Quiet, mild weather returns for start of work week.

Regional weather view.

The weather will take an unfortunately dry and mild pattern for the start of the work week. We can expect really no weather issues region wide with nothing left over but sunny and mild conditions through Wednesday.

Local weather view.

The dry quiet weather pattern across the region will make for a pleasantly mild and sunny stretch for the next few days across the area. We can expect mild sunny days each day, with cool clear nights. Tuesday Highs will show the influence of a cool front that will pass through dry. Highs will only be in the upper 30s. Otherwise we can expect highs in the low 40s Monday and Wednesday, with lows in the low to mid 20s, with a few areas reaching the teens for lows.

Monday, Mild, Sunny with light winds. Highs in the low 40s.

Tuesday, Cooler, Sunny with a bit of a breezy. Highs in the mid to upper 30s. Tuesday Night, Cool, Clear skies with lows in the upper 10s to low 20s.

Wednesday, Sunny skies, light winds and mild. Highs in the low 40s. Wednesday night. Clear skies, lows in the mid 20s.



Looking Ahead

Many are probably seriously starting to wonder when the first significant snowfall accumulation will occur for southeastern Minnesota, while some are still wondering when the 1st 1 inch will fall. The next chance for snowfall for the area will arrive on Thursday of this week ahead of a fairly strong cold front. The system looks fairly minor and light at this time, and that is the way it will probably stay. Still that is our next chance of snow. It will dry out with fair temperatures for the 1st part of the weekend. Then Sunday the 4th of December looks on the more interesting side. A system develops over Oklahoma and moves northeast, With cold air already in place it appears like some areas may be seeing some snow. It it too early to tell on amounts but with the current track this system does effect our area of Southeastern Minnesota. It will clear out and be cold behind that system for Monday the 5th. Then mild and dry weather move in for the weekend of the 9th. It really remains pretty dry even though the end of the model run as we approach December 13th.

Warm temp report. Warmest Thanksgiving in many years. Record high temps broken with highs in the 60s!

Photo near Rochester Intl. Airport on a mild November day the 23rd.

What a warm Thanksgiving that was! I hope everyone had a great holiday, and hopefully you were able to enjoy the beautiful weather! This will go down in history as the warmest thanksgiving in many locations. as abundant sunshine and lack of snowcover caused high temperatures to rise into the 50s and 60s across much of the area, which is least 20 degrees above where they should be on this last week before December! A record high was set at the Rochester Airport today with a high of 60.F the old record was 56 which was back in 1990. I added my temp from West Downtown to this report later becuase this update is being posted to my blog from my hometown in Clayton,Wisconsin 110 miles north. But the mild weather was not just felt in Southeastern Minnesota, Much of the region enjoyed very mild weather, even here in Wisconsin we had a high of 55.F! Do not get used to this weather becuase after Friday, rain and even snow will move in with a significant cool down. By Sunday we may have some snow on the ground and highs will not be out of the 30s!

 Highs reported Thursday

The highest temperature area wide was from my station in West Downtown with a high of 63.F The coolest was Winona, where more cloud cover was seen. There the high was 55.F The the Rochester metro area, Inner city locations like my station had a high of  63.F, where Coolest was Stewartville with a high of 58.F

Very nice Thanksgiving ahead-Record highs likely! then late weekend light rain/drizzle Fri night/Sat ending as flurries and light snow. small accumulations- Updated x1

Regional view.

A very mild Thanksgiving is expected as a warm airmass peaks. Highs will be near if not breaking records for parts of the region. Saturday a fairly weak storm system will develop in Iowa and Wisconsin which could produce rain across the Eastern half of the region, which could change to light snow as the sysatem departs.  It does bring down much cooler air behind it.

