Coldest Christmas in 21 years, plenty of snow up north
Call it a beige Christmas this year in the Twin Cities.
Officially the Twin Cities National Weather Service reports 2 inches of snow on the ground at Minneapolis-St.Paul International Airport. It's more like a sketchy half in at the Weather Lab in the southwest metro.
This week's snow systems uncannily bypassed the Twin Cities. But it's a fluffy white Christmas on the fields of southern Minnesota and in the forests up north.
Snow drought
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We're running more than a foot below average on snowfall in the Twin Cities so far this snow season.
Ice still sketchy
Ice is still weak across many Minnesota lakes. The old rule of thumb is we need a week of subzero nights to make safer ice.
Temperatures heading south
Temperatures hover mostly above zero in Minnesota into Christmas Eve. Then the numbers start heading south in a hurry. This will be a welcome holiday to spend inside a warm home with friends and family. Temperatures hover in the single digits above zero Christmas Day.
Coldest Christmas in 21 years?
If the current forecast numbers pan out this looks like the coldest Christmas since 1996.
Persistent cold
The final numbers may vary, but it's interesting to watch the waves of cold pulse south in various model depictions. Then again I am a weather geek.
Here's a look at The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Global Forecast System-driven 2-meter surface temperatures between Christmas Eve and News Year's Day.
The map colors just look cold.
Arctic New Year?
The upper-air maps still suggest a reinforcing cold shot around New Year's.
Holiday lights
Now this is my idea of holiday lights.
May you have a joyous holiday season!