Warm and humid weather for the rest of the week with bouts of thunderstorms. Multiple severe weather outbreaks possible Tues and Wed with potential for torrienntal rainfall!

Regional Weather Map

The weather story is currently focused on the Midwest as a severe weather outbreak is likely, with the potential for heavy rainfall over a large area. Passing low pressure systems along a meandering front will produced bouts of showers and thunderstorms, especially in Minnesota and Wisconsin over the next few days. Every day there could be a threat of severe storms with this with the heightened risk of damaging wind, hail and tornado's especially in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Local and Metro views.

I will get right to the topic at hand. A very wet, stormy warm and humid week is ahead. The focus for these storms will be a frontal system which will get near the area and stall out. This will be the focus and produce waves of thunderstorms with more then one severe weather threat. Tuesday severe weather threat will be mainly an evening/after dark threat. Before the storms each day it will be a warm and humid. It will actually feel quite sticky as dewpoints rise into the 60s and stay there much of the week, highs each day will be in the 70s to 80 with lows in the 60s. Tuesday Thunderstorms will develop first in Western Minnesota and move east, they will likely be here after 6pm. What is left of those storms could be severe and heavy and have heavy rain. Wednesday could be have the highest severe weather threat. Thunderstorms will develop along the stalled out front in the afternoon it is will likely some of these storms become severe, although with this there is the potential for have torrential rainfall, Temp wise highs in the 80s and lows in the mid 60s which will future fuel storms. Thursday and Friday will both be warm and humid with highs in the upper 70s and lows in the 60s, with a threat for thunderstorms both days. It is too early to determine the severe weather threats, but it is certainly a possibility.

Tuesday Night and Wednesday evening severe weather threat!

Tuesdays Threat: thunderstorms will form along a cold front first in western Minnesota and move east across Minnesota, reaching the local area around or after dark, what is left of the storms there will impact the local area, Damaging winds and large hail will be the main threats in our area. Wednesday threat: A frontal system will be near if not directly over the area which is prime for thunderstorm development,  thunderstorms will develop along this front in the afternoon and evening and some will likely be severe. Very Damaging winds, very large hail and tornado's along with torrential rain over 2+ inches will all be a possibility.  People in the area should take this 2 day severe weather threat seriously and stay closely tuned to weather information over the course of the week. There could be multiple severe weather threats over the course of the next few days!

Tuesday, Partly Sunny breezy, warm and humid! Highs in the upper 70s. South winds gusting to 35MPH at times. Thunderstorms approaching towards evening, some could be severe and have heavy rain. Tuesday Night, Thunderstorms, some could be severe and have heavy rain. Otherwise cloudy with lows in the low 60s.

Wednesday, Partly sunny warm and very humid with highs in the low 80s. Heat index approaching mid 80s. Thunderstorms developing in the afternoon, some will likely be severe and have torrential downpours. Wednesday Night, Thunderstorms, Some will likely be severe and have torrential downpours. Then Cloudy with lows in the mid 60s.

Thursday, Partly Cloudy warm and humid. A chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Sunny with highs in the upper 70s to low 80s. Tuesday Night, Partly Cloudy, a chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 60s.

Friday, Partly Cloudy, Warm and humid. Highs in the upper 70s to low 80s. A chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Friday Night, Partly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 60s.

No looking ahead forecast as multiple threats of severe weather are possible over the course of this week and attention needs to be focused on that!

Spring Growth Update #6 Leaves of Summer!

Downtown Rochester skyline April 29th 2012

This is a canopy view of Rochester as of the current date. The Downtown skyline can be seen in the back round with a crane to the left which is currently working on the future Richard O. Jacobson Building. The weather has been back and forth between warm from near 80 on Tuesday to cold, in the upper 40s with sleet on Saturday. Despite this the growing season has continued to progress at a fairly good rate. Most trees have completely grown in leaves now at least 95% of trees have full grown leaves, with only late trees such as Ash, Honey Locust and Walnuts still having small leaves.

Backyard view April 29th 2012

The title of the post should be called Summer Growth Update because the yard the has a more summer look then Spring! The young Red Maple now has full grown leaves and Lilacs have almost completed it's bloom cycle. I've even went ahead and have begun planting summer tender flowering annuals in pots. In the gardens, Hostas and Peonies are slowing stealing the show, or soon will be. It's quite odd to be talking about Peonies blooming already. In Wisconsin, I'm accustom to them blooming on the 1st day of Summer, here in southern Minnesota they bloom in late May, but there very early this year.

Front yard view April 29th 2012

Most of the tulips that were blooming are done, but A few groups of late Tulips are sill pretty. All my summer perennials are now up and thriving! The Ash tree is taking its time leafing in, but the Silver Maple next door has fully completely leafed out and is doing what there famous for, dropping seeds!

