Weekend Split: Spooktacular Halloween; Mega Storm records stand!

Classic late October weekend?

Late October sunset & colored maples at the Huttner Weather Lab

The weekend is here, and it looks pretty typical for late October.

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Saturday looks like the sunnier nicer day this weekend. Look for mostly sunny skies and a high of 53 in the metro and southern Minnesota, with 40s up north.

Another "Alberta Clipper" type low pressure system sails through Saturday night & Sunday. The system should be warm enough for all rain showers, with totals generally on the lighter side. Most areas should see less than .25" of showery rainfall Sunday.

Spooktacular Halloween!

This is going to be one of the best Halloween days in recent memory. A lazy ridge of relatively mild high pressure will glide by Monday. Look for plenty of sun and a milder southwest breeze. Temps should easily push into the 50s, and may touch 60 in southwest Minnesota Monday.

Right now trick or treat temps look to be in the 50s under dry skies and a beautiful crescent moon in the western sky!

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Classic!

Halloween Mega Storm records still stand today:

It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since the Halloween Mega Storm. The true test of some major weather events is, how long do the records stand?

As of now, many records still stand 20 years later from he Halloween Mega Storm. This includes the single greatest snow storm in MSP history at 28.4" and the most snow ever recorded on October 31st (8.2") and November 1st (18.5").

(Click image below to enlarge)

MY MPR colleague and UM climate guru Dr. Mark Seely expalins in this week's Weather Talk.

Topic: 20th Anniversary of the 1991 Halloween Blizzard

"Monday marks the 20th Anniversary of the famous Halloween Blizzard that shut down much of the state, and delivered some of the heaviest snowfalls in history for many cities. This long duration storm (30-60 hours) slammed the state over October 31 to November 2nd depositing from 1 to 3 feet of snow in many areas. At times snowfall deposition rates were 2-3 inches per hour. Winds gusted from 35 to 45 mph causing near zero visibility. Over 900 schools and businesses were closed by November 1st. Hundreds of motorists were stranded and some buildings were damaged by snow loads.

Residents of Austin and Albert Lea recall this event as a great ice storm which deposited a coating of 2-3 inches of ice on roads, trees, and power lines. Many were without power. The National Guard provided some emergency generators for power in some communities."

4th Warmest October for Minnesota?

So far October temps are running +7.4 degrees compared to average at MSP Airport. Our monthly average temp so far is 57.1 degrees. That number should fall slightly through Monday, but this could easily be the 7th or 8th warmest October on record at MSP.

OCTOBER TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION EXTREMES

NWSFO.. MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL MINNESOTA

MODERN DAY RECORDS

10 WARMEST OCTOBERS

59.3...1947

58.1...1963

57.8...1900

57.4...1953

56.6...1924

56.5...1920/56

55.4...1914/38

54.5...1897

54.4...1931

54.3...2007

Our mild month may also go down as the 4th warmest October on record for Minnesota this year. Again MPR colleague Mark Seeley elaborates.

Topic: Preliminary climate summary for October

"On a statewide basis this has been a very warm October, warmest since 1963 and probably 4th warmest in history. Observers report a mean monthly temperature that is 5 to 7 degrees F warmer than average. Extremes for the month ranged from 90 degrees F at Browns Valley on the 6th to just 13 degrees F at Embarrass on the 21st.

In terms of precipitation, October was very dry, continuing a trend that started in late July. Many observers reported only 4-5 days with precipitation. Most areas had less than half normal monthly totals, and some spots reported one of the driest Octobers in history. Included among the driest places in the state this month were: Lakefield 0.28 inches (driest ever); Zumbrota 0.46 inches (6th driest); Rochester 0.29 inches (6th driest); Minnesota City 0.60 inches (6th driest); Windom 0.29 inches (9th driest); Bemidji 0.40 inches (10th driest); Itasca State Park 0.44 inches (10th driest); and Winnebago 0.36 inches (10 driest).

The wettest spots in the state were in the northeast where Gunflint Lake reported 2.48 inches and Embarrass reported 2.08 inches.

October was windy as well. Many places reported wind gusts over 40 mph. Duluth reported wind gusts over 40 mph on four days."

Have a great weekend!

PH