Updraft: January 23, 2009 Archive

January Thaw, running out of time

Posted at 10:01 AM on January 23, 2009 by Craig Edwards (2 Comments)

I oberved two different bank thermometers in the west metro yesterday afternoon that recorded a temperature of 33 degrees. The official maximum temperature taken at Twin Cities International Airport was only 28 degrees.

Here is some information gathered by Pete Boulay at the State Climate Office regarding the history of January thaws in the Twin Cities. The current trend continues of below normal temperatures through the rest of the month.

No January Thaw in 2009?
A January thaw is something that one comes to expect in Minnesota, especially in southern and central parts of the state. Looking back to 1891 in the Twin Cities, there have only been three years without a January thaw, defined as having a maximum temperature of 32 degrees or more. The years that did not have a high temperature of 32 or greater in January in the Twin Cities are: 1912, 1978 and 1979. If the Twin Cities stays below 32 degrees for the rest of the month, this will be the first time in thirty years where there hasn't been a January thaw and only the forth time this has happened since 1891.

If statewide temperatures remain below freezing for the rest of the month, this will also be the first time since 1979 that there has not been a January thaw in St. Cloud and Rochester. The last time there wasn't a January thaw in Duluth was 2004.
Minnesota State Climate Office 1/23/09

CE
naturesmessenger.com

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Balmy Fairbanks

Posted at 4:25 PM on January 23, 2009 by Paul Huttner (1 Comments)

It's nice to know they got a thaw in Alaska this January. A really really BIG thaw!

Last week when we shivered in -22 air here in the metro, it was 52 ABOVE in Fairbanks. In fact they had 4 straight days above 44 degrees, while we are begging for a January thaw in these parts.

Fairbanks climate data

In one of the quirks of our atmosphere, it turns out that it's usually warm in Alaska when it's cold in Minnesota in winter. It's because the jet stream has a "long wave" pattern that spaces waves in such a way as to put Minnesota under a cold arctic trough and Alaska under a warm ridge at the same time. It's nice to know they will have been 20 degrees warmer in Fairbanks this month than we are in the Twin Cities.

Stay warm as arctic winds blow this weekend. Temperatures will begin to moderate next Tuesday.

PH

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