experiences a 'heat wave'. Temperatures rose into the 60s at New Ulm and St. Peter.

1917: Milaca has its fifty-ninth consecutive day with no precipitation.

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National Weather Forecast

On Sunday, lake effect snow will impact the Great Lakes. An area of low pressure in the Northwest will produce showers and snow showers, with snow extending into the Northern Plains. A system in the central U.S. could produce some rain and mixed showers in the central/southern Plains. And a few storms will be possible in southern Florida. Otherwise, the other story will be the chilly air in the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, with highs not making it above zero in portions of Montana and North Dakota.

The heaviest additional snow will be found in the Northeast - particularly around the Great Lakes - through early in the week. Some heavy rain will be possible in the Southern Plains.

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Drought encouraged Attila's Huns to attack the Roman empire, tree rings suggest

More from the University of Cambridge: "Hunnic peoples migrated westward across Eurasia, switched between farming and herding, and became violent raiders in response to severe drought in the Danube frontier provinces of the Roman empire, a new study argues. Hungary has just experienced its driest summer since meteorological measurements began, devastating the country's usually productive farmland. Archaeologists now suggest that similar conditions in the 5th century may have encouraged animal herders to become raiders, with devastating consequences for the Roman empire. The study, published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology, argues that extreme drought spells from the 430s – 450s CE disrupted ways of life in the Danube frontier provinces of the eastern Roman empire, forcing Hunnic peoples to adopt new strategies to 'buffer against severe economic challenges'."

Get Santa a Raincoat: The New Arctic Is Wetter and Warmer

More from Gizmodo: "Climate change is rapidly transforming the Arctic into an almost unrecognizable new region, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's annual Arctic Report Card has found. The report, released Tuesday and authored by 147 scientists from 11 countries, is full of cheerful updates on just how quickly climate change is altering one of the world's most sensitive regions. For instance, the report finds that 2022 had the sixth warmest air temperatures ever recorded in the Arctic; the past seven years have together been the warmest since records began in 1900. To make matters even worse, 2022 marked the 25th consecutive year that the Greenland ice sheet, which "has immediate and global influence on sea level rise," has ended the year smaller than it began. Fun!"

Advocates want new solutions to reduce energy burden in Xcel's rate case

More from Energy News Network: "Community advocates are proposing new approaches to reducing the energy burden on low-income customers as part of Xcel Energy's Minnesota rate case. The Energy CENTS Coalition and Just Solar Coalition say Xcel's proposed rate increase, currently under review at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, offers an opportunity to ease the energy burden on BIPOC communities while rewarding less energy consumption. Xcel is asking for a 21.2% increase in electricity rates over the next three years. For residential customers, the rate would jump to above 24%. The commission will continue to take public comments until early next year and decide on the case in June. Energy CENTS Coalition Executive Director Catherine Fair has proposed that Xcel offer a 35% discount to customers earning 50% or less of the state median income. The deal would apply to the first 300 kilowatt-hours they use each month, saving roughly 92,000 ratepayers $2 to $12 a month."

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- D.J. Kayser