Our current cold snap has us feeling like the tail end of the month rather than the first week of December as arctic air continues to trickle into the region.  This week’s weather is being dominated by a series of cold fronts that are working to reinforce our colder temperatures regime and also produce a few snow flurries.  However, the major snow producing storm systems are being diverted around us and it looks like this particular aspect of our pattern will hold true for at least the next week or so, if not longer.  While readings to start the month last weekend were very typical of early December, things have certainly gotten colder since then and will remain on the chilly side through the rest of the work week with highs in the teens and 20s in the forecast.  As far as snow is concerned, we have a slight surplus for the month with 4.1″ so far in Rochester which is about two inches above normal to this point in December.  The average amount for the month overall is 12.5″ according to the brand new 30 year climate calculations from the National Weather Service.  Looking ahead ta the rest of December with our climate “normals” in mind, we’ll lose five minutes of daylight by New Years Eve, but the actual sunset will be ten minutes later, so most people will benefit from that change, but the average daily high will fall from 30° where it stands today to 24° by the end of the month.

Temperatures will gradually drop off on average over the next three weeks while total daylight will fall off slightly between now and the end of the month.

Posted under climate

For Rochester, MN with thanks to the NWS La Crosse

Because we like to keep cleaner records, our meteorological winter begins December 1st and ends the last day of February. It’s nice to say that winter’s over…now if only the weather would catch up with that, eh?

This past meteorological winter of ’08-’09 in Rochester was colder and snowier than normal. It sure seemed cold (because it was), but you may (or may not) be surprised that our average temperature this winter was not even close to being as cold as other winters in Rochester, e.g. 1978-79, ’77-’78, ’35-’36 just to name a few. This past winter was the 24th coldest winter on record and the coldest since 2000-’01.

The statistic that surprised me the most was of this being the 3rd snowiest winter in Rochester’s recorded weather history. Our snowfall records in Rochester date back to 1893. Most of this winter’s snowfall came in the month of December when we recorded a whopping 28.6″ of snow…17″ above the climatological average snowfall for the month. January received 9.8″ of snow (2.1″ below January’s average), and February, 8″, which is pretty much right on the nose for February’s average.

For the record, March is the 3rd snowiest month in Rochester, but we can typically count on spring weather kicking in by the last week of March. Bring it on, I say.

Posted under climate, Rochester, winter weather

It sure hasn’t been feeling much like November so far this month.  We’ve set 4 individual daily records in Rochester for highs and for warm lows while our stretch of unbelievable days has also been noteworthy.  Here is a statement from the National Weather Service in La Cosse to summarize the situation:

ROCHESTER
———

1. NEW RECORD HIGH /75 DEGREES/ ON NOVEMBER 3RD. PREVIOUSLY SET IN 1978
2. NEW RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE /74 DEGREES/ ON NOVEMBER 4TH.
   PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 72 DEGREES IN 1975.
3. NEW RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE /55 DEGREES/ ON NOVEMBER 4TH.
   PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 47 DEGREES IN 1981.
4. NEW RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE /53 DEGREES/ ON NOVEMBER 5TH.
   PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 46 DEGREES IN 1948.
5. 2ND WARMEST NOVEMBER DAY /64.5 DEGREES AVG TEMPERATURE/ EVER ON
   NOVEMBER 4TH 2008.
6. 4TH WARMEST NOVEMBER DAY /63.0 DEGREES AVG TEMPERATURE/ EVER ON
   NOVEMBER 3RD 2008.
7. WARMEST 4 DAY STRETCH /59.0 DEGREES AVG TEMPERATURE/ EVER RECORDED
   IN NOVEMBER.

I know there are a few people out there who are hoping for cooler weather and perhaps some snow, so I will mention that both are on the way for the end of the week and for the weekend, so no more record highs for us!  In fact, we’ll be slightly colder than “normal” for the weekend with highs in the 30s.  Look for rain and light snow showers Friday with a minor dusting of grassy accumulation possible Friday night and Saturday.  By the way, if you’re looking for some shovelable snow, you might want to head west to South Dakota where a large portion of the state is in a Blizzard Warning for today through tomorrow morning.  They may end up with half a foot of fresh snow out of this storm system.

Posted under climate, weather