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Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News
Paul Huttner

Weather weirding: 70 degree record is warmer than Phoenix

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Welcome to the Weird Spring of 2016. Submitted for your approval.

  • 70 degrees record high temp at MSP Tuesday. (Previous 69 in 2000)

  • 37 degrees average high temp for March 8th.

  • +33 degrees vs. average Tuesday across most of southern Minnesota.

  • April 13th average date of first 70 degree temp at in the Twin Cities.

  • Frost free - frost came out of the ground at NWS Chanhassen Tuesday

Snapchat spring fever

If you blinked you may have missed it. A sunny wedge we meteorologists call a 'dry slot' worked across Minnesota today during prime midday heating.

308 vis
NOAA via College of Dupage

Those few fleeting hours of midday sun angle equal to October 5th? Enough to send your local bank thermometer into a frenzy. The mercury at MSP Airport hit 70 at 1:34 pm. For a couple hours, it was warmer in the Twin Cities than in Vegas, Phoenix, L.A., San Diego and Dallas-Fort Worth.

An upside down weather world.

308 meso
Oklahoma Mesonet

  • 3rd earliest 70 degree day on record at MSP Airport.

  • 2nd shortest gap between 70 degrees in fall and spring

  • 126 days since last 70 degree temp at MSP on November 3, 2015

https://twitter.com/NWSTwinCities/status/707394350238425088

Frost gone

Tuesday's record warmth took the frost out of the ground in much of the Twin Cities. Here are two reports, one from St. Paul and one from Chanhassen.

308 ff
Minnesota Climate Working Group.

Warmest year on record for the Twin Cities

And the warm weather hits just keep on comin'.

The past 12-month period is the warmest on record for the Twin Cities according to the Twin Cities NWS. Congratulations?

Minor reality check

Another Lake Wobegon cool front? Still above average. A minor temperature correction through Thursday. The next warm front pushes east by Friday.

308 33allfcsts_loop_ndfd
NOAA

Here's a more detailed breakdown of the next week. 48 cooler (but still above average) hours. 60s again by Friday. Sunday showers? 60s again. Lather, rinse repeat.

308 kky2
Weatherspark ECMWF data

California March Miracle continues

If they're dancing in the streets of Venice it's okay. Of course they're always dancing in the streets of Venice. The next series of storms looks potent. The Pineapple Express, aka an atmospheric river is heading toward the coast.

5 feet of snow is already in the bank int he high Sierra. Another 5 feet and pretty soon it adds up to some real drought relief. White gold on the peaks. Liquid gold in California's depleted reservoirs this summer.

Many California reservoirs are already starting to respond.

#

California's drought will not end this week, but the storms are making a dent.