Local View

Locally the big story will be the beautiful Thanksgiving weather! Thanksgiving will be remember as a nice one this year, as lack of snowcover and sunshine will lead to an unusually very mild and beautiful day! Highs temperatures tomorrow under sunny skies will probably break record high values for Late November. The record high at the Rochester Airport for tomorrow is 56.F and Upper 50s to low 60s look to be likely here in Southeastern Minnesota! Lows Thursday night will also be very mild in the 40s! Friday will still be very mild although more clouds will start to move in ahead of the weak system mentioned above. Highs will still make the middle 50s at least. Friday Night drizzle may start to develop. Lows will be in the low 40s  Saturday and Sunday are still a bit questionable, but it looks like we have good chance of getting some light rain or drizzle some parts of the day Saturday, total rainfall amounts will be light, but could be slightly over 0.10 of an inch. Highs will be in the mid 40s. As the system moves into Wisconsin, temperatures will cool off pretty good, and some of the light rain and drizzle could turn to flurries or light snow. Accumulations look like probably less then 1 inch but do not be surprised if the ground has a light coating Saturday night or Sunday. and i will admit i still see small potential for an inch or more so stay tuned. Travel for people on Sunday will be fairly good but much colder, Only a slight chance of morning flurries, highs will be in the mid 30s. Lows under clear skies Sunday night will be in the mid 20s.                                   

Thanksgiving Day, Very Mild! Sunny and beautiful with record breaking highs in the upper 50s to low 60s, inner city Rochester. Thursday Night, Very Mild. Partly cloudy with lows in the low 40s.

Friday, Partly cloudy with increasing clouds. Mild with highs in the low to mid 50s. Friday Night, A chance of drizzle or light rain developing late. Otherwise cloudy with lows in the low 40s.

Saturday, Cooler, A chance of light rain or drizzle rain early, then changing to light snow and flurries. Highs in the low 40s. Saturday Night, A chance of flurries or light snow, lows in the upper 20s.

Sunday, Much colder and breezy with a chance of flurries before ending. A coating of accumulation possible. Highs in the mid 30s with cold winds. Sunday Night, Clear skies with lows in the low to mids 20s.

Looking Ahead
Looking at weather for the start of the work week looks temporarily milder and dry, before a cold front passes through dry on Tuesday and brings in colder weather. Then temps remain fair, and a small weak system produces light snow on Thursday for the area. Accumulations would be light. Then it is dry with fair temps for one more day, before the models try to make things seem a bit more interesting. A arctic cold front sweeps down Saturday the 3rd, and ahead of it brings developing snow. The cold air is shower live though becuase warmer and drier air already makes a come back by Tuesday the 6th, as a strong system passes over the eastern half of the country producing good rain and snow in that region. It will remain dry with up and down temperatures for the rest of this run. All in all the looking ahead forecast looks pretty dry with only small chances are reviving snow.

System report. Drizzle turning to snow-First accumulation of snow for some areas. Also 1st Thanksgiving cactus bloom on houseplant.

Snow falling on West Downtown Rochester November 19th 2011

Many people seen their first snowfall accumulation of the season with the resent system that passed through the Upper Midwest. What started off as drizzle with temperatures in the mid 30s on the warm side of the system here in Rochester eventually started to turn to big snowlakes seen above around 3pm yesterday. After this it went from snow to sleet for at least an hour before temperatures finally dropped enough to allow for snow to fall the rest of the system. After getting 0.06" of drizzle, temperatures dropping from the low 30s to low 20s by morning and the snow that fell stuck through the morning so far, but it is easy to tell just one sunny afternoon will melt it away completely. This system was not a huge deal for Southeastern Minnesota as mainly less then half an inch of snow fell at most areas accept the far north, where an inch appears likely to have fallen. This system was however a much better deal North in Central Minnesota and Western Wisconsin which was on the cold side of the system. a widespread area of 1-3 inches fell  from Central Minnesota over to my hometowns area of Western Wisconsin. But some very high totals included 12 inches of snow reported in Hickley,MN

Coating of snow early Sunday morning.

It snowed a quarter inch here in Rochester, which was just enough to coat the ground, and be consider the first "real" accumulation of snow, we are still waiting receive our 1st inch! With the 0.06" of drizzle and snow water melted down it was exactly 0.10" of precip, which is just a slight help to the moderate drought that we are under.

Snow totals include
Near Cannon Falls 1.30"
Lake City 0.40"
Oronoco 0.30"
West Downtown Rochester 0.25"
Rochester Airport 0.20"
Austin Trace.

