Cold high pressure has settled in from the north, keeping skies generally clear during our Christmas Eve last night and still bright and sunny for today as well.  The sunshine won’t help much with our temperatures, however, as high temperatures will be the coldest of the season so far.  Most locations will top out around 10° which is about 15° colder than normal for this time of the year.  It’s also going to be officially the coldest Christmas Day since 2000 when Rochester set records for the coldest low with a reading of -25° that morning.  By the way, speaking of cold statistics, our stretch of days with non subzero temperatures continues thanks to a couple of thin clouds last night and perhaps just a little too much wind as Rochester’s official airport temperature was stuck at 2° for about four hours and then ended up bottoming out at 1° just before sunrise.  We’re up to 339 days now without dropping below zero, a record length of time for the city.  We’ll be close again tonight, so we’ll have to closely watch the thermometer again.  Otherwise it may be early next week before the next opportunity for subzero temperatures comes around.  Below is a look at some of the local and regional overnight lows from Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve proved to be one of the coldest nights of the season so far locally.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
805 AM CST TUE DEC 25 2012

…MINIMUM TEMPERATURES AROUND THE AREA THIS MORNING…

…LOCATION…                             …TIME…      …MIN…
BLACK RIVER FALLS AREA AIRPORT             715 AM DEC 25        -9 F
SPARTA/FORT MC COY AIRPORT (MONROE WI)     735 AM DEC 25        -9 F
STOCKTON (WINONA MN) (APRSWXNET)           713 AM DEC 25        -6 F
3 NW BUFFALO (WABASHA MN) (676 FT)(AWS)    739 AM DEC 25        -4 F
SAINT CHARLES (WINONA MN) (AWS)            745 AM DEC 25        -3 F
4 SSE MOUND PRAIRIE (HOUSTON MN)           746 AM DEC 25        -3 F
ZUMBRO FALLS (WABASHA MN) (APRSWXNET)      734 AM DEC 25        -3 F
3 NE LUBLIN (TAYLOR WI) (1316 FT)(RAWS)    714 AM DEC 25        -3 F
SAINT ANSGAR (MITCHELL IA) (APRSWXNET)     752 AM DEC 25        -3 F
1 ENE CRESCO (HOWARD IA) (1279 FT)(IEM)    638 AM DEC 25        -2 F
4 E GRAND MEADOW (MOWER MN) (IEM)          659 AM DEC 25        -2 F
1 E ROCKFORD (FLOYD IA) (1036 FT)(IEM)     654 AM DEC 25        -2 F
1 ENE DEXTER (MOWER MN) (MNDOT)            716 AM DEC 25        -2 F
2 E KASSON (DODGE MN) (1283 FT)(MNDOT)     649 AM DEC 25        -2 F
3 SE ROCHESTER (OLMSTED MN) (IEM)          745 AM DEC 25        -2 F
4 SSW LANESBORO (FILLMORE MN) (IEM)        744 AM DEC 25        -2 F
SAINT ANSGAR (MITCHELL IA) (IEM)           640 AM DEC 25        -2 F
COCHRANE (BUFFALO WI) (1083 FT)(AWS)       635 AM DEC 25        -1 F
2 SE EYOTA (OLMSTED MN) (MNDOT)            701 AM DEC 25        -1 F
1 WSW ROCHESTER (OLMSTED MN)               733 AM DEC 25        -1 F
BOSCOBEL AIRPORT (GRANT WI) (ASOS)         753 AM DEC 25        -1 F
PRESTON FILLMORE COUNTY AIRPORT            710 AM DEC 25         0 F
1 ESE ROCHESTER (OLMSTED MN) (IEM)         640 AM DEC 25         0 F
NECEDAH 1W (JUNEAU WI) (920 FT)(GOES)      748 AM DEC 25         0 F
AUSTIN MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (MOWER MN)        735 AM DEC 25         0 F
3 NW DELLWOOD (JUNEAU WI) (APRSWXNET)      730 AM DEC 25         0 F
3 S ROCHESTER (OLMSTED MN) (APRSWXNET)     612 AM DEC 25         0 F
1 WNW SIDNEY (CLARK WI) (APRSWXNET)        541 AM DEC 25         0 F
2 E PERKINSTOWN (TAYLOR WI) (AIRNOW)       600 AM DEC 25         0 F
4 NW ROCHESTER (OLMSTED MN) (APRSWXNET)    720 AM DEC 25         0 F
MAZEPPA (WABASHA MN) (APRSWXNET)           531 AM DEC 25         0 F
2 ESE CANTON (FILLMORE MN) (MNDOT)         609 AM DEC 25         0 F
3 SE GRAND MARSH (ADAMS WI) (MESOWEST)     620 AM DEC 25         0 F
MAYO HELIPAD (OLMSTED MN) (AWOS)           753 AM DEC 25         0 F
1 SSE STEWARTVILLE (OLMSTED MN)            653 AM DEC 25         0 F
3 NE ROCHESTER (OLMSTED MN) (APRSWXNET)    714 AM DEC 25         0 F
DODGE CENTER AIRPORT (DODGE MN) (AWOS)     714 AM DEC 25         0 F