Increasingly Cold for Saturday and Yes, wet snow flakes could mix in with Saturdays rain! Then quick warm up with it looking increasingly warmer for Sunday/Monday, but still looks wet.

Regional weather view.

It has been going a bit backwards in our seasons now, The main story for the weekend is a storm system passing through the Upper Midwest. The center of low pressure will pass through Iowa, spreading widespread rains across South/North Dakota, Minnesota Wisconsin and Iowa. There is even the threat that  a few wet snowflakes could mix in in Minnesota and Wisconsin, but there will be little if any accumulation. It looks increasingly warmer for everyone already on Sunday as the system departs and warmer air moves in from the west, but this will also increase shower chances for Monday.

Local and Metro views.

Yes, if you heard snow you were right! It looks increasingly cold and wet for Southeastern Minnesota this weekend and especially Saturday! A low pressure centered well to the south in Iowa will spread rain into our are late Friday after a cloudy day with highs in the mid 40s and lows in the 40s, Saturday will be cold, cloudy wet and raining steady most of the day. As the rain falls even though it will start off in the 40s temperatures will cool down through the 40s and into the 30s even in the middle of the afternoon. As this happens some of the rain may mix with wet snowflakes at times. This snow will not cause problems and will not accumulation becuase of very warm ground temperatures that we have. If any did accumulate it will be light and melt fast. The good news is up to 0.50" of much needed precip is possible by Saturdays end. Lows Saturday will not fall below freezing. Clouds will help keep temps in the mid 30s. There should not be any threat of hard frosts during this cool down. Sunday looks drier and quite a bit warmer. Under partly sunny skies highs will warm to the mid 50s and lows will be in the 40s. Monday as a warm front approaches it looks much warmer, even with cloudy skies and a threat for increasing showers and possibly some thunder. Highs will be in the upper 50s with lows in the mid 40s

Friday, Mostly Cloudy, Winds, east winds gusting to 35MPH at times. Highs in the mid 50s. Friday Night, Cloudy with a chance for light rain late. Lows in the upper 30s.

Saturday, Cold and wet. Cloudy with a good chance of rain, mixing with wet snowflakes in the afternoon. No accumulation. Highs in the mid 40s. Saturday Night, Rain possibly mixing with wet snowflakes. No accumulation. Lows in the mid 30s.

Sunday, Warmer, Partly sunny with highs in the mid 50s. Sunday Night, A chance of showers late, otherwise cloudy with lows in the low 40s.

Monday, Partly Sunny with a chance for showers, and possibly thunder. Highs in the upper 50s. Monday Night, Cloudy with a chance for showers. Lows in the upper 40s.

Looking Ahead- Significant warm up for next week, mid 70s by Wednesday

The cold snap does not last long and all becuase were already looking at much warmer times ahead. This also means increased chances for rain. The models hint on a chance for showers and Thunderstorms Tuesday night and Wednesday with highs near 70.  Its too early to tell if these will be severe, but some decent rain is possible in isolated areas. The threat for thunderstorms remains in the forecast through Thursday as a front remains close by in Iowa. Then things really warm up and become humid for the weekend of the 5th, It looks dry and warm for Saturday, but Sunday has a threat for showers and thunderstorms. Then Monday a warm front passes through and it becomes very warm and humid, and wet as well, every other day appears to have the threat for showers and thunderstorms, some could bring heavy rain on Tuesday the 8th. A cold front sweeps through on the 12h bringing another chance of a round of showers and thunderstorms. All in all to sum up the long range forecast, wet have the chance to become warm and very wet!

Changeable temperatures, Sunny with warm up to the mid 70s by Tuesday, then chance of rain Wednesday with a cooldown to the 50s by Thursday

Regional Weather View.

A quiet weather patten to start the week will be in places across the region bringing moderately warmer temperatures and sunny skies. By Tuesday highs will be approaching 80 in Iowa.  Wednesday a frontal system will pass through bringing a quick shot of rain. Behind it its back to cooler air and sunny dry conditions for Wednesday

Local and Metro views.

Locally we can expect a very nice start to the week! Both Monday and Tuesday should feature mostly sunny skies with moderating temperatures. Highs Monday will be in the mid 60s, with lows in the low 40s. Tuesday will be the warmest day. Skies will be mostly sunny with highs in the low to mid 70s, with lows in the 50s! This warmth will be very short lived. Wednesday a frontal system passing through will bring in a quick shot of showers and thunderstorms. None of this rain will be too heavy or cause many problems  there will probably not be too much rainfall with this either and it will not be an all day type rain, most should be light in nature. Then Thursday it will dry back out and become much cooler, highs will only be in the mid 50s with lows in the mid to upper 30s. Some light frosts will be possible, especially outside of Rochester.




Monday, Pleasant and nice! Sunny skies light winds, highs in the mid 60s. Monday Night, clear skies, lows in the low 40s.

