SPC Moderate Risk for today!

Image from SPC

A Moderate Risk! For severe weather has been pushed westward Sunday and it now includes the all of Southrn Minnesota, Northeast Iowa and Western Wisconsin. This includes the entire local area! The weather system that causes yesterdays bad weather in Kansas and Iowa will be impacting Minnesota today. Warm humid air that is starting to be put into place ahead of a east moving cold front will move east across the area later today. Thunderstorms are expected to break out in the afternoon along this cold front. The biggest threats with these fast moving stoms will be very high damaging winds, large hail, very heavy torriental rain and even a risk for tornados. People should be well awware that there is a risk of severe weather Sunday, which could become our 1st mjaor outbreak of the season!

Much needed rainfall will arrive to the area this weekend, Heavy rain and severe storms are possible Sunday. Followed by a cooldown with few wet snow flakes come Monday? Updated #1

Regional weather view.

A significant and news making weather system will put an sharp end to the quiet weather in the Upper Midwest. A low pressure system and warm front will push across Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, Southern Minnesota, Wisconsin and southern Illinois bring with in a severe weather risk as it passes through starting Friday and lasting into Sunday. A widespread outbreak is possible across Iowa with a big threat for tornados, large hail and damaging winds. Further north Southern Minnesota and Wisconsin could see a more isolated severe weather threat as the warm front pushes through. Heavy rain is possible in this area. Finally in Northwest Minnesota as another weak weather system passes through and drags down cold air, light to minor snowfall accumulations are possible Monday.

Local and Metro Views.

A very active weekend ahead for the local area, with an increasing threat for severe thunderstorms Sunday! Sunday will Very Windy, start off partly sunny, warm and humid with highs in the mid 70s winds could gust to 50MPH in some areas out of the south. By mid afternoon Thunderstorms will  break out along a cold front, and some of these could be severe and bring very heavy rain. It will be much cooler behind the cold front cooling quickly into the 30s Monday will be much colder and downright chilly. It will be cloudy and off and on rain showers could mix with a few wet snowflakes by evening. Highs Monday will be in the mid 40s with lows in the low 30s. Frost should not be a huge problem since lows will be above freezing. With all these rain chances over the weekend it is possible that we could end up with over 1-2" of rainfall by the times things are said and done from Friday through Monday, which is very good news for drought conditions which plague our region.

Sundays Severe Storm, heavy rain and strong windy threat.

Sunday will be a pretty active day weather wise between strong winds and a severe weather threat. Before storms break out in the afternoon strong south winds ahead of a cold front could gust to 50MPH tomorrow in the morning. Winds this strong can take down weak or damaged trees. There is also a greater chance of severe weather with this cold front as it interacts with warm moist air coming in from the south. Thunderstorms are expected to break out in the afternoon. Large hail, strong winds and very heavy rain will be the biggest threats but tornados will also be possible.  People in the area should be aware this could be the local areas 1st severe weather outbreak of the season.

Sunday, Partly Sunny, Very Windy! Warm and humid. Winds gusting from the south at 50MPH at times. Thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. Some could be severe and bring very heavy rain Highs in the low to mid 70s. Sunday Night, Showers and drizzle. Lows in the low 40s.

Monday, Cloudy and chilly! light showers, possibly mixing with a few wet snowflakes near evening. No accumulation. Highs in the mid 40s. Monday Night, Cloudy with a chance of light showers or drizzle. Lows in the low 30s above freezing.

Looking Ahead

Tuesday we will get a cool break from the rain as skies clear a bit. It warms up for Wednesday and a chance for light showers moves back into the picture. Then Thursday a much warm and wet pattern pushes in bring rain chances by Friday and over the weekend of the 21st, Heavy rain could be possible. Monday the week of the 23rd looks warm and very active with the threat for rain every other day that week. Some of which could be heavy. Then towards the end of the month the models show a chill airmass brining us a break in the rain for the weekend of the 28th.

Cold next couple of days/nights-Hard Freezes likely both tonight and tomarrow night. Plants must be covered! Slowly warming temps through Thursday. Then rain in our future?

Regional weather view.

A cold Canadian high pressure is causing problems with freezing temperatures across the entire region becuase this years growing season started extremely early. Through the middle of this week it will be dry lacking precipitation.

Local Weather View

 Local and Metro views.