1 E RIDGEWAY (WINONA MN) (MNDOT)           732 AM DEC 25         1 F
ROCHESTER -37TH STREET (OLMSTED MN)        600 AM DEC 25         1 F
PRAIRIE DU CHIEN  AIRPORT (CRAWFORD WI)    755 AM DEC 25         1 F
2 SSW COUNCIL BAY (LA CROSSE WI)           734 AM DEC 25         1 F
1 E CRESCO (HOWARD IA) (1272 FT)(AWS)      637 AM DEC 25         1 F
FRIENDSHIP (ADAMS WI) (958 FT)(AWS)        654 AM DEC 25         1 F
CHARLES CITY (FLOYD IA) (993 FT)(AWOS)     715 AM DEC 25         1 F
RICHLAND CENTER (RICHLAND WI) (AWS)        709 AM DEC 25         1 F
PLAINVIEW (WABASHA MN) (1150 FT)(AWS)      524 AM DEC 25         1 F
4 SSE ARLINGTON (FAYETTE IA) (AWS)         749 AM DEC 25         1 F
1 ENE WABASHA (WABASHA MN) (APRSWXNET)     734 AM DEC 25         1 F
2 SSE KELLOGG (WABASHA MN) (MNDOT)         604 AM DEC 25         1 F
4 WNW BLACK RIVER FALLS (JACKSON WI)       636 AM DEC 25         1 F
WINONA MUNICPAL AIRPORT (WINONA MN)        713 AM DEC 25         1 F
MEDFORD TAYLOR COUNTY AIRPORT              715 AM DEC 25         1 F
ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT            454 AM DEC 25         1 F
DECORAH (WINNESHIEK IA) (982 FT)(AWS)      739 AM DEC 25         2 F
FENNIMORE (GRANT WI) (1175 FT)(AWS)        735 AM DEC 25         2 F
WEST UNION (FAYETTE IA) (1178 FT)(AWS)     654 AM DEC 25         2 F
MUSCODA (GRANT WI) (665 FT)(AWS)           734 AM DEC 25         2 F
MONONA (CLAYTON IA) (1182 FT)(AWS)         745 AM DEC 25         2 F
4 NNW RIDGEVILLE (MONROE WI) (WIDOT)       635 AM DEC 25         2 F
1 E LAKE CITY (WABASHA MN) (APRSWXNET)     753 AM DEC 25         2 F
4 E NORDNESS (WINNESHIEK IA) (IADOT)       653 AM DEC 25         2 F
2 N IONIA (CHICKASAW IA) (IADOT)           255 AM DEC 25         2 F
1 ENE BOSCOBEL (GRANT WI) (RAWS)           703 AM DEC 25         2 F
DE SOTO (CRAWFORD WI) (APRSWXNET)          631 AM DEC 25         2 F
2 WSW GALESVILLE (TREMPEALEAU WI)          742 AM DEC 25         2 F
2 NW HUMBIRD (JACKSON WI) (MESOWEST)       725 AM DEC 25         2 F
DECORAH MUNICIPAL AIPRORT                  735 AM DEC 25         3 F
3 SW RICHFIELD (CHICKASAW IA)              705 AM DEC 25         3 F
3 SW BARRE MILLS (LA CROSSE WI)            459 AM DEC 25         3 F
1 SW MOUNT STERLING (CRAWFORD WI)          634 AM DEC 25         3 F
1 E BLACK RIVER FALLS (JACKSON WI)         715 AM DEC 25         3 F
OELWEIN MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (FAYETTE IA)     755 AM DEC 25         3 F
VIROQUA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (VERNON WI)      715 AM DEC 25         3 F
LA CROSSE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT                653 AM DEC 25         3 F
MCGREGOR (CLAYTON IA) (992 FT)(AWS)        744 AM DEC 25         4 F
1 SSE RICHLAND CENTER (RICHLAND WI)        739 AM DEC 25         4 F
MAUSTON (JUNEAU WI) (872 FT)(APRSWXNET)    714 AM DEC 25         4 F
2 N TOMAH (MONROE WI) (990 FT)(WIDOT)      431 AM DEC 25         5 F
1 SW LA CROSSE (LA CROSSE WI)              736 AM DEC 25         5 F
MONONA (CLAYTON IA) (APRSWXNET)            648 AM DEC 25         5 F
3 SE LYNDON STATION (JUNEAU WI)            502 AM DEC 25         5 F
3 NW VALLEY JUNCTION (MONROE WI)           650 AM DEC 25         5 F
1 W FRENCH ISLAND (LA CROSSE WI)           630 AM DEC 25         6 F
3 S LA CROSSE (LA CROSSE WI) (AIRNOW)      600 AM DEC 25         6 F
1 WNW TENNYSON (GRANT WI) (AIRNOW)         600 AM DEC 25         8 F

Posted under Cold, Holidays, Lows

It seems like winter showed up all at once for us as our weekend storm system made up for lost time bringing significant snowfall to most of the area.  We officially ended up with 4.1 inches of snowfall in Rochester on Sunday, snapping the string of 292 days without at least one inch of measurable snowfall in the city.  That, incidentally, was the fourth longest such stretch in Rochester’s climate history.  Sunday was also the first time in which we  as much as four inches of snowfall in one day since February 20th, 2011!  Here’s a look at some area snowfall totals from Sunday’s storm:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
718 AM CST MON DEC 10 2012

...SNOWFALL TOTALS FROM DECEMBER 9-10...

