By John Weiss
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN
Abandon hope, all ye who live here in Minnesota.
The record-setting warm weather of the past few days may have inspired hope, but a coming cold front is bound to kill it off.
The National Weather Service in La Crosse, Wis., says snow is heading this way. Maybe it won’t be a blizzard, and the snow isn’t expected to last, but we probably will see some of the white stuff.
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Rochester set several warmth records for November this week, including the warmest 4-day stretch for Sunday though Wednesday, with an average temperature of 59 degrees. The high in Austin was 73 on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
But the forecast calls for showers and thunderstorms today, with a chance of snow or rain Friday, when the high will be near 40. Chances for precipitation that day are 70 percent, with wind gusts up to 25 mph.
Then, on Friday night and Saturday, snow is likely, with a high only around 37 degrees.
On Sunday, the sky will clear and it will be partly sunny, but temperatures will remain cold, with a high of 37 degrees.
This could mean a chilly weekend for hunters, as the firearms deer season opens a half hour before sunrise Saturday. The cold and wet can make it uncomfortable for those without the right clothing to be out for long, but snow can also make it easier to see deer or their tracks.
When it’s really cold, hunters also tend to come into warm homes, cabins or vehicles earlier.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook through Wednesday in anticipation of the snow.
Anyone needing more information about winter can learn it next week during the National Weather Service’s Winter Weather Awareness Week. Information will be provided about wind-chill index, frostbite, hypothermia, and other cold-weather topics.
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National Weather Service, LaCrosse Wis. http://www.crh.noaa.gov/arx
