Wacky Winter: Huttner & Sven Sundgaard discuss on Midday Friday at 11am

41 degrees - high in the metro Thursday

30s likely next several days

Monday next chance of significant rain or snow

19th warmest January on record globally (132 years of records)

323rd consecutive month above the 20th century average globally

8th warmest January on record for the metro

4th warmest meteorological winter (Dec-Feb) likely in the metro (pending final numbers)

17 days at or above 40 degrees so far this winter (Dec-Feb)

5 days at or above 40 last winter

KARE 11's Sven Sundgaard my guest on Midday Friday at 11am on MPR

Another "winter" day, another 40 degree temp:

It's starting to feel weirdly normal. 40 degree days this winter are coming with regular frequency. Even though snowfall has been woefully low, it's tough to keep what snow has fallen on the ground this winter with temps above 40 degrees.

Thursday's 40 degree high at MSP marks the 17th day this winter the mercury has tickled 40. Last winter we were barely able to eek out 5, and none in January.

There are many measures of just how mild this winter has been, but the high number of days at or above 40 degrees is a good indicator of just how incredibly mild this winter has been.

19th warmest January on record globally:

News from NOAA that January was the 19th warmest on record globally. While not a "top 10 warmest" month, it's remarkable that this was the 323rd straight month above the 20th century average.

Looking at the map below, you can see that Minnesota, the Midwest and the lower 48 USA states lead the globe with the warmest temps in January.

Note how Alaska and central Asia trended cold in January.

More from NOAA:

Global temperatures 19th warmest on record for January

'The globe experienced its 19th warmest January since record keeping began in 1880. Arctic sea ice extent was the fourth smallest extent on record for January at 7.5 percent below average. Additionally, La Niña conditions continued during January 2012. According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, La Niña is expected to dissipate during the Northern Hemisphere spring.

January 2012 marks the coolest month since January 2008. However, January 2012 also marks the 26th January and 323rd consecutive month with a global temperature above the 20th century average. The last month with below average temperatures was February 1985.

Global temperature highlights: January

•The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for January 2012 was the 19th warmest on record at 54.30°F (12.39°C), which is 0.70°F (0.39°C) above the 20th century average of 53.6°F (12.0°C). The margin of error associated with this temperature is +/- 0.14°F (0.08°C).

Surface temperature anomalies for January 2012 •Separately, the global land surface temperature was 1.10°F (0.61°C) above the 20th century average of 37.0°F (2.8°C), making this the 26th warmest January on record. The margin of error is +/- 0.32°F (0.18°C). Warmer-than-average conditions occurred across most of North America, the northern latitudes of Europe and Asia, southern South America, and most of Australia. Cooler-than-average regions included China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, south central Russia, much of the Middle East, northern India, north Africa, and southwestern Greenland.

•The Arctic Oscillation climate pattern played a role in temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere during January. The positive phase during the first half of the month contributed to well-below average monthly temperatures across Alaska and above-average temperatures across the contiguous United States. The negative phase during the second half of the month contributed to warmth in Canada and also to a cold snap that began during the last week in January across Central and Eastern Europe and north Africa."

Midday with Paul Huttner Sven Sundgaard Friday at 11 am:

Join me as I host Midday Friday at 11am with my guest meteorologist Sven Sundgaard from KARE 11.

We'll talk about this week's weather headlines, and dig into the details of this wacky winter in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. We'll also look ahead to spring and see if there are any trends that might tell us what to expect.

And we'll take you calls and answer your weather & climate questions as always. It should be a fun hour for fellow weather geeks.

Please join us!

PH