LOCATION      SNOWFALL  TIME    LAT/LON

IOWA

...ALLAMAKEE COUNTY...
WAUKON 5 E                    3.5         0601 AM 43.27N 91.38W
WAUKON 8NW                    1.0         1216 PM 43.34N 91.6W

...CLAYTON COUNTY...
MONONA                        3.0         0700 AM 43.04N 91.4W
GUTTENBERG                    3.0         1200 AM 42.79N 91.1W
VOLGA                         0.8         0700 AM 42.81N 91.52W

...MITCHELL COUNTY...
ST ANSGAR                     1.4         0630 AM 43.38N 92.92W

MINNESOTA

...DODGE COUNTY...
MANTORVILLE                   5.5         0607 PM 44.07N 92.76W
CLAREMONT 3 SSE               3.0         0326 PM 44.01N 92.97W

...FILLMORE COUNTY...
PRESTON                       4.0         0707 AM 43.68N 92.08W
PETERSON 1S                   3.0         0705 PM 43.78N 91.82W
SPRING VALLEY                 3.0         0707 AM 43.69N 92.39W

...HOUSTON COUNTY...
RENO 3SW                      6.7         0927 PM 43.53N 91.33W
LA CRESCENT 1N                6.4         0749 PM 43.83N 91.31W

...MOWER COUNTY...
AUSTIN 1 W                    2.3         0922 PM 43.67N 92.99W

...OLMSTED COUNTY...
ORONOCO                       5.2         0435 PM 44.16N 92.54W
ROCHESTER AP 2NE              4.2         0700 AM 43.93N 92.48W
ROCHESTER                     4.0         0557 PM 44.02N 92.48W

...WABASHA COUNTY...
READS LANDING 1W             10.2         0759 PM 44.40N 92.17W
THEILMAN                      6.7         0624 PM 44.30N 92.2W

...WINONA COUNTY...
WINONA                        7.7         0856 PM 44.05N 91.66W
WINONA 3S                     6.5         0601 AM 43.99N 91.61W
MINNESOTA CITY                6.3         0719 PM 44.09N 91.75W
GOODVIEW                      6.3         0647 AM 44.07N 91.71W
LA CRESCENT DAM 7             5.0         0700 PM 43.87N 91.31W
ST CHARLES 5N                 4.1         0750 PM 44.04N 92.07W

WISCONSIN

...ADAMS COUNTY...
FRIENDSHIP                    4.0         0526 AM 43.97N 89.82W
ARKDALE                       2.4         0628 PM 44.03N 89.88W

...BUFFALO COUNTY...
MONDOVI                       7.0         0500 PM 44.56N 91.67W
ALMA DAM 4                    5.2         0700 PM 44.33N 91.92W
COCHRANE                      5.0         0852 PM 44.22N 91.82W

...CLARK COUNTY...
NEILLSVILLE                   8.0         0443 AM 44.56N 90.59W
COLBY 4SW                     7.0         0525 AM 44.87N 90.42W
NEILLSVILLE 4NNE              6.0         0643 PM 44.61N 90.56W
LONGWOOD                      2.0         0431 PM 44.89N 90.6W

...CRAWFORD COUNTY...
LYNXVILLE DAM 9               3.0         0700 PM 43.21N 91.1W

...GRANT COUNTY...
DICKEYVILLE                   4.0         0705 AM 42.63N 90.59W
PLATTEVILLE                   3.7         0704 AM 42.74N 90.48W
SINSINAWA                     2.3         0900 AM 42.52N 90.54W

...JACKSON COUNTY...
BLACK RIVER FALLS 2SE         4.8         0859 PM 44.28N 90.83W
MERRILLAN                     4.0         0424 PM 44.45N 90.84W

...JUNEAU COUNTY...
NEW LISBON 2N                 3.0         0635 PM 43.90N 90.17W
NECEDAH 3SE                   2.0         0631 PM 43.98N 90.04W
MAUSTON                       2.0         0445 AM 43.80N 90.08W

...LA CROSSE COUNTY...
HOLMEN 2NW                    7.0         0859 PM 43.98N 91.29W
LA CROSSE NWS                 6.8         0451 AM 43.82N 91.19W
LA CROSSE WEATHER             6.7         0600 AM 43.82N 91.19W
LA CROSSE 4 NNW               6.6         0925 PM 43.88N 91.27W
HOLMEN 2S                     6.3         0700 AM 43.93N 91.25W
WEST SALEM                    5.3         0921 PM 43.90N 91.1W
LA CROSSE 5SE                 5.0         0700 AM 43.77N 91.15W

...MONROE COUNTY...
WARRENS                       8.0         0700 AM 44.10N 90.59W
TUNNEL CITY                   5.6         1238 AM 44.00N 90.57W
CASHTON                       5.5         0902 PM 43.74N 90.79W
SPARTA                        4.0         0444 AM 43.95N 90.81W
WILTON 3E                     2.9         0246 PM 43.80N 90.47W

...TAYLOR COUNTY...
MEDFORD                       4.0         0917 PM 45.14N 90.35W
LUBLIN                        2.5         0434 PM 45.08N 90.72W

...TREMPEALEAU COUNTY...
ARCADIA                       8.0         0912 PM 44.25N 91.49W
OSSEO                         6.5         0857 PM 44.58N 91.21W
GALESVILLE 2 WSW              6.0         1240 AM 44.07N 91.39W
TREMPEALEAU DAM 6             5.4         0700 PM 44.00N 91.44W
GALESVILLE                    5.3         0545 PM 44.08N 91.36W
INDEPENDENCE3NE               4.5         0405 PM 44.39N 91.39W
WHITEHALL 2W                  4.0         0545 AM 44.37N 91.36W

