The storm system to our west that looks to bring some unsettled, stormier weather to our area this weekend is also going to pull in some warmer and eventually more humid weather for us.  Of course, that humidity will prime the atmosphere for those rain chances while it keeps the summer-like feel in the air that we’ve been experiencing all week long.  We’re expecting some showers and thunderstorms late this evening and tonight and those look to stick around for much of Friday.  The entire weekend won’t be a washout, but there will be some shower chances each day with this upcoming storm system.  Look for morning showers Saturday with a fair amount of sunshine still around to warm us into the lower 80s.  We’ll have more widespread showers and thunderstorms Sunday.  It’s too early to tell if there will be severe weather this weekend, but right now the best chance looks to be later in the day Sunday into early Monday.  Rain chances with this storm system look to linger into Wednesday with temperatures slowly falling to the lower and mid 70s which is a bit closer to what we normally expect this time of the year.  If you’re heading up north, here’s a look at your weekend getaway forecast:

It’ll be a comfrotable, but unsettled weather picture in northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin this weekend.

Posted under weather

The past two weeks have certainly been memorable for us as our weather has been nothing short of comfortable and refreshing.  This spell of cooler, drier, and at times, fall-like weather has been quite a departure from the previous seven weeks or so that featured scorching heat and intense bouts of heavy humidity that forced many of us to run the air conditioning nonstop.  Our weather remains quiet and comfortable today, but there are signs that changes are ahead in the not too distant future as more typical August-like days lie before us on the late August calendar.  High pressure is beginning to glide away to the east today, allowing a slight southerly breeze to work with our wall-to-wall sunshine to warm us quickly to more seasonably warm temperatures locally as highs will be near 80° this afternoon.  That warming trend will continue tomorrow as the jet stream flattens out and shifts a bit northward and warmer, slightly more humid works its way back into the weather picture.  A storm system to the west will trigger some rain and thunderstorms chances later tomorrow through much of Thursday while temperatures will be in the low to mid 80s and our air will feel more noticeably humid.  This more summer-like weather looks to be sticking around through the weekend and for most of next week, almost as if Mother Nature is trying to balance things out, making up for the September-like weather of the past two weeks.

The jet stream has been bucking southward recently, allowing cooler, more Canadian style air into the region.

The jet stream pattern over the next week or so leading up to the last portion of August is going to be a little flatter, more northward oriented, allowing warmer, more humid weather into the region.

Posted under weather

Things are feeling hot and steamy as we kick off the last full week in the month of July today, but the good news is we have a few chances for much needed rain and some cooler weather in the forecast.  Right now, a disturbance is producing some scattered showers and may produce some thunderstorms today and tonight along a stalled front that is draped across our area.  There may be a few heavier downpours tonight in some of the stronger storms.  There will be hit and miss stuff through tomorrow as well, but I think the better looking scenario is ahead on Wednesday as a potent cold front approaches from the west.  That may end up being the wettest, stormiest day of the week with a chance for strong thunderstorms as well as some soaking rainfall.  Behind that front, we’ll go from having highs in the mid and upper 80s tomorrow and Tuesday to the low 80s with lower humidity in the air for the tail end of the week and for Saturday.  It looks like that cool down will last for two or three days with a little more heat and humidity possibly returning Sunday and for the first part of next week.

Hot, steamy, unsettled weather is the rule to start the week and things will remain warmer than normal through the middle of the week as the jet stream stays north of us.

The jet stream is expected to buckle southward while a surface cold front pushes through the area later in the week, allowing for a brief cool down for Friday and Saturday as highs will be near 80.

Posted under heat

The front that began to push through the area last evening, sparking a handful of thunderstorms in the evening across southeastern Minnesota is now draped across the Minnesota-Iowa border and may again act as the focus of more activity today.  Right now areas south of the front are sweltering in the 90s with heat indices approaching triple figures again while areas to the north area feeling a little than the past few days as 80s are much more common.  A disturbance riding along that front will produce some more thunderstorms across the area through the afternoon and evening before exiting the area to the east later tonight and making us then wait until late in the weekend to get some more much needed rain.  A few of today’s storms may become severe with strong, gusty winds and perhaps a little hail as well while a brief downpour can’t be ruled out in some of the heavier thundershowers.  Rainfall totals as a whole aren’t expected to be large, however, with up to a quarter of an inch possible.  If we can get through the next few days that will be hot, sunny, and rain-free, there will be a few more rain chances possibly showing up for the upcoming week, but then again it could be another mirage as this summer has certainly been desert-like for many of us.

