Snowfall Totals Through 4:30 PM Friday
So far the heaviest snow totals that have been reported (as of 4:30 PM) were out in western Minnesota, where Dawson reported 7.5" of snow and Odessa had 6.8". We also have watched a heavy band of lake effect snow along the North Shore of Lake Superior produce 6.5" in Two Harbors and 6" near Palmers.
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Saturday Weather Outlook
A bright, sunshiny day is expected Saturday in the Twin Cities - but it will be colder than what we saw with the snow Friday. Morning temperatures start off in the single digits, climbing to the low/mid-teens for highs. Hopefully, the sunshine beaming down on the pavement will help to de-ice some of the roads across the region.
Wind chills start the day below zero but do climb into the single digits during the midday and afternoon hours with north-northeast winds around 5 mph.
Mostly sunny skies are expected across the state on Saturday with just some passing clouds at times. Most areas will be several degrees below average with highs in the single digits and teens.
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Warmer Sunday Through Tuesday... Then The Other Shoe Drops Again
The cold snap lasts only a day thankfully as warmer weather moves back in for the Sunday through Tuesday timeframe with highs in the 20s to low 30s. Some light snow will be possible Sunday morning. As we head toward Wednesday, however, the next cold blast moves in with highs only in the mid-single digits.
Cold temperatures are expected to continue next Thursday, with morning lows below zero and highs in the mid-single digits above zero.
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Giving Thanks to Teachers In Our Midst
By Paul Douglas
"Everyone who remembers his own education remembers teachers, not methods and techniques. The teacher is the heart of the educational system." wrote Sidney Hook. My 9th grade science teacher got me hooked on meteorology. A favorite college professor at Penn State reminded us that it was scientifically impossible to predict snow down to the inch. He came up with the "nuisance-plowable-crippling" snowfall scale I borrowed back in the early 80s, and many others have been using it ever since. Thank you teachers, for finding ways to educate and encourage us during these difficult times.
Our powdery (Aspen snow) is over and travel slowly improves today. Temperatures recover to near 30F Sunday with a thaw likely early next week.
Subzero nights are likely the latter half of next week and I see a cold finish to January. Big surprise. Not record-setting, but attention-getting. Long range models suggest a return of milder, Pacific-flavored air as we crunch our way into February. Fact: spring is only 64 days away!
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Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast
SATURDAY: Chilled sunshine. Wake up 0. High 12. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind S 3-8 mph.
SUNDAY: Coating of flurries possible. Wake up 9. High 30. Chance of precipitation 60%. Wind SW 8-13 mph.
MONDAY: Cloudy with a few flakes. Wake up 20. High 27. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind S 3-8 mph.
TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy, risk of a thaw. Wake up 24. High 33. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind W 10-20 mph.
WEDNESDAY: Sunny and colder. Wake up -6. High 3. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind NW 10-20 mph.
THURSDAY: Blue sky, toe-curling cold. Wake up -15. High 0. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind S 3-8 mph.
FRIDAY: Light snow PM hours. Wake up -1. High 18. Chance of precipitation 50%. Wind S 10-20 mph.
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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
January 15th
*Length Of Day: 9 hours, 10 minutes, and 21 seconds
*Daylight GAINED Since Yesterday: 1 minute and 47 seconds
*When Do We See 9.5 Hours Of Daylight: January 25th (9 hours, 31 minutes, 15 seconds)
*Next Sunrise At/Before 7:30 AM: February 3rd (7:30 AM)
*Next Sunset At/After 5 PM: January 17th (5:00 PM)
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This Day in Weather History
January 15th
1972: Cold air invades the region with a minimum temperature of -33 degrees F at Alexandria, -32 at Eau Claire, and -29 at the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport.
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National Weather Forecast
The main story Saturday will be the system that has been impacting the upper Midwest Friday sagging south into the Deep South, bringing rain, snow, and ice concerns.
From Friday through Sunday evening a stripe of at least 6-12" of snow is expected to fall in portions of the central U.S., including the Des Moines area, and through the weekend over a foot of snow will be possible in the southern Appalachians. Some areas of the Southeast could see at least 3" of liquid through the weekend.
Snow will fall this weekend as far south as areas like Jackson, MS, and Atlanta, GA. Meanwhile, in the Charlotte area, at least a quarter-inch of ice is likely to fall. This snow and ice across the region are likely to lead to nearly impossible travel conditions as well as power outages.
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NOAA, NASA name 2021 sixth-hottest year on record
More from Yale Climate Connections: "Earth had its sixth-warmest year on record in 2021, 0.84 degree Celsius (1.51°F) above the 20th-century average, NOAA reported January 13. NASA also rated 2021 the sixth-warmest year on record (tied with 2018), 1.12 degrees Celsius (2.02°F) above the 1880-1920 period, which is its best estimate for when preindustrial temperatures occurred. NASA rates the margin of error of its annual temperature measurement at .05 degree Celsius. The European Copernicus Climate Change Service rated 2021 as the fifth warmest year on record; Berkeley Earth rated it the sixth warmest year on record. Minor differences in rankings often occur among various research groups, the result of different ways they handle data-sparse regions such as the Arctic. Global satellite-measured temperatures in 2021 for the lowest eight kilometers of the atmosphere were not yet available at the time of this writing."
Energy experts say renewable energy will be key in making Texas' electricity more reliable in 2022
More from Houston Public Media: "Experts watching Houston's energy industry say the pandemic has accelerated the transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy — and demand is growing worldwide for clean, affordable energy. It comes as leaders in Texas are working to increase reliability of the electric grid after last February's deadly winter storm caused widespread outages across the state. Growth in renewable energy will be key making the grid better able to handle sharp increases in energy demand, like what happened during Winter Storm Uri. To learn more about what's expected in 2022 for clean energy, Houston Public Media spoke with Gavin Dillingham, Vice President of Research for energy with the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC)."
Powell likely won't do what green activists want most
More from Axios: "Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell is offering Democrats fresh pledges to make climate change a priority, but there's little sign he believes the central bank should act to thwart Wall Street finance for polluting industries. Driving the news: Powell told the Senate Banking Committee Tuesday that the Fed would proceed with analyzing banks' readiness to grapple with global warming and the ways climate change can threaten financial stability."
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Thanks for checking in and have a great day! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@dkayserwx) and like me on Facebook (Meteorologist D.J. Kayser).
- D.J. Kayser