...VERNON COUNTY...
STODDARD 2NE                  4.8         0909 PM 43.69N 91.18W
STODDARD 5NNE                 4.8         0909 PM 43.72N 91.17W
VIROQUA                       4.5         0632 PM 43.55N 90.89W
WESTBY 3ENE                   4.1         0421 PM 43.66N 90.82W
STODDARD                      3.5         0700 AM 43.66N 91.24W
GENOA                         3.0         0700 PM 43.57N 91.23W

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
935 PM CST SUN DEC 09 2012

...PRELIMINARY SNOW FALL TOTALS...
...MORE REPORTS EXPECTED THROUGH THE NIGHT...
...FINAL TOTALS WILL BE PUBLISHED MONDAY...

THE TOTALS BELOW ARE SEPARATED INTO SNOW...AND ICE AND SLEET
CATEGORIES...THEN BY AMOUNT...AND ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE FINAL
AMOUNT FOR EACH LOCATION. WE HAVE ATTEMPTED TO REMOVE DUPLICATES...
BUT GIVEN THE VOLUME OF REPORTS SOME DUPLICATES MAY BE PRESENT.
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE PROVIDED AND CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SNOWFALL
TOTALS.

SNOW REPORTS LISTED BY AMOUNT

 INCHES  LOCATION                 ST  COUNTY           TIME
 ------  -----------------------  --  --------------   -------
 16.00   3 N LINO LAKES           MN  ANOKA            0741 PM
                 REPORT FROM COLUMBUS... STILL SNOWING LIGHTLY
 15.80   HUGO                     MN  WASHINGTON       0900 PM
                 STILL SNOWING LIGHTLY
 15.50   ISANTI                   MN  ISANTI           0730 PM
                 LIGHT SNOW FALLING...THOUGH NOW STARTING TO
                 GET BLOWN BY WINDS.
 15.20   HAM LAKE                 MN  ANOKA            0643 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 14.90   1 ESE CAMBRIDGE          MN  ISANTI           0830 PM
                 STILL SNOWING LIGHTLY
 14.00   FALCON HEIGHTS           MN  RAMSEY           0904 PM
                 STILL LIGHTLY SNOWING
 14.00   3 E EAST FARMINGTON      WI  POLK             0638 PM
                 STILL FALLING
 14.00   4 SSE SILVER CREEK       MN  WRIGHT           0523 PM
                 STILL SNOWING 1/4 MILE VISIBLITY.
 13.50   OSCEOLA                  WI  POLK             0625 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 13.50   FOREST LAKE              MN  WASHINGTON       0516 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 13.10   MONTICELLO               MN  WRIGHT           0835 PM
                 STILL SNOWING LIGHTLY
 13.10   3 WSW BLAINE             MN  ANOKA            0758 PM
                 STILL SNOWING LIGHTLY.
 13.00   3 W RED WING             MN  GOODHUE          0632 PM
                 SNOW SNOWING
 13.00   COON RAPIDS              MN  ANOKA            0630 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 13.00   KINGSTON                 MN  MEEKER           0518 PM
                 SNOW TAPERED
 13.00   3 NW REDWOOD FALLS       MN  REDWOOD          0410 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 13.00   8 ESE PRINCETON          MN  ISANTI           0337 PM
                 STILL SNOW
 12.70   1 E ST MICHAEL           MN  WRIGHT           0906 PM
 12.60   2 SSE FRIDLEY            MN  ANOKA            0600 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 12.50   DARWIN                   MN  MEEKER           0837 PM
                 STILL SNOWING LIGHTLY...WITH BLOWING SNOW NOW
                 AS WELL
 12.50   HASTINGS                 MN  DAKOTA           0517 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 12.50   2 NNW NORTH BRANCH       MN  CHISAGO          0410 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 12.40   3 NE BURNSVILLE          MN  DAKOTA           0552 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 12.10   MENOMONIE                WI  DUNN             0712 PM
                 STILL SNOWING.
 12.00   MINNETONKA               MN  HENNEPIN         0738 PM
                 STILL SNOWING LIGHTLY.
 12.00   NEW RICHMOND             WI  ST. CROIX        0722 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 12.00   3 S EXCELSIOR            MN  HENNEPIN         0635 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 12.00   COKATO                   MN  WRIGHT           0618 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 12.00   CHANHASSEN               MN  CARVER           0545 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 11.80   MAHTOMEDI                MN  WASHINGTON       0638 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 11.70   NORTH ST PAUL            MN  RAMSEY           0759 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 11.50   HANOVER                  MN  WRIGHT           0732 PM
 11.50   2 W EAGAN                MN  DAKOTA           0700 PM
                 STILL SNOWING LIGHTLY.
 11.50   ROCKFORD                 MN  HENNEPIN         0521 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 11.50   STILLWATER               MN  WASHINGTON       0500 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 11.50   3 NNW MINNEAPOLIS        MN  HENNEPIN         0459 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 11.30   1 W RED WING             MN  GOODHUE          0859 PM
 11.00   SHOREVIEW                MN  RAMSEY           0812 PM
                 STILL SNOWING LIGHTLY.
 11.00   2 NW EAU CLAIRE          WI  EAU CLAIRE       0730 PM
                 STILL SNOWING...
 11.00   BLOOMINGTON              MN  HENNEPIN         0632 PM
                 SNOW TAPERING
