Welcome to Omaha: 12th straight warm month; Stormy pattern ahead

Quick look forecast: (Click to expand)

Source: Twin Cities NWS

+5.8 degrees vs. average so far this May at MSP Airport

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12th straight month above average n Minnesota

52 degrees - average temp in the metro the past 12 months

51 degrees - average annual temp in Omaha, Nebraska

4.79" rainfall so far in May at MSP

+2.62" vs. average this month

15 hours of daylight in Minnesota this week through July 23rd

1 year tomorrow - the anniversary of the May 22nd Minneapolis & Joplin tornadoes

Acitve & stormy pattern developing later this week

Sunset last week on Lake Minnetonka.

Photo by Paul Huttner-MPR News

Welcome to Omaha! (With lakes)

Sid Hartman used to threaten us all the time.

"Take away professional sports in Minnesota and all we are in the Twin Cities is a "Cold Omaha!"

He may have been onto something in a backwards, unintentional sort of way.

May marks the 12th straight month of (significantly) above average temps in Minnesota. If you average up the past year at MSP Airport, temps are running about 5.7 degrees warmer than average. The 30-year average annual temp for the Twin Cities is about46.3 degrees. In the past year, it's been closer to 52 degrees.

That's close to the annual average temp for Omaha, Nebraska...which runs about 51 degrees!

If you've ever wondered what it would be like to live in a climate like Omaha, living in the metro in the past year is about as close as you can get.

So the Twin Cities really is "as warm as Omaha" in the past year.

Go Huskers!

May 22, 2011: 1 year later

Damage in North Minneapolis.

Source: Twin Cities NWS

Tomorrow marks the 1 year anniversary of the North Minneapolis tornado.

[image]

A 3D look at the Minneapolis tornado from the Chanhassen radar. The "column of red" is a descending core of air moving away from the radar that can sometimes be seen when stronger tornadic storms are close to a radar (greens represent air moving toward and reds away from the radar). The first image where a column appears is when the storm was near I-394 and MN-100 (fourth image in loop), which is where the tornado touched down. This feature began to fall apart as it moved into Anoka County. This coincides with the tornado weakening as it moved through Fridley.

Source: Twin Cities NWS

The EF1 twister packed winds of 100-110 mph as it tore through neighborhoods on the north side of 394 according to the Twin Cities NWS.

...STRONG EF-1 RATING ASSIGNED TO THE TORNADO THAT HIT NORTH MINNEAPOLIS AND OTHER AREAS...WINDS OF 100 TO 110 MPH WERE PRODUCED BY THE TORNADO THAT HIT NORTHMINNEAPOLIS...ST. LOUIS PARK...GOLDEN VALLEY...FRIDLEY...MOUNDS VIEWAND BLAINE.

IT WAS ON THE GROUND FOR SIX AND ONE QUARTER MILES IN HENNEPIN COUNTY...PLUS AN ADDITIONAL EIGHT MILES ACROSS ANOKA ANDRAMSEY COUNTIES AS THE TORNADO WENT THROUGH PARTS OF FRIDLEY...MOUNDS VIEW...AND BLAINE.THE TOTAL PATH LENGTH WAS 14 AND 1/4 MILES. THE TORNADO WAS ABOUT1/2 MILE WIDE AT ITS WIDEST POINT. THE TIME OF TOUCHDOWN WAS 213 PM.ACCORDING TO VARIOUS SECURITY CAMERAS...THE TORNADO MOVED INTO FRIDLEY AT 222 PM. THE INITIAL TOUCHDOWN IN ST. LOUIS PARK WAS 3/4 OF A MILE SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF INTERSTATE 394 AND HIGHWAY100 WHERE TWO BUSINESSES SUSTAINED ROOF DAMAGE. THE TORNADO MOVED NORTHEAST...CROSSING HIGHWAY 100 WHERE IT HIT THE FIRST RESIDENCESALONG CEDAR LAKE ROAD. IT THEN ENTERED THE SOUTHEAST PORTION OFGOLDEN VALLEY...CROSSED INTERSTATE 394 AND HEADED FOR THEODORE WIRTH PARK. DURING THIS TIME IT TOOK A BIT OF A NORTHWARD TURN AND BEGANMOVING TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST.

THE TORNADO MOVED ACROSS WIRTH LAKE AND ENTERED THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS BETWEEN GLENWOOD AVENUE AND 16TH AVENUE. UP TO THISPOINT...DAMAGE WAS EF-0 WITH THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE DAMAGE BEINGDOWNED TREES ATOP BUILDINGS AND VEHICLES. AS THE TORNADO ENTERED MINNEAPOLIS, IT STRENGTHENED TO EF-1...AND BEGAN DEMOLISHING GARAGES...SHEDS...AND PARTIALLY REMOVING ROOFS. THERE WAS A HOUSE HERE OR THERE THAT HAD THEIR ROOFS COMPLETELY REMOVED...BUT ADJACENT HOUSES AND OTHER NEARBY STRUCTURES AND TREES DID NOT SUPPORT RAISINGTHE LEVEL TO EF-2.

64 tornadoes were reported that day in the USA, including the devastating Joplin, MO EF5 tornado. That tornado was the costliest ($2.8 Billion) and deadliest (158 killed, 1,000+ injured) in the USA in more than 50 years.

I'll be live on MPR News Stations Tuesday afternoon with Tom Crann and the All Things Considered crew from North Minneapolis to mark the anniversary of the North Minneapolis tornado. Join us from 3pm to 6:30pm!

Active & stormy pattern ahead:

After a picture perfect Monday, the jet stream appears ready to deal Minnesota a series of storms every 2-3 days over the next 2 weeks.

Source: Twin Cities NWS

Warm winds will blow again Tuesday, and I can't rule out an isolated T-Storm as the warm front blows in on gusty south winds.

The better chances for rain will come again Wednesday night & Thursday, as scattered thunder rumbles in.

After that, a wave of storms appears on track ever 2-3 days including Saturday, Memorial Day and into next week.

Source: Iowa State University

The Memorial Day weekend looks pretty typical for Minnesota this year, with a mix of sun, heat and storms.

Friday looks spectacular with sun and highs in the 70s. Storms favor Saturday and Memorial Day. Sunday may be the hottest day of the weekend, and the best day to hit the lake or beach with a high of 92 in the metro.

Of the 3 big summer "holiday weekends" Memorial Day brings the best chance of rain climatologically speaking, You have a better chance of staying dry on the 4th of July or Labor Day.

Enjoy this picture perfect Monday!

PH