70s Return! Mom’s Day showers, First 80 Tuesday? 1965 tornadoes

Welcome back to the 70s!

Can the disco balls and open shirts be far behind?

The temperature topped out at 70 in the metro and much of southern Minnesota Friday.

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Warm colors represent 70s surging north Friday.

It marks only the second time the Twin Cities has reached 70 this year! That's a far cry behind last years pace.

2 70 degree days so far in 2011

8 70 degree days by this date in 2010!

Until Friday temperatures were running -9.2 degrees so far in May in the metro. The 70 degree day was welcome tonic for warmth seeking Minnesotans. It actually felt warm inside your car sitting in the sun for the first time today...what a concept!

Mixed weather bag this weekend:

The Mother's Day weekend will be spring-like, but typically finicky. Here's the rundown.

-Friday night & Saturday morning:

Skies should be mostly dry with pleasant temps if you're out this Friday night. A weak weather disturbance sliding through will bring scattered showers late tonight into Saturday morning. There may be a few embedded T-Storms after midnight into early Saturday.

Rainfall should generally be light, under.24" in most areas. There could be some heavier totals over .50" with downpours in some areas that do get thunderstorms.

-Latest Twin Cities radar loop

Saturday PM & Saturday night:

This looks to be the driest art of the weekend in between weather systems. Look for partly cloudy skies, and temperatures Saturday afternoon should recover into the mid to upper 60s in most areas. Wind E 5-10 mph.

Wet run for the roses?

You may want to pick a "mudder" in the Kentucky Derby Saturday. There's a chance for showers and T-Storms in the forecast in Lousiville.

Here's a great look at historical Derby weather.

Mother's Day:

This might be a great year to take mom to that indoor brunch. The next wave will move rapidly east on Mother's Day. Look for showers and a few T-Storms to increase during the morning, and they could linger into afternoon.

NAM model total weekend rainfall could add up to an inch west of the metro?

Showers may favor the northern half of Minnesota as the day wears on, and there could be some sunny hours in the south. The threat for severe weather appears low.

Temps should be in the 60s, with a few 70s popping up in southern Minnesota late Sunday. Winds SE 5-15 mph.

Season's first 80 next week?

Breaking news....summer weather will make a push into Minnesota early next week. We could feel the season's first 80 degree readings late Monday or Tuesday!

After what could be a rainy (& thundery?) start Sunday night into early Monday, it appears a warm front will push through southern Minnesota Monday PM.

We should bust out into a sunny, warm and somewhat more humid air mass. It looks like 70s are a lock on Monday. If everything plays out right, we could see our first 80 degree temps Tuesday afternoon in southern Minnesota, including the Twin Cities metro.

GFS model shows warm air in red surging north with 70s and maybe 80s in Minnesota Tuesday!

The best chance of thunderstorms will be in northern Minnesota...but it appears we'll see some boomers as a front sweeps trough late Tuesday night.

Stay tuned....

May 6, 1965: Still the biggest tornado outbreak on record in the metro

In the insane Minnesota tornado year of 2010, one record still (thankfully) stands.

"Minnetonka" tornado on May 6, 1965

It was 46 years ago Friday that the biggest tornado outbreak in Twin Cities history occurred. Six tornadoes skipped across the metro area that night.

Tornado tracks & timing from May 6, 1965 (Click to enlarge)

The event marked several firsts in weather coverage in Minnesota. It was the first time civil defense sirens were sounded in severe weather, an event that would last until today.

It also marked the advent of continuous severe weather coverage on local radio, a fact which saved numerous lives that day and in the 46 years following.

Twin Cities NWS radar image from May 6,1965

(Note the multiple "hook" echoes)

It also marks my first living memory. I lived under a mile form the path of the "Cottagewood tornado" that tore through Deephaven at the time. My memories of that day are so vivid, If there was technology that could playback what was inside my head I could show you in HD what that day looked like. The hail was intense, and the sky an eerie green I have never seen since.

I can't recreate my memories, but if you get a chance to see this amazing book, take a look. The "Minnetonka Tornado Story in Pictures" by R.C. Jefferson is a local classic. I am fortunate to have a copy in the weather lab. It's tough to find, but if you can get your hands on it it's worth the price.

There are numerous stories (and maybe a few suburban legends) about that day. Some residents of Carsons Bay on Lake Minnetonka that I have talked to swear the tornado sucked up so much water as it crossed the bay that the water level rapidly dropped several feet. People on the eastern side of Carsons Bay said they saw fish flopping on the newly exposed lake bottom as the tornado swept by to the west.

I could go on and on and recreate the wheel on that day...but it may be better to review some of my earlier posts and other work on the 1965 Twin Cities tornado outbreak.

-Updraft post: "The Day the Tornadoes Came"

-Updraft Post: "What we've learned since about tornadoes since 1998"

-Twin Cities NWS summary of 1965 tornado outbreak

Seeley talks climate & weather:

As always, my MPR colleague (and birthday boy this week!) has a great summary of topics this week in his "Weather Talk" blog. Check it out. Mark's commentary is always insightful. It's a great read.

When it comes to understanding climate and Minnesota weather patterns, there's Mark...and there's the rest of us. Thanks to Mark for teaching me so much over the past few years!

Have a great weekend, and Happy Mother's Day!

PH