 11.00   5 WSW ST PAUL            MN  RAMSEY           0510 PM
                 STILL SNOW
 11.00   2 W FOLEY                MN  BENTON           0410 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 10.80   3 N LAKEVILLE            MN  DAKOTA           0811 PM
                 STILL SNOWING LIGHTLY.
 10.80   3 NW ROCKFORD            MN  WRIGHT           0729 PM
                 STILL SNOWING.
 10.80   ST CLOUD                 MN  STEARNS          0600 PM
                 SNOW TAPERING STC AIRPORT
 10.70   1 SW EDINA               MN  HENNEPIN         0730 PM
                 STILL SNOWING LIGHTLY
 10.60   3 SW MAPLE GROVE         MN  HENNEPIN         0737 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 10.50   COTTAGE GROVE            MN  WASHINGTON       0557 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 10.40   OTSEGO                   MN  WRIGHT           0435 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
 10.20   MINNEAPOLIS              MN  HENNEPIN         0606 PM
                 STILL SNOWING MSP AIRPORT
 10.10   5 NW ROSEVILLE           MN  ANOKA            0337 PM
 10.00   ANDOVER                  MN  ANOKA            0510 PM
 10.00   2 W PRIOR LAKE           MN  SCOTT            0459 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
  9.90   3 SW MINNEAPOLIS         MN  HENNEPIN         0600 PM
                 STILL SNOWING.
  9.50   ORONO                    MN  HENNEPIN         0632 PM
                 SNOW TAPERING
  9.50   3 SW MINNEAPOLIS         MN  HENNEPIN         0606 PM
                 SNOW TAPERING
  9.50   4 NE WOODBURY            MN  WASHINGTON       0459 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
  9.50   1 W DURAND               WI  PEPIN            0356 PM
  9.40   WACONIA                  MN  CARVER           0645 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
  9.40   2 W NEW PRAGUE           MN  SCOTT            0536 PM
                 STILL SNOWING.
  9.40   PLYMOUTH                 MN  HENNEPIN         0347 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
  9.40   RICHFIELD                MN  HENNEPIN         0337 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
  9.30   AUGUSTA                  WI  EAU CLAIRE       0901 PM
  9.30   HUTCHINSON               MN  MCLEOD           0435 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
  9.30   5 S FARMINGTON           MN  DAKOTA           0435 PM
                 SNOW TAPERED
  9.00   FARMINGTON               MN  DAKOTA           0646 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
  9.00   3 S MINNEAPOLIS          MN  HENNEPIN         0606 PM
  9.00   CREDIT RIVER             MN  SCOTT            0454 PM
                 SNOW TAPERED
  8.80   8 S HILLMAN              MN  MORRISON         0736 PM
  8.50   HAMMOND                  WI  ST. CROIX        0538 PM
  8.50   5 SW ST PAUL             MN  RAMSEY           0521 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
  8.40   WATERTOWN                MN  CARVER           0357 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
  7.50   4 SW MINNEAPOLIS         MN  HENNEPIN         0435 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
  7.00   BOYCEVILLE               WI  DUNN             0459 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
  6.50   5 WNW MORA               MN  KANABEC          0856 PM
  5.50   MOTLEY                   MN  MORRISON         0606 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
  5.10   4 S ISLAND LAKE          WI  CHIPPEWA         0721 PM
                 STILL SNOWING.
  5.00   EAU CLAIRE               WI  EAU CLAIRE       0337 PM
                 STILL SNOWING WQOW TV
  4.30   10 N BRUCE               WI  RUSK             0435 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
  4.30   4 ESE CLAYTON            WI  BARRON           0435 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
  3.50   MANKATO                  MN  BLUE EARTH       0701 PM
                 STILL SNOWING
  3.50   1 E OWATONNA             MN  STEELE           0435 PM
                 SNOW TAPERED
  2.00   JIM FALLS                WI  CHIPPEWA         0348 PM
                 STILL SNOWING

Posted under Uncategorized

It was a warm and very dry September for us in ou area as high temperatures were just a little warmer than normal while rainfall was way below normal.  Stagnant high pressure was dominant in the regionfor te last half of the month, bringing incredibly beautiful weather, but suppressing any rainfall potential.  The atmosphere itself was very dry under that high pressure, allowing for wild daily fluctuations of temperatures with 30s and 40s typical in the mornings across the local area and afternoon highs commonly in the 70s more often than not.  Our current rainfall deficit for 2012 in Rochester now stands at 6.94 inches!  Looking ahead at the forecast, we’re expcting just a little rain on Thursday and then perhaps some more down the road in the second half of next week, but otherwise the dry weather trend appears to continue in the meantime.

We enjoyed a lot of picture perfect "postcard" weather in September, but the lack of rainfall remains a big concern for the entire area.

 Weather Summary from the NWS in La Crosse, WI:

 Rochester Minnesota

...SEPTEMBER IN ROCHESTER WAS MARKED BY SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL
TEMPERATURES AND WELL BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION...

