Weather smorgasbord: Snow chance emerging next Tuesday?
When I was little, our family did the best we could to get by. The household math was a challenge. Six kids. Three bedrooms. One bathroom. My crib was in the dining room.
Dad worked three jobs. Mom worked full-time at Red Owl stores. Every two weeks on payday Friday she came home with a back seat full of grocery bags. The cupboards were pretty bare by then. You never saw six kids rush to the back door so fast to help carry in bags of groceries.
So, it was a big treat when we were be able to go our for dinner. One special place you might remember was The Jolly Troll along Highway 12 near what is now West End in St. Louis Park.
Two words. Swedish meatballs.
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"Mom, what's a smorgasbord?"
Yes, I am thankful to be able to put food on the table for my family and friends this Thanksgiving.
A 'Jolly Troll' forecast
Our weather forecast buffet has a little bit of something for everyone. We start with some light snow as a clipper sails through the northern half of Minnesota today. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model shows the light snow bands tracking mainly through northern Minnesota today.
Perfect Thanksgiving?
It doesn't get much better for Thanksgiving in Minnesota. Look for plenty of sun and light winds tomorrow with high temperatures in the 30s and 40s. Perfect travel weather over the river and through the woods is a holiday blessing.
Thanksgiving climatology
Historically speaking, this year falls in the nicer half of Thanksgiving days across Minnesota. Here's a good look at Thanksgiving climatology in the Twin Cities from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources State Climatology Office.
Because Thanksgiving Day occurs at the transition period between autumn and winter, Thanksgiving weather can be balmy to brutal. A typical Thanksgiving Day in the Twin Cities has high temperatures in the 30's and at least a bit of filtered sunshine.
Having a mild day in the 50's on Thanksgiving Day is relatively rare, looking at the historical record back to 1872. A maximum of 50 or more has happened only eleven times in 144 years, or about once every 13 years or so. The warmest Thanksgiving Day is a tie of 62 degrees in 1914 and 1922. The mildest recent Thanksgiving Day was 60 degrees on November 22, 2012. This tied 1939 as the third warmest Thanksgiving back to 1872 for the Twin Cities.
New NWS travel tool
Traveling this winter season? You may want to play with this National Weather Service travel tool. Enter your starting point, destination, and time of travel and NWS cranks out a forecast map.
Mild Black Friday
Black Friday will be mild this year. Highs push the 40s to near 50 degrees. Looking for a nice spring day? Shop Omaha, Neb., Des Moines, Iowa, or Kansas City, Mo.
Our next cool front sails through with mainly light rain showers Friday afternoon.
Temperature roller coaster
The weekend runs cooler, but still above average. The average high at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport by Sunday is 35 degrees. Monday looks mild again.
Tuesday snow chance emerging?
Just when you thought it was safe. The overnight forecast model runs have grabbed hold of a developing low-pressure system next Tuesday. The American, European and Canadian models are picking up on the idea of accumulating snow somewhere in Minnesota Tuesday.
Here's NOAA's Global Forecast System model.
Stay tuned.
A very Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.