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Twin Cities on pace for historically mild winter
A lack of snow and cold has already defined this winter and history indicates the trend will continue.
CHANHASSEN, Minn. — At the midway point of meteorological winter, Minnesota finally feels like Minnesota.
Just don’t expect the trend to continue.
“We’ve had great ice-making temperatures in the last week, but not prolonged ice-making temperatures,” said Joe Calderone, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “And there is a warm-up in the forecast again, so can that ice persist? That’s where a lot of the questions and concerns seep in.”
Even before winter began, Calderone and other meteorologists and climatologists were anticipating a mild winter due to El Nino conditions. Months later, it’s been even milder than expected.
“At MSP (airport) it’s been the most mild on record,” Calderone said, “At least according to NOAA’s Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index, which factors in temperature and snowfall.”
Even though the meteorological winter is only halfway over, Calderone says that if you look at what happened during other winters that started similarly, the trend should continue.
“The five seasons closest to this score so far, they all just project into the mild region,” he said.
Though it has been colder than average for a few days recently, the upcoming forecast for the end of January, which is typically the coldest average stretch in the Twin Cities, looks to be bringing mild weather by the end of the weekend.
“Saturday will be the last day that we’re going to have temperatures this cold, for at least the next week,” Calderone said. “By Wednesday, Thursday, Friday we could have upper 30s. And Just staying there through the rest of the week.”
That could mean even more uncertainty for outdoor winter fun in the short term, but in the long term, he says Minnesotans always have to be prepared.
“Of course, we could still have another large snow-making system,” he said. “Because we’ve got February, March and April to go and we all know what can happen here.”
Kent Erdahl: “Back in September we did a report on the fact that the Farmer’s Almanac was projecting a colder than normal, snowier than normal winter. The National Weather Service and NOAA said not so fast, this is an El Nino winter. I’m giving you the opportunity to dunk on the Farmer’s Almanac. Do you want to say I told you so?”
Joe Calderone: “No. I’m not going to do that. The bottom line is that this is where the prolonged science and the expertise of those climate prediction center forecasters come in. We knew this is the type of winter we were likely going to have. Maybe not necessarily the details back in September, but overall.
Erdahl: “You expected mild, but not necessarily this mild.”
Calderone: “Correct and maybe not necessarily this little amount of snow.”
Erdahl: “You’re taking the high road.”
Joe: “I’m going to take the high road. Yes. I’m taking the above-normal road.”
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The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a plan to shut down the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) on Thursday.
The resolution comes after decades of protests against the massive North Loop trash incinerator that burns roughly 365,000 tons of garbage a year.
“Today is a big step towards protecting the health of our communities and addressing longstanding environmental injustices that disproportionately impact communities of color,” said councilmember Robin Wonsley, in a statement.
The resolution calls for the incinerator to be permanently closed by Dec 31, 2027 and for the entire facility to be shut down by Dec 31, 2033.
The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
In October 2023, the Hennepin County Board signed off on a plan to close the HERC between 2028 and 2040, depending on how quickly the county can transition into a zero-waste system.
Of the garbage burned at the HERC, 75% comes from the city of Minneapolis. The other 25% comes from a dozen other cities in the area. The HERC produces enough energy to power more than 25,000 homes and half the buildings in downtown Minneapolis.
At a City Council Meeting on Oct. 10, Jenni Lansing with the City of Minneapolis Health Department provided analysis on the air pollution impacts of HERC. She said the health department supports working towards a zero-waste future and the ultimate closure of HERC, but said closing it now is not the solution.
“Overall emissions in Hennepin County are dominated by on-road and non-road, mobile and nonpoint sources, and these sources drive the cancer and non-cancer risks to health in Minneapolis,” Lansing said.
Hennepin County defines zero waste as preventing 90% or more of all discarded materials from being landfilled or incinerated.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
The snow is really coming down in some places with Maple Lake getting 3.5″ so far.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — The wettest Halloween storm ever — is making mischief before little trick-or-treaters hit their neighborhood’s slushy streets.
Officials are reporting several power outages and car spin-outs.
There have been over 14,000 power outages, according to Xcel Energy.
The Minnesota State Patrol has responded to 169 crashes and 94 vehicles off the road, as of 2. pm. Thursday.
Meteorologist Beny Dery said an additional 1 to 2″ of snow is possible before things taper off this evening.
So far some of the totals around town are: 3.5″ Maple Lake, 3.0″ Buffalo, 2.5″ Dassel, 2.4″ Windom, 2.0″ St. Bonifacious, 1.5″ Maple Plain and 1.5″ in Bethel.
The snow is expected to let up from west to east and should wrap up for the metro between 5 to 6 p.m.
Last week, prosecutors charged John Sawchak with attempted 2nd-degree murder and other felony charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor Davis Moturi.
MINNEAPOLIS — Following the shooting between two neighbors, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to request that the city’s auditor conduct an independent investigation into the incidents and cases between Davis Moturi and John Sawchak.
Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor, Sawchak, on Wednesday, Oct. 23 but Minneapolis police did not arrest Sawchak until days later.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended not arresting Sawchak sooner, calling it a “high-risk” situation. O’Hara later said the victim, who had complained about harassment from Sawchak for months, was failed by police. Sawchak was arrested this past weekend after an hours-long standoff.
Moturi suffered a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion in the shooting. “Mr. Moturi’s life matters and I’m sorry that for nearly a year, MPD did not treat it like it did,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley in a news release, “Today’s vote affirms that the City Council is committed to taking meaningful actions towards accountability and restoration, starting with this independent review.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement:
“Mayor Frey fully supports an independent review of this incident. The mayor and City are committed to always doing better, and this means closely examining past actions and finding where there may be ways to improve and grow. The mayor extends his condolences to Davis Moturi, his wife, Caroline, and their family and friends. The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community. Brian O’Hara will continue to be the Minneapolis Police Chief.”