Hard Freeze Likely tonight and Tuesday Night.

 The major topic in weather for the next couple of days is hard freezes that are expected tonight and tomarrow night. Rain will not be even in the forecast so I will go right to the problem at hand. Clear skies, and a very chilly Canadian high pressure system will cause temperatures tonight to drop into the mid 20s across most areas, with upper 20s in inner city Rochester locations. High plant fatality loss is likely becuase alot of our trees, shrubs and perennials are fully leafed out. Highs Tuesday will be slow to warm, under sunny skies we can expect highs in the upper 40s to low 50s. Then Tuesday night we can expect another hard freeze with temperatures again to be in the mid to upper 20s. Wednesday will finally start to moderate the temperatures some, under sunny skies high will warm to the mid 50s, and lows Wednesday Night will fall into the upper 20s to low 30s and frost will not be as much of an issue. Thursday will warm things up even more. It will be sunny with highs in the upper 50s to lower 60s. Lows will warm back into the 40s. Plant information can be found above!

Monday Night, Hard Freeze Likely! Cold with clear skies. Lows in the mid 20s to upper 20s Rochester. 

Tuesday Chilly with cold wind chills, Sunny skies with highs in the upper 40s. Tuesday Night, cold! Hard Freeze Likely, clear skies with lows in the mid 20s to upper 20s Rochester.

Wednesday, Warmer, Sunny skies highs in the low to mid 50s. Wednesday Night, Clear skies, lows in the upper 20s to low 30s.

Thursday. Pleasant, with light winds. Sunny skies with highs in the low 60s. Thursday Night Partly cloudy skies with lows in the low 40s.

Looking Ahead Rain in our future?

Friday looks to be the start of a decently and much needed wetter pattern for the Upper Midwest. Friday a warm front brings showers to the area Friday, with scattered showers Saturday. Then Sunday a weather system races across the Northern U.S and brings heavy rainfall chances to the local area, Thunderstorms are possible. Clears out and cools of Monday, then it warms up and turns drier into the week of the 19th. It stays dry until the 21st when a cold front may bring in rain chances. It drys out and warms up as we approach the end of April.

Spring Growth Update #4 Earlier then normal tulips and Crabapples galore- Much earlier then normal! Photos of beautiful spring landscapes around the yard and city included.

Front yard garden view. April 6th 2012

The Tulips in the front yard garden that I worked so hard on last fall is now in full bloom this week and looks great! I really liked the way these turned out, and its getting neighbors talking! I've already had 3 people stop by and tell me how much they liked my work with the Tulips in the front! Tulips are at least 2-3 weeks earlier then normal.

 Close up of Lily flowering Tulips.

This was kind of a new trial of a tulip type for me. I tried planting some fancy Lily flowering tulips in the front garden last fall and this is the outcome of that.  My aunt, a neighbor and I really like the shape of these particular tulips.

Tulips along the South side of the garage April 1st 2012

The Tulips along the garage came into full bloom at the last couple weeks of the end of March and have been blooming for quite awhile now. Hyacinths are still going but the last of the Daffodils have ended.  All were planted last fall.

Hyacinth Garden April 6th 2012

Here is another planting I did last fall. The colored flowers are  Hyacinths and smell so great they fill the entire area of the deck with a great sweet fragrance. I am beginning to really like Hyacinths just becuase of their color and scent, I really feel there one of the most fragrant flowers you can plant!

Redbud tree April 6th 2012

Here is the backyard Redbud tree in full bloom. This is the first time I witnessed a redbud tree blooming in person, I really like the color, these flowers are completely visual appearance only, no fragrance.

Crabapple lined street April 5th 2012

Now I will show some photos out of the yard and around the city. I really like what the city did with planting many miles of streets lined with beautiful flowering crabapple trees. They are very eye catching and smell just great, you can't help but stop and smell the blooms when you walk by! I also noticed Lilacs are starting to bloom.

Tulips in front of Mayo Clinic March 31sr 2012

I am really a fan of the gardens around Mayo Clinic, they are filled with hundreds of beautiful Tulips.

Trees April 5th 2012

One last photo showing the summery look of the trees. Early trees like Maples, Poplars, Elms are all fully leafed out, but even late ones like Oak and Ash are in the budding process. It is just stunning that it looks like summer in spots with how far things are along and it's just Early April! This is definitely an odd year.

