Issued at 4:44 PM CST, Saturday, December 25th, 2010
…Storm threat late next week, December 30th-January 2nd…
…RECORD EVENT… Source: NWS Chanhassen, Minnesota.
New December snowfall record at Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. Snowfall total through December 24th, 2010 has reached 33.4″ which makes December 2010 the snowiest on record at Minneapolis. The previous record occurred in 1969 when 33.2″ of snow fell.
Lake effect snow totals from Today, Saturday, December 25th, 2010. Source: NWS Duluth, Minnesota.
Saxon, WI (Iron county) 8.0″
2 miles north-northwest of Bayfield, WI (Bayfield county) 1.5″
3 miles south-southwest of Cornucopia, WI (Bayfield county) 1.0″
Montreal, WI (Iron county) 3.0″
Gile, WI (Iron county) 2.5″
Weather history:
On this date in 1999: A record high temperature of 44 degrees occurred at Duluth, Minnesota.
On this date in 2009: 1.65″ of precipitation fell at Duluth, Minnesota with 12.4″ of snow.
Forecast Discussion for Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin
Today’s Weather:
High pressure averaging 1036 mb extended from Western Ontario Province to Western Minnesota. Northerly winds to 20 mph and lots of clouds were found in our area Today with scattered flurries as well. Colder 850 mb temperatures to -12 degrees C combined with favorable wind directions led to some heavier lake effect snow showers Today along the South Shore of Lake Superior, east of Douglas county Wisconsin. High temperatures Today were in the teens and 20s.
Today’s Upper Level Analysis:
Northerly 500mb with strong upper level jet stream winds to 120 knots covered the Upper Midwest and portions of the Central Plains Today per RUC model analysis. A deep upper level trough was in place east of the Rockies with a southwest flow aloft centered in the Eastern U.S. where a Nor’Easter was in the process of developing off-shore from the Carolinas. A 500mb ridge was in place across the Rockies Today while a vigorous 500mb covered the North half of the Pacific Ocean with a powerful upper level jet >150 knots in place just off the Pacific Northwest coast per RUC model analysis.
Tonight through Sunday Night:
High pressure will remain in control of our weather as it covers the Upper Midwest and Western Great Lakes. The threat for occasional lake effect snow showers will continue into Sunday Morning along the South Shore of Lake Superior while scattered flurries are possible elsewhere. Mainly dry conditions are then expected for the entire area from Sunday Afternoon through Sunday Night. Low temperatures Tonight and Sunday Night will be in the single digits below to lower teens above zero with highs on Sunday mainly in the teens. North winds under 20 mph can be expected Tonight and Tomorrow with north or south winds Tomorrow Night under 20 mph.
Note: *Lake Effect Snow Advisory* remains in effect until 10 AM CST Sunday for Ashland and Iron counties Wisconsin and for Bayfield county Wisconsin untul 4 AM CST Sunday. An additional 1-4″ of snow is possible in the advisory area Tonight with storm totals ranging from 2-10″, the heaviest amounts will be found over portions of Ashland and Iron counties.
Extended Forecast:
High pressure heads off to our south/east for early next week, southwest winds with highs in the 20s to lower 30s are expected Monday and Tuesday for Northern Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin with low temperatures in the teens and 20s Monday Night and Tuesday Night. A cold front will try to push south into the Upper Midwest around mid week with a low pressure disturbance riding along this boundary, the main impacts out of this disturbance should occur northwest-north of our local area for Wednesday, but some scattered snow showers/flurries are possible in Northern Minnesota.
The period from Thursday through next weekend still holds a storm threat, but there are differences with the timing and intensity of this system, the track for the most part is handled pretty much the same with the various long range models Today with low pressure lifting N/NE from the Central Plains toward Eastern Minnesota/Western Wisconsin/Western Lake Superior. The GFS model is on the slow side while the EURO model has this system moving more quickly. It should also be noted that the GFS model has more than one low pressure system ejecting out of the Western U.S. 500mb trough, with the main system not moving into the Upper Midwest until next weekend. Expect additional changes to the track, timing, and intensity of this storm in coming days.
Snow, freezing rain, or some rain could occur across our entire area from Thursday through next weekend (December 30th-January 2nd) with significant accumulations possible depending on how this system evolves late next week.
5 Day Forecast for Duluth/Superior
.Tonight… Mostly cloudy. Scattered flurries. Low 2 to 7. Wind north at 10 to 20 mph.
.Sunday… Partly sunny. High 15 to 20. Wind north at 10 to 15 mph.
.Sunday Night… Partly cloudy. Low zero to 5 above. Wind west around 12 mph.
.Monday… Partly cloudy. High 20 to 25.
.Monday Night… Partly cloudy. Low 10 to 15.
.Tuesday… Partly sunny. High 25 to 30.
.Tuesday Night… Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 13 to 18.
.Wednesday… Mostly cloudy. High 25 to 30.
Normal temperatures for Tomorrow:
High: 19 degrees
Low: 2 degrees
Tim
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