Our entire area is in the Storm Prediction Center's "Slight Risk" category of severe weather for today and tonight as some of the thunderstorms locally may produce some strong winds or hail.

Posted under rainfall, severe weather

We’re getting a little break from severe weather today as the warm front that triggered some strong thunderstorms last night pushes northward through the Upper Mississippi Valley and away from our area, setting the stage for a windy, hot, and humid day, but one with a “capped” atmosphere, or in other words it’ll be too warm aloft for thunderstorms to develop through the rest of the day locally.  It’s also likely to be the warmest day of the week and possibly the entire year so far as strong south winds will work to mix down some pretty warm air, combining with tons of sun to warm temperatures at the surface well into the 90s.  We’ll likely see low to mid 90s around the local area this afternoon with heat indices close to 100 by mid to late afternoon.  Those south winds will occasionally gust beyond 30mph, possibly making the heat more bearable, but probably not much more.

Speaking of the intense thunderstorms from last night, some of those slid through the north portion of our viewing area between 4:00 and 6:00 AM today, producing some strong wind gusts and hail, but thankfully because they were moving eastward at 60mph, there wasn’t a lot of heavy rainfall produced.  Here’s a look at some of the damage reports from the region:

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
518 AM CDT TUE JUN 19 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0211 AM     TSTM WND GST     HUTCHINSON              44.89N 94.37W 
06/19/2012  M53.00 MPH       MCLEOD             MN   AWOS            

            MEASURED AT HUTCHINSON AIRPORT

0240 AM     HAIL             REDWOOD FALLS           44.54N 95.11W 
06/19/2012  M0.75 INCH       REDWOOD            MN   BROADCAST MEDIA 

            DIME SIZED HAIL

0243 AM     TSTM WND GST     REDWOOD FALLS           44.54N 95.11W 
06/19/2012  M45.00 MPH       REDWOOD            MN   ASOS            

            MEASURED AT REDWOOD FALLS MUNICIPAL AIRPORT

0255 AM     HAIL             10 SE REDWOOD FALLS     44.44N 94.97W 
06/19/2012  M0.75 INCH       REDWOOD            MN   BROADCAST MEDIA 

            NICKEL SIZED HAIL NEAR GILFILLAN

0255 AM     HAIL             MORGAN                  44.42N 94.92W 
06/19/2012  M0.75 INCH       REDWOOD            MN   BROADCAST MEDIA 

            DIME SIZED HAIL

0300 AM     HAIL             PLYMOUTH                45.02N 93.46W 
06/19/2012  M0.75 INCH       HENNEPIN           MN   NWS EMPLOYEE    

            DIME SIZED HAIL

0301 AM     TSTM WND GST     CRYSTAL                 45.04N 93.36W 
06/19/2012  M46.00 MPH       HENNEPIN           MN   ASOS            

            MEASURED AT MINNEAPOLIS CRYSTAL AIRPORT

0302 AM     TSTM WND GST     EDEN PRAIRIE            44.85N 93.46W 
06/19/2012  M53.00 MPH       HENNEPIN           MN   ASOS            

            MEASURED AT FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT.

0303 AM     HAIL             FAIRFAX                 44.53N 94.72W 
06/19/2012  M0.75 INCH       RENVILLE           MN   LAW ENFORCEMENT 

            DIME SIZED HAIL

0313 AM     TSTM WND GST     NEW ULM                 44.31N 94.46W 
06/19/2012  M49.00 MPH       BROWN              MN   AWOS            

            REPORTED AT NEW ULM MUNICIPAL AIRPORT

0314 AM     TSTM WND GST     MINNEAPOLIS             44.96N 93.27W 
06/19/2012  M44.00 MPH       HENNEPIN           MN   ASOS            

            MEASURED AT MINNEAPOLIS ST PAUL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

0321 AM     HAIL             WINTHROP                44.54N 94.36W 
06/19/2012  M0.88 INCH       SIBLEY             MN   LAW ENFORCEMENT 

            REPORTED BY POLICE DEPARTMENT

0330 AM     HAIL             GAYLORD                 44.55N 94.22W 
06/19/2012  M1.00 INCH       SIBLEY             MN   TRAINED SPOTTER 

            ENOUGH HAIL TO MAKE THE GROUND WHITE

0330 AM     TSTM WND GST     2 NNW NEW GERMANY       44.91N 93.99W 
06/19/2012  M56.00 MPH       CARVER             MN   MESONET         

            MEASURED BY MNDOT SENSOR ON BWY 7 AT MILE POST 161. 