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 61.8 DEGREES. THIS WAS
0.9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE AVERAGE HIGH WAS 75.6 DEGREES...WHILE
THE AVERAGE LOW WAS 48.0 DEGREES. THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE
MONTH WAS 93 DEGREES...WHICH OCCURRED ON THE 4TH. WHILE THE LOWEST
TEMPERATURE IN SEPTEMBER WAS 32 DEGREES WHICH OCCURRED ON THE 23RD.

ROCHESTER RECEIVED 1.29 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION DURING THE MONTH
WHICH WAS 2.16 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. ONLY 0.02 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION
OCCURRED DURING THE LAST 13 DAYS OF SEPTEMBER. THE GREATEST 24-HOUR
AMOUNT WAS 0.69 INCHES THAT OCCURRED ON THE 4TH AND 5TH.

...RECORDS...

THERE WERE NO RECORDS ESTABLISHED DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER.

...DISCUSSION...

THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER STARTED OFF VERY WARM WITH TWO DAYS OF 90
DEGREES OR HIGHER THROUGH THE FIRST 11 DAYS. COOLER TEMPERATURES DID
INVADED THE REGION AS A COUPLE OF COLD FRONT PASSAGES MADE THEIR WAY
ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST DURING THE MIDDLE PART OF THE MONTH. THERE
WERE 6 DAYS WHERE THE HIGH TEMPERATURES ONLY MANAGED TO MAKE IT INTO
THE UPPER 50S AND 60S OVER THE LAST HALF OF SEPTEMBER.

PRECIPITATION IN ROCHESTER WAS WELL BELOW NORMAL DURING THE MONTH AS
WEATHER SYSTEMS WERE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN ACROSS THE REGION. THERE
WERE ONLY 7 DAYS OF MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION DURING SEPTEMBER. ONLY
1 OF THOSE DAYS HAD OVER A HALF INCH OF PRECIPITATION IN ROCHESTER. A
SEVERE DROUGHT CONTINUED DURING SEPTEMBER ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA.

...LOOKING AHEAD TO OCTOBER...

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH IS 48.4 DEGREES. THE AVERAGE
HIGH DROPS FROM 65 DEGREES ON THE 1ST...TO 51 DEGREES ON THE 31TH.
THE AVERAGE LOW DROPS FROM 44 DEGREES ON THE 1ST...TO 34 DEGREES ON
THE 31ST. THE WARMEST OCTOBER ON RECORD WAS IN 1963 WITH AN AVERAGE
OF 58.1 DEGREES...AND THE COLDEST OCTOBER WAS 37.9 DEGREES IN 1917.

THE AVERAGE OCTOBER PRECIPITATION IS 2.24 INCHES. THE WETTEST OCTOBER
OCCURRED IN 1911...WHEN 9.11 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL. THE DRIEST
OCTOBER WAS 1893...WHEN THERE WAS NO PRECIPITATION REPORTED FOR THE
MONTH. THE AVERAGE SNOWFALL IS EIGHT TENTHS OF AN INCH. THE RECORD
SNOWFALL TOTAL FOR THE MONTH IS 7.9 INCHES...WHICH OCCURRED IN 2009.

Posted under fall

Last year at this time, the latest 30 year climate data was released by the National Weather Service’s Climate Center outlining the new set of “norms” for each month in terms of both temperatures and rainfall for our area and the entire United States.  Those statistics are recalculated every decade and it then takes a while to sift through the data and create a temperature curve (or spline) that carries us up the slope of temperatures from January through summer and then back down to December in a more or less smoothed out manner, so the data each day is not necessarily the absolute temperature average, but rather what we consider the “norm” for that time of the year.  For instance, the normal high every day this week is 80° in Rochester.  That’s just a numerical representation of what would be typical for this time of the year, but not a straight average high each day because what are the odds that each day would average 80°?  Anyway, here’s what we can expect in the month of August.  Now remember,  we’re still facing an unusually warm month, so our actual temperatures will most likely be above the numbers shown here.

In the meantime, we average 4.52″ of rain in the month of August and we lose one hour, 16 minutes of daylight from beginning to end.

We typically see a very slow decrease in daily temperatures in the month of August and the third most rainfall of any month in the year.

Posted under Uncategorized

In contrast to the record setting month of March that felt more like May most of the time, our month of April was quite seasonable with a decent amount of rainfall in the area.  In Rochester, we were only couple of degrees above normal for the average high and low temperatures and we finished a little more than half an inch of rainfall below what we consider average.  As for snowfall, we had a trace a couple of times in the month, but nothing measurable.

The month of April this year was very typical in that the averages were close to the climate "norm" in most categories.

Posted under climate

Talk about polar opposites when comparing last winter to this winter.  I decided to jump the gun a little bit and give a winter update on where things are standing in terms of breaking any seasonable records.  Some of these are eye popping and I couldn’t contain waiting til the end of meteorological winter (December,January, February) which officially ends the first day of March.  That leaves us with 17 days to change some things around, but in the grand scheme of things when you have had over two months of an extremely mild winter, that time frame really won’t change much in the temperature department.  I was busy crunching some numbers and checking climate stats and here what I came with.

We are going to take this month by month.  December gave us our first “brown” Christmas since 2006 and temperature wise it was “warm” enough to be tied with the 9th warmest December on record with an average temperature of 26.05°.  This average temperature contains the highs averaged in with the low temperatures in case you were wondering.   We picked up 8.4 inches of snow coming out to be 1.21 inches in its liquid equivalent, both on the very low side when compared to our record setting December of last year.

