Very warm November; weekend sunny peeks

November 2016 was 10.4 degrees warmer than normal in the Twin Cities.

All Minnesotans saw unusual November warmth, and the first half of the month was especially warm.

Our golf season was extended, and there were reports of flowers surviving into late November.

According to the Twin Cities office of the National Weather Service, last month was the second warmest November in Twin Cities history, topped only by November 2001:

Here's a graph of all November monthly temps, dating back to 1872:

November was the 15th consecutive month that was warmer than normal in the Twin Cities!

This year also featured our warmest October through November period in Twin Cities history, based on weather records dating back to 1872.

December outlook

Will the warmth continue?

NOAA's Climate Prediction Center shows equal chances of warm or cold December temperatures for most of Minnesota:

There is a slight tendency for a cooler than normal December over a small portion of northwestern Minnesota.

Clouds and more clouds

There was a wedge of sunshine over parts of southern Minnesota on Monday, but most of Minnesota hasn't seen much sun since last Saturday.

There will be plenty of clouds again today, and some of us could see a snow flurry.  Minnesotans could see some peeks of sun tomorrow afternoon.

Saturday will feature a cloud/sun mix, followed by mostly cloudy skies on Sunday.

Watching Tuesday snow

A strong low pressure system is expected to pass over southern Illinois on Tuesday.

If it follows that track, southeastern Minnesota will see some Tuesday snow, with the heaviest snow falling from eastern Iowa into southern and central Wisconsin.

Here is the precipitation pattern for Tuesday, from NOAA’s Global Forecast System (GFS) model:

A more northerly track of the low would bring snow to more of Minnesota.

We'll keep you updated on the Tuesday snow outlook over the next several days.