A “closer to average” front Tuesday

November is going out like a lamb.

Thermometers in the Twin Cities touched 60 degrees today. That's 26 degrees warmer than average and just 4 shy of the record high of 64 degrees.

Minnesota rides the northern edge of an unseasonably mild air mass.

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Oklahoma Mesonet

Denver set a record high with 81 degrees Monday. Today was the 2nd "most above average day" on record in Denver.

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Cooler, but still above average this week

Here's the temperature snapshot this week. Even after the cool front, these temperatures are a good 10 degrees above average for late November.

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NOAA via Weather Bell.

Paper or plastic? Fahrenheit or Celsius?

Thermometry 101. Swedish astronomer Anders Celsuis was born on this day in 1701.

Here's an interesting look at the differences between the world's two main temperature scales.

Fahrenheit is also more precise. The ambient temperature on most of the inhabited world ranges from -20 degrees Fahrenheit to 110 degrees Fahrenheit — a 130-degree range. On the Celsius scale, that range is from -28.8 degrees to 43.3 degrees — a 72.1-degree range. This means that you can get a more exact measurement of the air temperature using Fahrenheit because it uses almost twice the scale.

A precise reading of temperature is important to us because just a little variation can result in a perceivable level of discomfort. Most of us are easily affected by even slight changes in the thermometer, and the Fahrenheit scale is more sensitive to those changes.

800px-Raumthermometer_Fahrenheit+Celsius
Stilfehler via Wikipedia

Ice not safe

When I was a teenager we would regualrly be playing hockey on Carsons Bay on Lake Minnetonka by Thanksgiving weekend. Thanks to climate change in Minnesota, that just doesn't happen much anymore.

What ice has formed is pretty pathetic looking. And dangerous.

It's going to be a while before we have anything approaching safe ice on most Minnesota lakes. Buyer beware.