Updraft: November 20, 2009 Archive

Gales of November? Not so much

Posted at 4:49 PM on November 20, 2009 by Paul Huttner

Twin Cities NWS wind forecast shows another tranquil November afternoon.

One of the interesting and perhaps overlooked features of our unseasonably mild November is the wind. Or should I say the lack thereof.

November is typically the 4th windiest month of the year in Minnesota, and most of the Midwest. In the Twin Cities, our average monthly wind speed in November is 10.9 mph. Only the springtime months of March, April and May have higher average wind speeds.

This November our average monthly wind speed is a mere 6.7 mph. That's barely a breath and a full 4.2 mph below the month average so far. It's also one reason our days have felt so balmy, wind chill has just not been a factor this month.

We've also seen 54% of possible sunshine this month. The November average is just 39%. That's a huge difference and one reason why we're feeling so sunny these days.

Temperatures continue to run about 9 degrees above average for November in the Twin Cities. Enjoy the blissfully mild weekend weather. As I posted before, there are big changes on the way next week. I will try and nail down the timing and amounts of any possible snow on Monday. It's going to be a complicated forecast, and a potential meteorologist's nightmare.

PH