Frost Advisory

UPDATE: The Frost Advisory has now been expanded to include all of eastern MN, as well as parts of central MN, and a majority of WI. The only exception, at this point, would be folks in far north central and northeastern MN and northern WI, where Freeze Warnings are currently in effect. Frost and Freeze advisories are typically issued during the growing season, mostly during the spring and early fall months. It gives people a chance to bring in their plants from outside, and cover those that can't be brought in. Below is the map of the advisories and warnings, as of 12:30pm on Tuesday. The Frost Advisory and Freeze Warning is in effect starting at midnight tonight, and lasting until 8am Wednesday. The light blue is the Frost Advisory, and the greenish-blue is the Freeze Warning.



Models still advertising a large, slow moving storm system that will be impacting the region starting late Thursday, and lasting through early Saturday morning. This still appears to be a heavy rain event across most of the area. The heaviest rain appears to be during the day on Friday. The only inhibiting factor could be the fact that easterly winds could be over the area, which typically brings in drier air. That could possibly hold the rain at bay initially, but a good soaking does still appear to be on the way. Below is an image from the GFS model for Friday morning.

So Long Summer!

Even after living in the Upper Midwest for over 24 years, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly the weather can change. On Saturday, I had the grill out, enjoying the warmth of the sun. Sunday started out really nice. Sunny, decent temps, just perfect. Later in the day, however, a potent cold front cruised across the area, bringing some light to moderate showers, and some very strong winds. The winds were associated with a deepening (strengthening) area of low pressure that passed to our north. The winds quickly shifted in the wake of the front, from the WSW to the NW, with sustained winds of 20-30mph common, and gusts over 45mph. Tree branches and power lines were knocked over from the strong winds, but thankfully no injuries were reported across the area. Cold air continues to pour in overnight Monday, and as the winds die down and the skies clear, temperatures will drop rapidly. Here in Western Wisconsin, the wind and cloud cover should keep us from dropping below freezing, and hold the frost at bay. Tuesday night into Wednesday will be a different story, however. If winds die down enough, and skies clear, as they are projected to do, temps could very easily approach the freezing mark, with the typical cold spots dropping below freezing, giving us our first real widespread frost/freeze of the season. Below is the latest advisories from the National Weather Service. I would expect that map to be a bit more colorful tomorrow night.



The end of the week is still looking interesting, with some much needed rain still in the forecast. A large, potent area of low pressure appears to bring us a round of heavy rain, and at this point, more wind. Below is the GFS model during the 12z (7am) timeframe on Friday. This system seems to want to hang around for a couple days, so rain showers will likely be possible from Thursday afternoon right on through early Saturday.