Impressive rainfall totals, Indian summer kicks in
Just what the doctor ordered. For Rochester.
The drying landscape in southeast Minnesota got a good soaking overnight. Rainfall totals came in as advertised, as soaking rains of 1 to 2 inches gave thirsty trees and fields a long drink.
Here are some rainfall totals, so far, from the La Crosse, Wisconsin, National Weather Service. .
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Rochester 1.19 inches
Fillmore County 1.51 inches
Winona County 1 to 1.75 inches
Northeast Iowa 1 to 2 inches
La Crosse 2.44 inches
Clearing trend
While southeast Minnesota fends off a few more showers today, most of Minnesota enjoys a clearing trend with increasingly sunny skies. The western edge of the cloud deck lingers, grazing the Wisconsin border.
Minnesota spends the next 48 hours between dueling low pressure systems east and west. We enjoy sunnier skies, and a warming trend in the narrow high pressure wedge in between.
Indian summer 2014
We enjoy three days of Indian summer this week. I wish the timing was better for the weekend for many, but we'll take it. Highs should push well into the 60s under sunny skies, and temps may push deliciously close to 70 degrees by Thursday afternoon.
The weekend right now looks cooler and mostly dry.
Easing into fall
Overall the pattern for next week looks milder than average. I don't see any barbaric early season cold fronts on our Canadian horizon just yet. The last half of October looks lamb-like at this point.
Less polar vortex this winter?
As I've said previously I still think it will (thankfully?) be tough to duplicate last winter's coldest winter in 35 years for Minnesota this winter.
If El Nino is able to stagger to life as expected, this winter should lean much more in the direction of average to possibly warmer than average temps. Our winter forecast may depend on what happens in the tropical Pacific in the next 60 days.
So far, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's seasonal outlooks are betting on an El Nino like pattern with a warmer than average ribbon draped across the northern tier of the U.S. early this winter.
Stay tuned.