Nice end to week. Lots of sun. Seasonible highs and chilly lows, patchy frosts possible. then chances of light showers Saturday, then clearing for Sunday.

Regional weather view.

An area of high pressure will bring in seasonable temperatures to the region, with frost and freeze chances for Northeastern Minnesota and Wisconsin. It will be very dry with no precip to speak of across all areas accept the far south.

Regional and Metro views.

Weather to end this will will be very uniform the next 3 days. It will be sunny Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with highs in the low to mid 60s all days. Lows at night will be on the chilly side compared to what were used to. Lows will fall to the mid to upper 30s. With the coldest night Thursday night. Patchy Frost is possible in low spots and frost prone areas, but it should not cause a significant issue. There is one day out of order and that's Saturday. Clouds will increase and the threat of a shower will also increase, rainfall amounts look very light at this time. This will make way for a sunny and dry Sunday with highs in the 60s and lows in the upper 30s.







Wednesday, Sunny, light winds. Highs in the low 60s. Wednesday Night, Chilly, Patchy frost, clear skies. Lows in the mid to upper 30s.

Thursday, Sunny light winds. Highs in the low 60s. Thursday Night, Chilly Patchy frost, clear skies with lows in the mid to upper 30s.

Friday, Sunny warmer. Light winds. Highs in the low to mid 60s. Friday Night, Clear skies lows in the mid 40s.

Saturday, Increasing clouds with the threat of a few light showers. Otherwise cloudy with highs in the upper 50s. Saturday Night, Partly Cloudy, lows in the low 40s. 

Easter Sunday, Sunny skies, seasonable, Highs in the low 60s. Sunday Night, chilly, Clear skies lows in the mid to upper 30s.

Have a great Easter Weekend!

Looking Ahead

The looking ahead forecast shows the potential for colder times ahead.  It shows a cold pool of air surging southward on Monday and Tuesday of next week. Its hard to say exactly how cool this will get but it looks concerning for growers as temperatures could drop into the upper 20s in spots near the area, but this could change.  It warms up by midweek, but it stays sunny through Thursday April 12th Then the weekend of the 13th looks warmer, wetter and stormier, with the chance at good rains if it hold true in the model. It looks a bit cool behind that system Monday April 16th, then it warms up nicely by the 17th. It appears like we could be heading for a warmer and wetter pattern near that time as well. More on this later.

Slight risk of severe weather tonight!

Image from SPC

The SPC has issued a Slight Risk for severe thunderstorms tonight for Southern Minnesota, including Western and central parts of the local area. A warm front is slowly moving north through Iowa and approaching the area and with temperature and moisture slowly increasing in the area, some storms could spark along this front. There is a chance that storms will not get going, but If storms do develop there is a risk some of them could become severe, the highest threat is large hail and possible tornado's.

This year was the warmest March ever for the local area and most of Minnesota & beyond!

A rare early April sight. Blooming Tulips from Mayo Clinic Courtyard April 1st 2012.

Is this really a surprise? It's Official and safe to say this March was the warmest ever in the local area! Its quite more complicated then that becuase goes further then that, it is also going down as the warmest march on record for the state and most of the Midwest! NWS La Crosse said the average temperature for March this year at the Rochester Airport was 49.F, which is 16 degrees above normal! Many monthly records were broken at the Rochester Airport including the earliest occurrence of 80.F, (81.F March 17th) record high dewpoint ( 62 March 16th) and Second longest stretch of 70s in March.

Checking the numbers!

I checked stations number and the the average high was 61.F with an average low of 40.F. The warmest temp observed in March at my station was 83.F, and the warmest low was 64.F. The temp rose above 70 12 times at my station, and above 80 3 times. The warmth has really shown its effects through out the area in the form of a very early Spring Greenup! We had trees breaking dormancy and Daffodils in bloom before the calender 1st day of Spring and Tulips and Lilacs were starting to bloom across the city around the time normally you may be able to find Crocus blooming around the snowbanks in a more seasonable year! Many residents have said how strange it is to mow lawn in March and it's beyond unusual, its downright crazy for most. Some have even dared to plant tender annuals and vegetables already which is more a May thing! The growing season is at least one month ahead of a typical year.

More information on this warm up for the local area, and other parts of Southeastern Minnesota can be found at the NWS La Cross Record March Temps page.