0335 AM     TSTM WND DMG     LESTER PRAIRIE          44.88N 94.04W 
06/19/2012                   MCLEOD             MN   TRAINED SPOTTER 

            LARGE TREE ON HOUSE. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR. 

0345 AM     HAIL             LE CENTER               44.39N 93.73W 
06/19/2012  E0.75 INCH       LE SUEUR           MN   EMERGENCY MNGR  

            PENNY SIZED HAIL AND WINDS APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH.

0352 AM     TSTM WND GST     4 ENE HENDERSON         44.55N 93.83W 
06/19/2012  M66.00 MPH       SCOTT              MN   MESONET         

            MNDOT ROAD SENSOR

0355 AM     TSTM WND GST     BELLE PLAINE            44.62N 93.76W 
06/19/2012  M83.00 MPH       SCOTT              MN   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

0355 AM     HAIL             BELLE PLAINE            44.62N 93.76W 
06/19/2012  M1.00 INCH       SCOTT              MN   TRAINED SPOTTER 

0359 AM     TSTM WND GST     1 N NEW PRAGUE          44.56N 93.57W 
06/19/2012  M80.00 MPH       SCOTT              MN   EMERGENCY MNGR  

            MEASURED BY SPOTTER AT CO RD 2 AND 21. REPORTED BY 
            EMERGENCY MANAGER. 

0400 AM     TSTM WND GST     1 E SAVAGE              44.76N 93.34W 
06/19/2012  M63.00 MPH       SCOTT              MN   MESONET         

            APRSWXNET SENSOR. TIME ESTIMATED.

0403 AM     TSTM WND GST     PRIOR LAKE              44.73N 93.43W 
06/19/2012  M60.00 MPH       SCOTT              MN   NWS EMPLOYEE    

0404 AM     TSTM WND GST     EDEN PRAIRIE            44.85N 93.46W 
06/19/2012  M54.00 MPH       HENNEPIN           MN   ASOS            

            MEASURED AT FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT

0410 AM     HAIL             LAKEVILLE               44.68N 93.24W 
06/19/2012  M0.75 INCH       DAKOTA             MN   TRAINED SPOTTER 

0410 AM     TSTM WND DMG     LAKEVILLE               44.68N 93.24W 
06/19/2012                   DAKOTA             MN   TRAINED SPOTTER 

            10 INCH DIAMETER TREE DOWNED

0411 AM     TSTM WND GST     LAKEVILLE               44.68N 93.24W 
06/19/2012  M54.00 MPH       DAKOTA             MN   AWOS            

            REPORTED AT LAKEVILLE AIRPORT

0414 AM     TSTM WND GST     FARIBAULT               44.30N 93.27W 
06/19/2012  M55.00 MPH       RICE               MN   AWOS            

            MEASURED AT FARIBAULT MUNICIPAL AIRPORT

0415 AM     TSTM WND DMG     2 SSW ROSEMOUNT         44.72N 93.09W 
06/19/2012                   DAKOTA             MN   TRAINED SPOTTER 

            30 FT TREE DOWN. WOOD FENCE BLOWN OVER. NEAR INTERSECTION
            OF SHANNON PARKWAY AND HWY 46. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.

0419 AM     TSTM WND GST     MINNEAPOLIS             44.96N 93.27W 
06/19/2012  M54.00 MPH       HENNEPIN           MN   ASOS            

            MEASURED AT MINNEAPOLIS ST PAUL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.

0423 AM     TSTM WND DMG     EAGAN                   44.82N 93.16W 
06/19/2012                   DAKOTA             MN   TRAINED SPOTTER 

            30 FT TALL PINE TREE UPROOTED. BRANCHES BROKEN OFF OTHER 
            TREES. 

0425 AM     HAIL             DUNDAS                  44.43N 93.20W 
06/19/2012  M1.00 INCH       RICE               MN   TRAINED SPOTTER 

0429 AM     TSTM WND GST     ST PAUL                 44.95N 93.10W 
06/19/2012  M64.00 MPH       RAMSEY             MN   ASOS            

            REPORTED AT ST PAUL DOWNTOWN AIRPORT

0430 AM     TSTM WND DMG     HASTINGS                44.73N 92.85W 
06/19/2012                   DAKOTA             MN   PUBLIC          

