November Daydream: Records fall up north; Incredible “before & after” Sandy photos

59F high at MSP Monday

+20F degrees vs. average for November 19th

November 18th - average date of first 1" snowfall in Twin Cities

What "Icebox?" 54F at International Falls Sunday, 52F Monday both set records

Mid 60s Wednesday Unseasonable, near record November warmth will peak Wednesday in Minnesota

Thanksgiving cold front: Turkey Day starts mild, then colder winds blow in behind advancing cold front

"Black Friday" reality check you knew it wouldn't last forever

Sandy's destruction from the air incredible aerial photos tell the story

Quick Look: Twin Cities forecast through Thanksgiving Day

November Daydream:

This is November?

Our long November daydream lingers 3 more days. Slightly cooler breezes will blow Tuesday, but another warm surge will push temps well into the 60s Wednesday afternoon. This will be the peak of our unseasonably mild spell, and the "thermal ridge" sets up over Minnesota.

Thanksgiving Day starts mild, but a cold front will push through with bracing breezes by afternoon and evening.

How far out of whack is this month?

So far November is running more than +3F vs. average, and we'll push that number closer to +4F by Thanksgiving Day at the rate of warming this week.

2012 has made us forget what "normal" is anymore in Minnesota, but the average high this week is just 38F in the metro. We're running a solid 20+ degrees above average in most of Minnesota this week!

Records melting in the "Icebox":

International Falls has set back to back high temperature records this week.

International Falls 54F Sunday (ties 54F in 2001)

International Falls 52F Monday (previous record 50F in 1925)

No snow...Ice free lakes:

In case you've forgotten, most of far Northern Minnesota is usually snow covered by this point of the year historically. Take a look at the street scene in Ely Monday afternoon.

Ely webcam Monday

I can remember playing hockey most years by Thanksgiving weekend on Carson's Bay in Lake Minnetonka in the west metro growing up in the 1970s. Sunday I saw not one, but two boats buzzing around Carson's Bay.

At the very least, we should expect ice to be forming on lakes around Ely and the BWCA by this point in November. Not this year. Take a look at some webcam shots from lakes near Ely Monday.

Open water and boats on November 19th?

Birch Lake - River Point Resort and Outfitters

Fall Lake - Packsack Canoe Trips and Cabins

Timber Trail Lodge

Monday's NASA MODIS Terra 250 meter resolution visible shot shows open water over all of central Minnesota.

Image: NASA

We won't be making any ice until at least Friday in Minnesota. Safe ice is still a few weeks away, but colder air is coming.

Source: NOAA/CPC

Sandy from the air, before & after:

We've looked at Sandy's remarkable devastation for many angles. Here's one more.

Check out the "before & after" aerial photos from NOAA's National Geodetic Survey.

Emergency responders and members of the public can now get a birds-eye view of some of the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy.

Through NOAA's National Geodetic Survey website, visitors can view a map of the region and click on an icon to view a thumbnail or high-definition image of a specific area. Images are now available for some of the Northeast's hardest-hit areas, including: Atlantic City, NJ., Seaside Heights, N.J., Ocean City, Md., and parts of Delaware.

Breezy Point section of Queens, New York. "Before" image captured by Google; "After" image captured by NOAA's National Geodetic Survey.

Staten Island, New York. "Before" image captured by Google; "After" image captured by NOAA's National Geodetic Survey.

Mantoloking, New Jersey. "Before" image captured by Google; "After" image captured by NOAA's National Geodetic Survey

What amazes me and jumps out is how "orderly" human development looks from the air before the storm, and how Sandy had little trouble "rearranging" human coastal development. The even more sickening part is that numerous people drowned in the storm surge that inundated the areas in these photos.

Seeing Sandy's damage from the air is a very powerful way to visualize the impact of hurricanes, and the potential future impacts of climate change and accelerating sea level rises.

PH