MSP hits 61! Heading for 19 straight warm months

The sky took on a strange blue hue over Minnesota today.

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Blue sky over the southwest metro, Minnesota Monday. Image: Paul Huttner/MPR News.

Our seemingly perpetual gray shroud has lifted across most of Minnesota. A few pockets of stubborn gray remained Monday afternoon. But NOAA's GOES 1 km satellite shows the larger clearing trend in progress.

Weather in motion.

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NOAA GOES 1 km visible loop via College of Dupage.

Water cycle at work

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Here's another great view of the water cycle at work Monday. Check out this time lapse overlooking Excelsior Bay on Lake Minnetonka shows condensation, evaporation, clearing skies and cumulus and stratus reforming in the warm afternoon sun. Weather magic that you can't see in the (still pretty) snap shot below.

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Maynard's webcam

60F: Warmest day in 3 weeks

Thermometers soared as the sun came out. Temps blew past forecast model guidance, hitting the 60-degree mark at MSP Airport and a few other Minnesota locations Monday afternoon. It's a good reminder that the sun is as high in the sky as September 15th, and delivering some serious solar energy at our latitude.

MSP Airport topped out at 61 degrees today.  That makes Monday the warmest day in 3 weeks, since we hit 65 degrees on March 6th.

Milder week ahead

Highs struggled to reach the 30s up north last week and 40s in the south. Not this week. We take another step forward into spring, with highs mostly in the 50s with the occasional 60 degree day. NOAA's National Digital Forecast Database still looks a little conservative to me, but cranks out upper 50s to near 60 at times into the weekend.

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NOAA

With temperatures running a good 5 to 10 degrees warmer than average these last days of March, it looks like a lock we'll bank our record 19th straight warmer than average month at MSP Airport.

Rain stays south

Don't look now but 2017 is unfolding a little on the dry side so far.

Wednesday low pressure system steers rain south through Iowa. I'm forecasting a mostly dry week ahead. Southerly breezes will boost temps this weekend and early next week. I predict a run of 60s, and green grass in our future.

Here's NOAA's GFS model into next Monday.

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NOAA GFS model via tropical tidbits.

Play ball!

The early read on next Monday looks cautiously favorable for the 2017 Minnesota Twins home opener. NOAA's GFS model cranks out temps in the 60s next Monday.

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NOAA 2-meter temps via tropical tidbits.

The usually trusty European model hangs onto some showers next Monday. I'll want to see a few more model runs before I'm sold on a beautiful home opener next Monday. But the early signs look positive.

Stay tuned.

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