            18 INCH DIAMETER TREE UPROOTED.

0433 AM     TSTM WND GST     STANTON                 44.47N 93.02W 
06/19/2012  M63.00 MPH       GOODHUE            MN   AWOS            

            REPORTED AT STANTON AIRFIELD

0438 AM     HAIL             PRESCOTT                44.75N 92.79W 
06/19/2012  M1.25 INCH       PIERCE             WI   LAW ENFORCEMENT

We’re   The next round of thunderstorm activity is expected to develop tonight, especially late in the evening through the overnight period when a few storms may become severe and heavy rainfall will become a concern because of the slow- moving nature of the approaching cold front.  That front will move through the local area early tomorrow and then stall, continuing to spark thunderstorm chances through the day, keeping the day gray and a bit cooler, but also quite wet as rainfall totals may exceed an inch in a couple of spots.  Because of that, a Flood Watch has been posted for Goodhue and Rice Counties locally and for a large portion of central Minnesota where recent heavy rains have left river levels very high and flooding is a bigger concern right now.

Some parts of Goodhue County have already received more than 10 inches of rain in the past week, so it and several other water logged counties are under a Flash Flood Watch. Wednesday is expected to be a wet situation for much of our area.

Incidentally, summer officially begins Wednesday at 6:09 PM local time.  Happy last full day of spring!

Posted under severe weather

Even though a few light showers and batches of sprinkles are moving in our direction today, it’s a fairly quiet and pleasant start to the holiday weekend we’re enjoying right now as filtered sunshine, light winds, and comfortable temperatures appear to the rule across the area.  Look for highs in the mid 70s in most spots and just a trace amount of rainfall from these light showers, especially for the late afternoon and evening hours.  As a warm front from the south pushes into the local area tonight and tomorrow, we’ll find ourselves dealing with off and on scattered showers and a few thunderstorms, but nothing too intense and not a total washout of the first part of the holiday weekend by any stretch of the imagination.  Behind that warm front Sunday we’ll have bright sunshine, gusty south winds, and more humidity in the air as high temperatures will be in the lower 90s in the afternoon and heat indices will be in the mid 90s.  A cold front will bring us perhaps the most intense and heaviest round of thunderstorms late Sunday night and early Monday and then behind that, we’ll have just a few isolated afternoon showers and thunderstorms along with some sunshine and highs in the upper 70s.

If you’re heading up north, it’ll be a different story, especially as far as the temperatures go for the holiday weekend as highs will mainly be in the 50s and 60s.  Here’s a look at the northern Minnesota “cabin forecast” for those traveling up there this weekend:

A cool and slightly unsettled forecast is ahead for the holiday weekend in northern Minnesota. Don't forget your rain jacket and maybe a sweater!

Posted under Holidays

Once again we’re facing a weekend celestial event whose local viewing potential will possibly be affected by clouds and rain.  Keep your fingers crossed tomorrow night as our May full moon will occur at 10:35pm and will be also be the biggest and brightest lunar event in more than a year.  A storm system from the west will be approaching the area, producing some scattered showers and thunderstorms in the region, so our viewing of the full moon will be limited and possibly impossible unfortunately, but it’ll certainly be worth a look anyway just in case.  Here’s an article from space.com.  The video attached to that story is especially interesting.

Skywatcher Tim McCord of Entiat, Washington caught this amazing view of the March 19, 2011 full moon – called a supermoon because the moon was at perigee, the closest point to Earth in its orbit – using a camera-equipped telescope. CREDIT: Tim McCord

UPDATE: For the latest on Saturday’s “supermoon” and meteor shower, read our latest story here: ‘Supermoon’ Science: Why Saturday’s Full Moon is Biggest of 2012

Skywatchers take note: The biggest full moon of the year is due to arrive this weekend.

The moon will officially become full Saturday (May 5) at 11:35 p.m. EDT. And because this month’s full moon coincides with the moon’s perigee — its closest approach to Earth — it will also be the year’s biggest.

The moon will swing in 221,802 miles (356,955 kilometers) from our planet, offering skywatchers a spectacular view of an extra-big, extra-bright moon, nicknamed a supermoon.

 

And not only does the moon’s perigee coincide with full moon this month, but this perigee will be the nearest to Earth of any this year, as the distance of the moon’s close approach varies by about 3 percent, according to meteorologist Joe Rao, SPACE.com’s skywatching columnist. This happens because the moon’s orbit is not perfectly circular.