In January our average temperature was 22.8° degrees.  That was good enough to tie us for 6th warmest January on record.  We picked up 8.1 inches of snow translating to .57 inches of its liquid equivalent.

Those two months are set in stone, but we still have half of February to go.  So far February’s temps are staying on the mild side.  The average through the first 12 days is 25.17°.  That puts us in a tie for 7th warmest Feb on record so far.  We have only seen a trace of snow as of Feb. 12th.

The eye popping part now comes together.  When you put December, January and what we have for February so far, we are on pace for the 3rd warmest meteorological winter on record!  Here is the top ten.  Our official number comes in at 25. 17°

As a side note for snowfall, we currently have the third lowest amount.  Now snowfall is measured through June, so we do have a lot of time to make up for our low snow amounts, let’s just hope it doesn’t come in June.

Posted under climate, weather

While the thick, low clouds and dense fog are keeping temperatures a bit cooler today, we’re still dealing with temperatures that are rather mild for February standards and it looks like this trend will carry into the weekend.  Typically this time of the year we should have high temperatures in the teens and 20s with the occasional 30 degree high every now and then, but as we experienced in January we’re instead experiencing March weather with 30 and 40 degree warmth melting our relatively thin layer of snow cover and fog is a bigger concern than accumulating snow.  That’s just a product of the bizarre pattern we’re in right now as the jet stream is keeping the really cold stuff to our north and the main storm track is on the southern branch of the jet stream.  Colorado, Nebraska, and Iowa are dealing with a large storm system along the southern branch that is bringing them several inches of snow.  With very few exceptions in the next couple of weeks, it looks like we’ll stick with the warmer temperatures and the fairly dry precipitation scenario locally.  The Climate Prediction Center’s most recent and easy to believe forecast for this month has our entire region in the “very likely” category for above normal temperatures while precipitation is a little more up in the air and looks to be cumulatively light in any case over the next few weeks.  It’s hard to pin down exactly what temperatures we’ll have all month long, but a “more of the same” approach seems to work right now with more 20s and 30s with the occasional 40 more likely than the typical 10, 15, or 20 degree highs you might expect in the dead of winter.

Here’s a look at what we normally expect in the month of February between now and the end of the month according to our 30 year climatology.  Again, it appears that we’ll be a bit above these numbers more often than not.

The temperature averages in February climb steadily. Typically we'd have to wait until the very end of the month to experience the type of pattern we're in right now with highs in the 30s.

One statistic that is certain right now is the length of daylight we’ll be experiencing in the next 26 days.  We’re going to GAIN 72 minutes each by the end of the month as that sunset will occur around 6:00 by the beginning of March.  That’s always one of the best parts of the second half of winter!

Posted under climate

While we’ve had a couple of cold spells in the past six weeks, the majority of our meteorological winter thus far has been incredibly warm and now ranks in the top ten in Rochester’s history.  Here’s a statement from the National weather Service in La Crosse regarding our mild winter.  A Very interesting bit of data!

Exceptionally Warm Start to the 2011-12 Winter

 

The first half of the 2011-12 meterological winter (December 1, 2011 through January 15, 2012) was exceptionally warm across the northern and eastern United States.  Locally, temperatures averaged 6 to 12 degrees above normal which made it the warmest start to a winter since 2006-07. It was the fifth warmest start to a winter at Rochester, MN and the tenth warmest start to a winter at La Crosse, WI.

Temperature Departures across the United States from December 1, 2011 through January 15, 2012

Why So Warm?

The following weather conditions led to this exceptionally warm start… 

1. Lack of Snow - This usually results in temperatures averaging about 11 degrees warmer than normal.
2. Polar Jet Stream remained generally north of the area - This was a result of the Arctic Oscillation being in its positive phase.  When this occurs, the polar jet stream usually remains north of 60 degrees north latitude.  This keeps the arctic air bottled up near the arctic circle.
3. Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) remained over the tropical Indian Ocean and Western Pacific Ocean - The Madden Julian Oscillation is a tropical disturbance that propagates eastward around the global tropics.  It typically originates over the Indian Ocean and then propagates around the world anywhere from 30 to 60 days.  When this oscillation is located across the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific, temperatures across the eastern half of the United States usually average above normal.

More information on just how warm this winter has been so far at La Crosse, WI; Rochester, MN; and across the remainder of the area can be found below.

Rochester MN…

From December 1st through January 15th, the average temperature at Rochester International Airport was 26.1 degrees.  This was 9.1 degrees above the normal of 17 degrees.  This was the fifth warmest first half of a meteorological winter. The last time that a winter started off this warm was during the winter of 2006-07 (27.7 degrees).

The table below lists the ten warmest winters through January 15th.

