Blowtorch December: 10 degrees warmer than average so far this month
Little snow on the ground in Minnesota as of Dec. 11
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It’s beginning to look a lot like the un-Christmas in Minnesota.
Temperatures this month across our state are running anywhere from 7 to 12 degrees warmer than average through the first 10 days of December. You can see on the temperature map at the top of this post that most of northern Minnesota is running 10 to 15 degrees warmer than average over the past week.
Here are some temperature departures above average so far this month for select Minnesota locations:
Rochester, 6.3 degrees above average
Twin Cities, 7.3 degrees
Duluth, 8.7 degrees
International Falls, 12.3 degrees
Unprecedented global warmth
Minnesota’s unseasonable warmth is part of a much larger global trend. Global temperatures since August have been between 1 and 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than the 20th century global average temperature.
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It’s an off-the-charts comparison.
Record warm December?
Our unseasonably warm December temperature pattern shows no signs of abating. Forecast models and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration outlooks favor much above-average temperatures overall for the next two weeks leading right up to Christmas.
Our chances for a white Christmas in most of Minnesota are fading fast. Right now, Christmas looks more green than beige, brown or white. Snow depth is among the lowest historical readings across Minnesota.
Stay tuned.