Tuesday, Sunny and warm! Light winds with highs in the low to mid 70s. Tuesday Night, clear skies lows in the low 50s.

Wednesday, Partly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 60s.  Wednesday Night, clearing skies, lows in the upper 30s.

Thursday, Much cooler, Sunny skies light winds with highs in the mid to upper 50s. Thursday Night, a bit chilly, clear skies with lows in the low to mid 30s. Light frost possible.

Looking Ahead

Looking towards next Friday, things warm back up a bit for Friday, then for the weekend a system looks to bring a shot at rainfall, especially Sunday, some could be heavy, It remains mostly cloudy for Monday with fair temperatures before a larger storm system spreads in heavy rains form Iowa to start the 1st Tuesday of May, some of this rain looks quite heavy. We get a break Thursday through Friday, with partly cloudy skies with fair temperatures. Then things look to start getting increasingly warm, humid, and stormy as we approach the week of Tuesday May 8th. We could be seeing more chances of severe weather during this time. More on this later.

Benefical Rains yesterday! 1+ inch amounts in some areas, with some nearing 2"!

Photo of the steady rain that occurred April 20th 2012

A storms system with a stationary front in Iowa caused a huge area of rain to develop across Southern Minnesota yesterday. This spread steady beneficial rains across the entire local area! The rain started around 11AM in many place, an increasingly got heavier as the day went on. It made for a cold wet day in the 40s. By the afternoon everyone was in light to moderate steady rains. The heaviest rain was across Northwestern and Southeastern parts of the area. The rain improved to be very beneficial, especially to areas in severe drought, most south of Zumbrota got over half an inch, with less then that towards Cannon Falls. Hopefully we can keep this wet pattern and put a dent in the deficit that we have.

Rainfall Amounts from Thursday

Dodge Center 1.79"
Lanesbro 1.49"
Austin 1.40
Winona 1.20"
Eastern Rochester 1.05"
Rochester Airport 1.05"
Lansing  1.03"
West Downtown Rochester (my sta.) 0.98"
Red Wing 0.94"
Kellong 0.76"
Aultura 0.65
Lake City 0.58"
Cannon Falls 0.29"

Spring Growth Update # 5 Lilacs in full bloom in Early/Mid April!

Lilacs in full bloom April 18th 2012

There you have it Lilacs in Mid April! The Lilacs actually started bloom on the 9th of the month before that big cold snap arrived. I was stunned to see that most plants were fine and were not harmed despite us getting a freeze 3 nights in a row. The lilac pictured above was dug up potted last spring from bushes in my hometown yard. It was planted the ground in summer of last year and this year it is blooming, which is quite interesting becuase they normally take a few years to develop roots before they will flower. Lilacs normally bloom a couple weeks before Memorial day in May here in southern Minnesota.

 Backyard view April 17th 2012

Here is the backyard as of this week. The red maple to the left slightly I planted in August when I started college has leafed out nicely and is now in full leaf! I am excited to watch this small tree grow into a great shade tree. In the yard flowers that normally bloom in Early Summer are blooming now, Perennial Geraniums have started, peony have buds and Hostas are fully leafed out. Spring bulbs like Tulips and Daffodils are on the fast decline or have completed faded. I have already begun to prep pots for summer blooming annuals!

3rd story view.

This is a canopy view of the neighborhood, It looks much like summer! Most trees now have full sized leaves on them, there are only a few species which have little or no leaves yet, some are Ash, Walnut and Hackberry.

Crabapple trees near St Marys Park April 15th

Crabapples are still the main show in many spots of the city, there are some very beautiful streets in Rochester becuase they are completely lined with crab-apples. It really looks and smell great!

Crab apple by St Marys Park April 18th

Here is another crab apple filled completely with flowers. I believe this is a Spring Snow variety.

This Week is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Minnesota! Tomorrow: Tornado awareness and Tornado Drill.

This week is Severe Weather Awareness week in Minnesota! People should take this time to learn more about tornadoes and the warning system that defends most communities against it. Tomorrow is focused on tornado awareness! It is a fact that severe weather hits Southern Minnesota annually, and it is likely that at least somewhere in Goodhue, Dodge, Winona, Wabasha, Mower, Olmstead and Fillmore will see a severe storm this year. In the state of Minnesota, tornadoes are seen several times a year at least somewhere. So now great time to learn and plan in case it should happen.

2 Tornado Drills Tomorrow!

Tomorrow tornado sirens will ring across the state and across the area as 2 tornado drills are scheduled (weather depending) the 1st afternoon one is at 1:45PM and the second evening one is at 6:55PM. Siren Information:  Many people do not not that tornado sirens are for people who are outside only and they are not meant to be heard indoors, but there are systems designed to be heard indoors. SAME Weather radios send warning messages directly from the NWS are are deigned to be heard indoors.

More information about severe weather awareness week can be found at NWS La Cross