    Warmest First Halves of a Winter
in Rochester MN
1886-2012

Average
Rank    Temperature     Winter
—-    ———–     ——
1     27.7 degrees   2006-07
27.7 degrees   1913-14
3     27.1 degrees   1959-60
4     26.7 degrees   1931-32
5     26.1 degrees   2011-12
6     25.8 degrees   2001-02
7     24.1 degrees   1982-83
8     23.7 degrees   1979-80
9     23.6 degrees   1987-88
10     23.3 degrees   1957-58

Elsewhere…

Northeast Iowa…

Cresco             25.5 degrees    + 8.5 degrees
Decorah            28.6 degrees    +11.6 degrees
Elkader            26.6 degrees    + 6.6 degrees
Guttenberg         31.0 degrees    +11.0 degrees
Oelwein            27.0 degrees    + 8.0 degrees
Waukon             26.4 degrees    + 7.4 degrees

Southeast Minnesota…

Byron              23.2 degrees    + 7.2 degrees
Grand Meadow       23.5 degrees    + 7.5 degrees
Minnesota City Dam 27.5 degrees    +10.5 degrees
Preston            25.2 degrees    + 8.2 degrees
Winona Dam         27.0 degrees    +10.0 degrees

Western Wisconsin…

Alma Dam           27.7 degrees    +10.7 degrees
Friendship         26.2 degrees    + 8.2 degrees
Hillsboro          26.4 degrees    + 7.4 degrees
Medford            21.4 degrees    + 8.4 degrees
Lone Rock          29.2 degrees    +10.2 degrees
Lynxville Dam      30.7 degrees    +11.7 degrees
Owen               21.1 degrees    + 6.1 degrees
Sparta             26.0 degrees    + 8.0 degrees
Trempealeau Dam    28.7 degrees    +10.7 degrees
Viroqua            25.1 degrees    + 6.1 degrees

 

Posted under climate

We started the month of January on a rather wintry note with seasonably cold temperatures and strong, blustery winds for the first three days, but now we’re facing a warm spell in the coming days that will mean a bit of a departure from January-like weather for our area.  We’ll have highs in the 30s today and then 40s for Thursday and Friday which will be 20 degrees warmer than average for this time of the year and approaching record territory.  In fact, we’ll almost be forgetting what type of weather we should normally be experiencing this time of the year as abnormally mild weather will be the rule for quite some time.  Here’s a look at the climate averages for this week compared with what we normally see for the end of the month.

January 4th:                                             January 31st:

High: 24                                                      High: 25

Low: 8                                                          Low: 8

Sunrise: 7:44 AM                                    Sunrise: 7:29 AM

Sunset: 4:45 PM                                       Sunset: 5:18 PM

*We’ll gain 48 minutes of daylight at the end of the month compared to today.

*Snowfall: 12.0″  (The old average was 11.9″ before climate statistics were recalculated last summer.)

*The average high for the month is now 23.9, but before the recalculation of the climate averages last summer, it was only 19.9!)

Posted under climate

We’ve been talking for days, and even weeks about how unusual it is to have a brown Christmas and here’s some more holiday climate information for both Rochester and La Crosse from our friends at the National Weather Service:

Christmas 2011: A Green and Unusually Warm One

The Christmas of 2011 will be remembered for its lack of snow on the ground and being unusually warm.  More details on this can be found below.

Snowless…

With the exception of a few locations (Medford, Lynxville, and Steuben), most areas had little or no snow cover this morning at 7 AM.  This made this Christmas the first green one since 2006.  The maps below show the snow depth across the area at this time.

La Crosse, WI has had “white” Christmases (at least one inch of snow on the ground at 6 AM, measurable snow falls on that Christmas, or both) 85 times since 1893, or 73% of the time (note: data unavailable for 1985 and therefore not included in this percentage).  Other non-”white” Christmases include: 1894, 1896, 1907, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1917, 1918, 1922, 1923, 1928, 1931, 1932, 1936, 1939, 1941, 1943, 1946, 1953, 1960, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1994, 1997, 2002, 2006.

Rochester, MN has had “white” Christmases 59 times (out of 74) since 1933, or 80% of the time. The years of 1936, 1941, 1942, and 1943 were excluded from the statistics due to missing data.  Other non-”white” Christmases include: 1944, 1949, 1953, 1958, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1997, 2002, 2006.

Unusually Warm…

La Crosse, WI…Warmest Christmas since 1999

With the lack of snow cover and quite a bit of sunshine, the high temperature at La Crosse, WI climbed to 42 degrees.  This made it the warmest Christmas in La Crosse since 1999 when the high temperature was also 42 degrees.  This tied 1953 and 1999 for the ninth warmest Christmas in La Crosse.  The warmest Christmas ever recorded was 55 degrees in 1936.  The table below lists the ten warmest Christmases in La Crosse, WI.

Warmest Christmases
in La Crosse WI
1872-2011

Rank     Temperature      Year
1        55 degrees      1936
2        54 degrees      1881
3        46 degrees      1982
4        45 degrees      1940
45 degrees      1912
6        44 degrees      1928
44 degrees      1922
44 degrees      1877
9        42 degrees      2011
42 degrees      1999
42 degrees      1953

Rochester, MN…Warmest Christmas Since 1959

With the lack of snow cover and quite a bit of sunshine, the high temperature at Rochester MN climbed to 41 degrees.  This made it the warmest Christmas in Rochester since 1959 when the high temperature was also 41 degrees.  This tied 1959 for the third warmest Christmas in Rochester.  The warmest Christmas ever recorded was 50 degrees in 1936.  The table below lists the ten warmest Christmases in Rochester, MN.

Warmest Christmases
in Rochester MN
1886-2011

Rank     Temperature      Year
1        50 degrees      1936
2        42 degrees      1928
3        41 degrees      2011
41 degrees      1959
5        40 degrees      1940
6        39 degrees      1999
39 degrees      1994
39 degrees      1953
39 degrees      1943
10        38 degrees      1963
38 degrees      1954

Posted under Holidays