 Red Thanksgiving Cactus in bloom November 20th 2011

The 1st flower on my thanksgiving cactus opened on this cold snowy morning. Just in time for the week of Thanksgiving! This is a 2 year old transplants of 3 different colors in one pot. There is white pink and red all in one, the other colors in here have several smaller buds waiting to open. My other plant is also still in the developing stage and has at least 60 buds. I estimate it will bloom sometime around the 1st week of December!

System over the weekend will produce a mixture of rain, sleet and snow across the area. Only light amonts of both rain/snow. Slick condtions possible Sat Night.

Regional Weather View.

Some of the region will be getting their first real measurable snow this weekend as a system passes through Iowa then through central Wisconsin. Minor accumulations of snow is possible across much of Minnesota and Northern Wisconsin. But some significant accumulations are possible in South Dakota, and the Snowbelt areas of Northern Wisconsin. Further south a mixture of rain sleet and snow is possible in a narrow area from Central Wisconsin to southern Minnesota to Northwest Iowa. South and east of here light drizzle is all that is likely. There will be a very large temperature difference from north to south. Northwest Minnesota will have teens for highs, while southern Iowa and Missouri will have lower 60s. Arctic air will move in behind this system and cool everyone down.

Local View.

This system for the area will not be a major issue. But becuase of where it is expect to go, we will have to deal with a mixture of light rain, sleet and snow. With temps starting off the the upper 30s, Light rain or drizzle will start during the day Saturday. amounts will be a quarter inch or less. But as the system slides a bit more eastward, temps will plummet into the mid 20s, changing precip from rain to sleet and eventually snow, But by this time most of the precip will have moved to the east. So this will limit accumulations up to 1 inch for place like Cannon Falls and Red Wing where this changeover will occur first. For the rest of the area, a coating to a half inch is possible. Slick roads may be an issue as temps fall and water starts to freeze Saturday Night.  The bigger story with this system for our are will be the very cold air behind it which will settle in Sunday and may come in with a few flurries.I'm calling it arctic air, but really the coldest conditions will stay well northwest of here. Still Even with sunny skies, highs will likely remain at 32.F or below at most areas. Temperatures at night will be well into the upper 10s and 20s. Monday and Tuesday will be slightly warmer with highs in the upper 30s both days, and lows in the 20s.

Saturday, Cloudy with light rain and drizzle developing. Highs in the upper 30s. Saturday Night, Breezy, drizzle or rain changing to sleet, then eventually all snow area wide. Accumulations up to 1 inch far northwest areas, and a coating to 1 inch rest of area. Lows plummeting to the mid 20s by morning.

Sunday, Cold air settles in. Sunny with highs in the upper 20s to low 30s. Sunday Night, Partly cloudy with a chance for a few flurries. Otherwise cold with lows in the upper teens to low 20s.

Monday, Chilly but warmer. Sunny skies, highs in the mid to upper 30s. Monday Night, Clear skies and cold. Lows falling to the upper teens to lower 20s.

Tuesday, Sunny skies with fair temps. Highs in the upper 30s to low 40s. Tuesday Night Clear skies with lows in the low to mid 20s.

Looking Ahead- Thanksgiving Early Outlook!

As we approach the end of the early workweek for many, We will have dry and warming conditions. A mild and dry Thanksgiving weekend looks likely at this point, with sunshine and 40s for highs, possible nearing 50 or above towards Friday/Saturday! Saturday night a weak system may produce a few light rain showers, making way for a clear Sunday the 27th. Tuesday the 29th a cold front pushed Southward, which may produce a few light snow showers here. The only threat of any significant snow does not appear until Sunday December 4th, when a system passes to out southeast. It looks too far east at this time to effect our area, but as many know this will change. Check back for updates.

Coldest temps of the season so far last night, Some spots fell to the low teens!

