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Snow Depth
The latest snow depth reports show a fairly decent base across the region. The Metro was reporting around 5", but has you head north, there are some double digit reports. According to the MN DNR Snowmobile and cross-country ski trails are generally reported to be in good to very good conditions across the northern half of the state. Trails in the southern half of the state are reported to poor condition with little to now snow on the ground there.
See more from the MN DNR HERE:
Seasonal Snowfall So Far
Here's a look at how much snow we've seen so far this season. Note the Twin Cities has seen nearly 25", which is nearly +3.0" above average. Grand Forks, ND has seen nearly 40" of snow, which is more than 1ft above average! Heading south into South Dakota, many locations there are below average and more than 1ft below average in Pierre and Huron.
Snowfall Outlook Through Wednesday
The snowfall outlook through the middle part of next week looks pretty quiet with little to no snow expected anywhere across the state. In fact, weather conditions through much of next week look rather quiet with minimal precipitation potential anywhere in the Upper Midwest.
Mostly Quiet Next Several Days
Here's the weather outlook through AM Saturday, which shows quiet weather in place over the next several days. Late week there could be some snow potential on Friday. Stay tuned...
Cold Monday, Then a Modest January Warmup
Here's the 850mb temp anomaly through the week ahead. Cold temps continue on Monday, but look at the milder oranges and reds moving in through much of the rest of the week. Surface temps in the Twin Cities could reach the low/mid 30s for much of the second half of the week.
Monday Weather Outlook
The weather outlook for Minneapolis on Monday shows another very chilly day with air temperatures struggling to get into the single digits above 0F by the afternoon. Temps through the first half of the day will likely be in the sub-zero range with even colder wind chill values.
Meteograms for Minneapolis
The hourly temps for Minneapolis on Monday show temps starting in the sub-zero range, but will warm to the single digits above zero by the afternoon. Breezy NW will continue, but it won't be quite as windy as it was on Sunday.
Wind Chill Values Monday
Feels like temps for Minneapolis on Monday will be very cold with sub-zero wind chill values through the day.
Weather Outlook For Monday
High temps across the region on Monday show readings warming into the single digits above and below zero, which will be nearly -15F to -20F below average for early January.
Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis
The extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis over the next several days shows temps running well below average again on Monday. However, we'll get close to normal again on Tuesday and will warm into the low/mid 30s for the 2nd half of the week.
Extended Weather Outlook For Minneapolis
The extended weather forecast through the week ahead shows very chilly conditions continuing on Monday before mild air return during the 2nd half of next week. In fact, several days late next week could warm to the freezing mark or better, which will be nearly +50F warmer than it was Friday morning.
Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis
According to the ECMWF & GFS extended temperature outlook, temperatures will be quite cold on Sunday and Monday before several days of milder weather during the 2nd half of next week and weekend. The GFS shows another potential surge of colder air as we approach the middle and end of January... Stay tuned.
8 to 14 Day Temperature Outlook
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows below average temps across the Eastern US and especially around the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes Region.
8 to 14 Day Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, drier weather will be in place across the West Coast in mid January, while more active weather will be possible across the High Plains and the Southeastern US.
One More Cold Day, Then A Modest January Warmup
By Todd Nelson, filling in for Douglas.
On this date in 1975, the 'Blizzard of the Century' began across parts of the Midwest and lasted for 2 days. More than 1 foot of snow fell from Nebraska to Minnesota. 27" was reported in Riverton, MN and 24" in International Falls. Winds of 30mph to 50mph with gusts as highs as 70mph to 90mph produced some 20 foot snow drifts. Nearly 60 people died and an estimated 100,000 farm animals were lost in what was one of the worst blizzards the Upper Midwest has ever seen.
The Twin Cities has had nearly 25" of snow so far this season, a majority of which fell during the month of December (21.5"). Surprisingly, it was the 9th snowiest December on record in the metro. December 2021 also saw nearly 20 tornadoes in the southeastern part of the state. Talk about weather whiplash, good grief!
Icy winds continue today with sub-zero wind chill values finally fading midday Tuesday as air temperatures return to near normal levels. The second half of the week looks even warmer with readings flirting with the freezing mark. It'll feel like a heat wave!
Extended Forecast
MONDAY: Icy sunshine, Feels like -15F to -25F. Winds: NW 5-10. High: 3.
MONDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear and cold. Feels like -10F to -15F. Winds: SSE 5. Low: 0.
TUESDAY: Bright sun. Feels much warmer. Winds: WSW 10-15. High: 30.
WEDNESDAY: Partly cloudy. Risk of a thaw. Winds: WNW 5-10. Wake-up: 20. High: 34.
THURSDAY: Mild. More clouds. Light snow late. Winds: SE 5-10. Wake-up: 21. High: 34.
FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy & breezy. Light snow. Winds: NNW 10-20. Wake-up: 22. High: 28.
