An autumn season for the record books
A photo from yesterday of Purgatory Creek in Eden Prairie.
With November coming to a close today, this autumn season will go down as the driest on record in the Twin Cities. Less than an inch and a half of moisture has accumulated since September first. That is a negative departure from normal of close to six inches. Records for the Minneapolis/St.Paul location extend back over 140 years. The drought actually commenced in late July along the Minnesota River Valley.
Now that colder temperatures are beginng to ice over ponds and lakes, as well as freeze the soil, the experts believe that the drought conditions will be locked in the deep freeze as we move through winter. We need to turn this deficit around before we enter into the 2012 agricultural season. Snowy winter? We'll have to wait and see.
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Here's their story for release today fromthe Minnesota State Climate Office.
An update of the drought conditions may be posted later today.
A weak low level convergence zone through central Minnesota this evening, combined with a moderate jet streak at higher levels should be sufficient to excite the clouds into producing snowflakes. Light snow is likely to develop from about Hayward to Alexandria. This band of light snow is forecast to sink south during the overnight hours. Look for up to an inch or two in some locations in central Minnesota and west central Wisconsin by daybreak on Thursday.
Did that window in the above graphic from the Chanhassen NWS office catch your eye? We'll be tracking the potential for a more signifcant snow in southeast Minnesota as we move toward the weekend.
A colleague from the Storm Prediction Center forwarded this link on the summary of the soggy weather from Michigan to Alabama from earlier this week.
With the meteorological winter beginning tomorrow, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center is likely to release an updated outlook for December, as well as the winter months of December through February. As you recall the previous outlook issued on November 17th favored below normal temperatures in our neck of the weeks. Stay tuned for the update.
CE