Frozen garden pond at college campus November 17th 2011

Many noticed the very cold temperatures over the past couple of days, but it was especially noticeable last night and this morning. Mostly becuase this morning was the coldest of the season so far. With clear skies and a very chilly airmass overhead. It was very easy for temperatures to plummet into the middle to lower teens area wide. Every reporting station had a temperature at least in the teens. After a high of 40.F at my station in West Downtown on Wednesday, temperatures were already in the 20s by 10pm. By morning the lower had fallen to 16.F, while the low at the airport outside of the city had a low of 14.F. This was the 1st time both locations had fallen in the teens this season.  The temperatures over the past couple of nights were cold enough that some area small ponds and shallow lakes have developed a thin layer of ice over them. It is looking, and feeling more like November with each passing week!

Lows reported on Friday Morning.

The coldest low in the area was Dodge Center with a low of 12.F, while the "warmest" was Winona and Lake City, which both had 18.F For the Rochester Metro Oronoco along with several outer city locations fell to 14.F, while the "warmest" was my station in West Downtown with a low of 16.F.

Strong cold front moves through tomarrow. Windy then Sigificantly colder air will be in place by Wednesday, when highs will not get out of the 30s! Coldest night so far expected Wed Night.

Regional Weather View.

The warm weather that the region has been experiencing over the past week will come to and end as a strong cold front slices through the region. Highs will go from being in the 50s and 60s, on Tuesday to being in the 30s and 40s on Wednesday. Areas in Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin may have some snowshowers on Tuesday, but the rest of the region could remain dry. Friday warmer air will begin to move back towards the region ahead of a weather system.

Local View.

Locally we can expect the strong cold front to push through during the morning on Tuesday. In the wake of this front which will pass through dry, strong westerly winds will gust to near 40MPH, and the high temperature in the upper 40s for the day will probably occur early in the day, and it will not feel that warm. Tuesday night will be cold with lows falling well into the lower 20s to upper 10s! Wednesday the area will be under the full force of this airmass. Highs will likely not get out of the 30s even with lots of sunshine expected! Winds will also still be quite breezy so it will likely feel pretty cold compared to what we've had. Wednesday Night under crystal clear skies lows will plunge to their coldest levels so far. Teens are likely, and could fall as low as the middle 10s in some places. Thursday will not be much better, accept that it will be less breezy. It will be sunny with highs in the upper 30s to the lower 40s. Lows Thursday Night will be much milder, setting up the stage for a much warmer Friday in the mid to upper 40s, as winds switch southerly ahead of the next weather system, skies will be partly cloudy. Precip may develop in the form of light sprinkles late overnight Friday. Lows will be in the mid 30s.
Metro View

Tuesday, Sunny and Windy! Chilly west winds gusting to 40MPH at times. Highs in the upper 40s early in the day. Tuesday Night. Cold! Clear skies with lows in the upper 10s to lower 20s inner city Rochester.


Wednesday, Cold sunshine, with breezy and chilly west winds. Highs in the middle to upper 30s. Wednesday Night, Cold. Lows falling to the mid 10s to upper 10s inner city Rochester.

Thursday, Chilly, Not as breezy. Sunny with highs in the upper 30s to lower 40s. Thursday Night, not as cold, Partly cloudy with lows in the low 30s. 


Friday, Much Warmer, and turning breezy. Partly cloudy with increasing afternoon clouds. Highs in the upper 40s. Friday Night, Mostly cloudy with possible sprinkles developing late. Lows in the mid 30s.

Looking Ahead

The models have been telling a possible interesting story with a system for the upcoming weekend.  Most models have been showing a fair sized system developing over Kansas and pushing over Northeastern Iowa into Wisconsin. If this plays out it would Produce a swath of snow across most of Minnesota and with cold air already in place by that time. For the local area it would mean light rain Saturday, changing to snow on Sunday, and a a few inches would not be out of the question. With possibly a half a foot for Central Minnesota north of the Twin Cites. But with the way systems have been playing out lately, it is difficult to trust and get excited over any significant precip happening, but it is still worth watching. It dries out and remains much more like November behind this system for Monday, then more light snow showers could develop for the area on Tuesday the 22nd. The models continue to hint at a dry and mild Thanksgiving holiday, with even the chance of plain old rain for the area on Saturday the 26th. A strong cold front pushes through on the 28th and a system brings snow to the area right behind it. It's not long after that before another strong system develops on the 30th, which has a fair chance of bringing rain or snow to the area.