SATURDAY: Mix of clouds and sun. Few flurries. Winds: WNW 5-10. Wake-up: 13. High: 20.
SUNDAY: Breezy. Near average temps. Winds: SW 10-15. Wake-up: 5. High: 26.
This Day in Weather History
January 10th
1990: A January 'heat wave' forms. MSP Airport warms to 49 degrees.
1975: The 'Blizzard of the Century' begins. Also called the 'Super Bowl Blizzard,' it was one of the worst blizzards ever. The pressure hit a low of 28.62. This was the record until 1998.
Average High/Low for Minneapolis
January 10th
Average High: 23F (Record: 52F set in 2012)
Average Low: 7F (Record: -30F set in 1886)
Record Rainfall: 1.13" set in 1975
Record Snowfall: 4.0" set in 1975 & 1976
Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
January 10th
Sunrise: 7:49am
Sunset: 4:51pm
Hours of Daylight: ~9 hours & 2 minutes
Daylight GAINED since yesterday: ~ 1 minute & 29 seconds
Daylight GAINED since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 16 minutes
Moon Phase for January 10th at Midnight
1.5 Days Since First Quarter Moon
National High Temps Monday
The weather outlook on Monday shows very chilly conditions across the Midwest, Great Lakes and Eastern US, where temps will be well below average. Meanwhile, temps along the Front Range will above average by nearly +5F above average.
National Weather Outlook
The weather outlook through the early week timeframe shows a line of showers and storms ending in the Eastern US with lingering lake effect snow showers around the Great Lakes Region. Areas of rain and mountain snow will be possible in the Pacific Northwest as well.
Extended Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, areas of heavy precipitation will be possible across the Gulf Coast and the Eastern US. There will also be heavy precipitation in the Pacific Northwest.
Extended Snowfall Potential
Here's the extended snowfall potential as we approach mid January. Areas of heavy snow will be possible across parts of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic States. Stay tuned...
Climate Stories
"Record levels of greenhouse gas methane are a 'fire alarm moment'"
"Average atmospheric concentrations of methane reached 1900 parts per billion last September, the highest in nearly four decades of records. Rising levels of the powerful greenhouse gas methane reaching a new milestone should serve as a "fire alarm moment", say researchers. According to data compiled by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), average atmospheric concentrations of methane reached a record 1900 parts per billion (ppb) in September 2021, the highest in nearly four decades of records. The figure stood at 1638 ppb in 1983. "It is scary," says Euan Nisbet at Royal Holloway, University of London. He says the record shows the importance of more than 100 countries acting on their methane-cutting pledge at the COP26 climate summit. The new high is unsurprising because methane levels have been climbing since 2007, thought to be driven primarily by changes in wetlands and agriculture in the tropics and – to a lesser degree – by leaks from oil and gas production. "The September data continues the exceptional trends that we've been seeing over the past few years," says Keith Shine at the University of Reading, UK. However, the rate at which concentrations are rising is concerning researchers, with 2020 marking the biggest annual jump since records began in 1983."
See more from New Scientist HERE:
"1 billion seconds in space! NASA's Hubble Space Telescope surpasses major milestone"
"NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has reached a major milestone: one billion seconds in the final frontier. The famous observatory launched on April 24, 1990, aboard the space shuttle Discovery. Hubble was deployed into orbit the following day, beginning its mission to explore the vast universe, including distant galaxies, supernovas, nebulas and exoplanets. On Jan. 1, 2022 the space telescope officially reached one billion seconds in space, which is about 31.7 years. "For more than three decades, Hubble has provided us with groundbreaking scientific discoveries and iconic images of space," NASA officials said in a statement announcing the space telescope's milestone. The Hubble Space Telescope is a joint mission of NASA and the European Space Agency. Between 1993 and 2009, astronauts visited Hubble five times on servicing missions launched by the space shuttle program. Those missions repaired, upgraded and replaced systems on the telescope, such as batteries, gyroscopes and other science instruments. Located high above Earth's atmosphere, the telescope has made more than 1.5 million observations in its over 30 years of operation. In turn, thousands of scientific papers have been published based on the telescope's discoveries, according to the NASA statement."
"Extreme Heat Killed Hundreds of Magellanic Penguins on a Single Day in 2019"
"New research details the devastating impact of an extreme weather event on a colony of Magellanic penguins living along Argentina's east coast. Upwards of 354 Magellanic penguins died on Jan. 19, 2019, according to research published in Ornithological Applications. The tragic event happened at Punta Tomba in eastern Argentina, home to one of the largest Magellanic penguin breeding colonies in the world. The biologists behind the new paper, Katie Holt and P. Dee Boersma from the University of Washington, say that, for this species, it was an "unprecedented, single-day, heat-related mortality event." On that day in Punta Tomba, the temperature in the shade reached 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44 degrees Celsius), marking the highest temperature for the region since recordkeeping began 40 years ago. The previous single-day record was 109 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius), but no penguin die-offs were recorded for that particular event."