 

 

This month’s full moon is due to be about 16 percent brighter than average. In contrast, later this year on Nov. 28, the full moon will coincide with apogee, the moon’s farthest approach, offering a particularly small and dim full moon.

Though the unusual appearance of this month’s full moon may be surprising to some, there’s no reason for alarm, scientists warn. The slight distance difference isn’t enough to cause any earthquakes or extreme tidal effects, experts say.

However, the normal tides around the world will be particularly high and low. At perigee, the moon will exert about 42 percent more tidal force than it will during its next apogee two weeks later, Rao said.

The last supermoon occurred in March 2011.

To view this weekend’s supermoon to best effect, look for it just after it rises or before it sets, when it is close to the horizon. There, you can catch a view of the moon behind buildings or trees, an effect which produces an optical illusion, making the moon seem even larger than it really is.

Editor’s note: If you’d like to share your supermoon photos for a possible story or gallery, send images and comments to SPACE.com managing editor Tariq Malik: tmalik@space.com.

Video Link: http://www.space.com/15037-super-moon-return-2012-video.html

Posted under Astronomy

This week is Severe Weather Awareness Week for Minnesota and Wisconsin and as in years past, each day will feature a severe weather topic and some tips that can help you prepare for dangerous weather this season.  The National Weather Service has a special website that covers the entire week’s agenda and has links to other sources of thunderstorm and tornado information.  Thursday the 19th will be Tornado Drill Day where both states involved will have statewide tornado drills with an additional evening session for some counties that elect to have an extra round of practice to give families a chance to run through their severe weather action plans.  Here’s some more information from the NWS’s Severe Weather Awareness Week website:

Severe Weather Awareness Weeks

Follow the links below for safety and preparedness information on each topic:

Posted under severe weather

It’s certainly been a miserable, yet interesting day so far as far as our local weather goes.  We started the day with a round of thunderstorms just aftermidnight that rumbled through the Rochester area at about 2:30, producing pea sized hail and heavy rainfall.  We picked up about 0.30 inches in northwest Rochester in that hour long shower and the landscape was thoroughly covered in small hail.  Some people in Rochester reported almost an inch of hail covering their yards before dawn from this event. 

Pea sized hail covered the parking lot at KTTC before dawn this morning and then again in the mid morning hours.

A second round of enhanced precipitation, possibly involving elevated thunderstorms, came through the area at about 8:30 am, and dropped anouht quarter of an inch ofrain and produced some small hail as well as some sleet, or ice pellets.  It’s a little difficult to say exactly if it was one or the other or both as surface temperatures cooled to 34 degrees during that round of moderate precipitation and temperatures aloft were close to freezing as well.  It’s possible that hail formed along a line of weak thunderstorms and then as the air became dynamically cooled, sleet followed. 

The second round of heavy rain and hail as seen on NEXRAD radar here at the station. The enhanced rain echoes of yellow to the east of Rochester were associated with what appeared to be hail and the purple echoes behind that line were associated with the sleet that passed through the area, lingering for several minutes.

We’ll have some more showers in the area today and this evening with a chance for some thunderstorms, some possibly producing soem small hail at times.  There will be an even better chance for some sleet mixing with that rain late tonight and tomorrow as colder air filters into the area behind this storm system as it moves to the east.  A little snow is expected tomorrow as well.  This is definitely quintessential March weather for southeastern Minnesota!

Posted under hail

Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 8 pm...for only a few of our counties

1:45pm update:

Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 8 pm for some of our counties in Wisconsin: La Crosse, Trempealeau, Vernon. Watch extends to the east into Wisconsin…rocky weather expected there this afternoon, if you are headed that way.

Earlier:

There’s still a possibility for some stronger storms this afternoon and evening, and as I’m writing this (1 pm), there’s a nice non-severe line that’s developed rapidly and stretches from Olmsted county south to Chickasaw county. These are mainly run-of-the-mill storms, but could pack some brief gusty winds, heavy rainfall, and small hail. Infact, this could be the extent of the action for the day.

If you want to get all geeky and haven’t yet…you can always check out and track the storms on your own – take it to your street level even! – with our Interactive Radar (plus, it’s free – go on – you have some time before the clock hits 5 PM at work, right?).

Otherwise, enjoy the weekend, the dry weather, and a dose of summer warmth!

Posted under severe weather