Updraft: January 7, 2008 Archive

Therapeutic Thaw

Posted at 7:03 AM on January 7, 2008 by Paul Huttner

It's nice to hear the music water makes dripping from the gutters and running down the downspouts in January.

The mercury hit 41 in the Twin Cities Sunday. That's the first time in nearly 7 weeks we have been that warm. The last time was November 20th when we also hit 41 degrees in the metro. With more sun, Pine River, Grand Rapids and Canby hit 46 Sunday.

A brewing storm, pulled incredible warmth north. It hit a record 60 in Chicago Sunday. St. Louis and Okalhoma City basked in the 70's.

Highs Sunday

Our January thaw this year is welcome in many respects. People were out in droves Sunday walking and soaking up the afternoon sun & warmth. Our roofs get a chance to melt away some of the snow, reducing the weight load and potential ice dams.

The outdoor rinks take a hit, but here at the weather lab a section of my driveway succumbed to the "ice arena" effect. As we hit 41 it turned to slush, but them refroze from below even with air temps above freezing as the ground temps are much colder. Keep an eye out for icy conditions this morning with refreeze.

A split storm will bring rain to southeast Minnesota and down to Chicago where 1 to 2 inches will fall on frozen ground and rivers, causing flooding. Look for 2 to 4" of snow in northern Minnesota by Tuesday.

And enjoy one more day of dripping downspouts in the metro today.

PH

Lot of green, about two months early

Posted at 1:15 PM on January 7, 2008 by Craig Edwards

The Nation’s midsection is lit up with green this afternoon and perhaps a little orange (severe thunderstorm warnings) later today and Tuesday. An historical early January warm spell has caused rapid snowmelt from Missouri to Michigan. Rivers are running bank full and soon will be out of their banks with a soaking of showers today and tonight.
Northern Ilinois flood threat

In Minnesota, bragging rights for mild temperatures go to our residents in the northern part of the state. International Falls, which likes to boast about low temperatures well below zero in January, reached a record high of 41 degrees on Sunday; the same maximum temperature in the Twin Cities.

Chicago was registering readings above 60, while St. Louis topped out in the lower 70s. Similar unseasonably mild readings are being experienced this afternoon. These temperatures, some 30 degrees warmer than normal spawned, thunderstorms as far north as central Wisconsin this morning.

I had to rub my eyes and make a long distance phone call to the chief meteorologist in Milwaukee shortly before the lunch hour when I spied a Severe Thunderstorm Storm Warning for large hail near Beaver Dam. Yes, convective thunderstorms in early January in the Badger State.

The Storm Prediction Center believes that there is a severe weather threat stretching from Missouri to Illinois in the next twenty four hours. The potential for severe weather moves into Indiana on Tuesday.
Hazardous weather outlooks

And, oh yes, here in the Twin Cities we documented low temperatures, the past couple of mornings, some 25 to near 30 degrees above normal. A cool down to normal by the end of the week will be a nice reminder of January’s past.
CE

Tornadoes In January

Posted at 5:28 PM on January 7, 2008 by Paul Huttner

A very strong temperature contrast and cold front spawned a highly unusual severe weather outbreak Monday in southeast Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

So far SPC reports 37 confirmed tornado touchdowns, with 3 in Illinois and 4 in southeast Wisconsin. There have been several reports of damage.

This is only the 2nd time in 58 years of records that a torando has hit northern Illinois in January. It's also the earliest tornado ever to hit Wisconsin. The previous record was January 24th, 1967 in Green County.

12 homes were destroyed in Kenosha county, with several "wiped clean" down to the foundations.

Follow the warnings and storm reports on the links below.

SPC storm reports

Milwaukee Journal storm updates

Milwaukee doppler radar tornado images

PH