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 degrees December temps vs. average at MSP

number of days 0 degrees or or colder at MSP so far this "winter"

average # days in December of 0 degrees or colder

average number of days at 0 or colder in a winter season at MSP

 - latest into winter season without hitting 0 at MSP (2002)

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN

...STRONG WINDS DEVELOPING NEW YEARS EVE...

.A DEEP AREA OF LOW PRESSURE AND A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP

EAST ACROSS MINNESOTA SATURDAY...TO THE LAKE SUPERIOR REGION BY

EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS OF 30 TO 35 MPH WITH

GUSTS AROUND 55 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER WEST CENTRAL AND

SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA DEVELOPING AFTER 3 PM SATURDAY. THIS WILL

SPREAD EAST OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA INTO WEST CENTRAL

WISCONSIN THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING AS THE WEATHER SYSTEM MOVES

EAST. THE STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY ON SUNDAY AS

WELL. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM THE AREA SOUTH OF A LINE

FROM NEAR LITTLE FALLS...THE TWIN CITIES AND DURAND....FROM 3 PM

SATURDAY UNTIL 6 PM SUNDAY. WINDS WILL ONLY VERY SLOWLY DIMINISH

Our early Friday snow system left some snow in much of western, central and south central Minnesota. It just skirted the Twin Cities, with just a coating here at the Weather Lab in the west metro.

Here are some totals from Twin Cities NWS.

...SNOWFALL REPORTS FROM THE LATEST EVENT...

THE TOTALS BELOW ARE SEPARATED INTO SNOW...AND ICE AND SLEET

CATEGORIES...THEN BY AMOUNT...AND ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE

INCHES  LOCATION                 ST  COUNTY           TIME

------  -----------------------  --  --------------   -------

2.00   2 SE GARFIELD            MN  DOUGLAS          0840 AM

2.00   CARLOS                   MN  DOUGLAS          0815 AM

1.40   5 S FAIRFAX              MN  NICOLLET         0840 AM

1.00   1 SE NORTHFIELD          MN  RICE             1209 PM

1.00   LAKEVILLE                MN  DAKOTA           1058 AM

1.00   BENSON                   MN  SWIFT            0840 AM

0.70   SACRED HEART             MN  RENVILLE         1209 PM

0.50   ST PETER                 MN  NICOLLET         1145 AM

0.50   MANKATO                  MN  BLUE EARTH       1145 AM

0230 PM     SNOW             WINTHROP                44.54N 94.36W

12/30/2011  M1.5 INCH        SIBLEY             MN   COCORAHS

 how the last 3 months of 2011 are the warmest on record in the Twin Cities. Now it appears we may at least tease the record for the latest 0 degree temps in the season. Looking at the maps, it looks as if it may be a close cal for MSP dropping to zero by January 15th. The latest date in the season that we held off 0 degrees in the metro was January 18th, 2002.

Colder air will push in after the New Year, but it remains to be seen if we'll dip to the magical 0 degree mark.

More from the Minnesota Climate Working Group below. (

"The winter of 2001-2002 will be written in the history books as one of the mildest winters on record for the Twin Cities as well as much of Minnesota. There were a number of records that were broken, or very close to being broken in the Twin Cities since modern record keeping began in 1891. Listed below are some of these records.

At 8:00 am on January 18th, 2002 the Twin Cities finally saw a below zero temperature at the International Airport. Thus the streak of days without a below zero temperature this winter is over. The Twin Cities set a record for the longest stretch into winter without a below zero temp. The old record was January 16th, 1955 when the Twin Cities had a low of -1. The new record is January 18th, 2002. The Twin Cities official temperature had stayed above zero in 2001-2002 for 323 days. The last time the International Airport had seen a below zero temperature was on February 28, 2001. This stretch of 323 days above zero from March 1, 2001 to January 17th, 2002 is ranked #7 on the all time longest streaks of staying above zero.

The following are some lack of getting to below zero statistics and some records. These following statistics are for the Twin Cities from 1891-2002. The winter of 2001-2002 set a record in the Twin Cities for the smallest number of below-zero lows in a winter season.

Here are the top four winters with the least number of below zero temperatures.

Year     Number of days below zero (Twin Cities 1891-2002)

The average number of below zero minimum temperatures in the Twin Cities (1971-2000) is 28.

Longest intervals without below zero temperatures (Twin Cities 1891-2002)

-------------------------------------------------------------

The latest first below zero ever recorded in winter (1891-2002) is (at least -1F) on January 18th, 2002.

The highest minimum ever recorded in a winter season (1891-2002) is -3 on March 3, 2002. This breaks the old record of -8F on February 7,1983.

The only time the Twin Cities did not have a below zero temperature in January (1891-2001) was 1990"

Alarming methane discoveries continue in Siberia

 on the alarming methane discoveries in Siberia earlier this week. NBC News aired a visually amazing piece Friday on just how easily the previously trapped highly efficient greenhouse gas methane is escaping into the atmosphere. If the amounts of methane are large enough, this could be a game changer for global climate changes in the future.

Mild then wild New Year’s Eve weather; Quick 1″ – 2″ by midnight?

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