Throwing a switch
One might think this weather business is as simple as throwing a switch. After all, in many instances, the forecast challenge is whether it will be wet or dry, cloudy or sunny. Oh, if it were that easy! So we often hedge with phrases like "A 40 percent chance of precipitation" and overuse the descriptive sky cover as PARTLY or MOSTLY CLOUDY.
For June and July, a good chunk of Minnesota couldn’t buy a day with showers. Come August, September and even into October, the state was drenched by record-setting rainfall. Handwringing began when crops sat in fields too wet to maneuver heavy harvest machinery.
Since Oct. 19 there has been a fair amount of drying sunshine and only one day with sprinkles. There has been no measurable precipitation from the west metro to St. Cloud, Willmar and New Ulm in 12 days.
The forecast from the National Weather Service continues to call for dry weather for central Minnesota the next six days. If you dare, you can peek ahead through Nov. 10 and amuse yourself with the Climate Prediction Center’s long-range outlook. The color pattern references a confidence factor of above or below normal, not a magnitude of departure.
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