Paul Douglas Weather | May 2024

WINTER WEATHER HAS GIVEN WAY TO AN EARLY SPRING WITH FLOWERS BLOOMING, LAWNS AND WEEDS GROWING OUT OF CONTROL, AND PLENTY OF TICKS HIDING OUT IN THOSE TALL GRASSES.

PAUL DOUGLAS IS BACK FOR HIS MONTHLY WEATHER CHAT.

WHEN HE'S NOT VISITING US HERE IN STUDIO B, HIS WEATHER MUSINGS CAN BE FOUND IN THE "STAR TRIBUNE."

YOU CAN HEAR HIM ON WCCO RADIO.

AND IN HIS SPARE TIME, HE HEADS UP HIS OWN WEATHER COMPANY, PREDICT-IX.

WELCOME BACK, PAUL.

>> GOOD TO BE HERE.

ALWAYS.

>> Eric: WHERE CAN I GO TO GET AN AURORA BOREALIS TONIGHT?

>> YOU HAVE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE, YOU HAVE.

AND THIS COULD BE SPECTACULAR, IT COULD BE A DUD.

PREDICTING AURORA IS EVEN HARDER THAN PREDICTING THE WEATHER, BUT I'M SEEING AMAZING IMAGE RYE COMING OUT OF EUROPE.

EVEN THAT ANYBODY I CAN'T IN AFRICA IS SEEING A SPECTACULAR DISPLAY, MUCH CLOSER TO THE EQUATOR.

>> Cathy: THIS IS FRIDAY NIGHT THAT WE'RE TALKING.

>> FRIDAY NIGHT, SUPPOSED TO PEAK TO NIGHTTIME.

WE HAVE SOME BREAKING NEWS.

THEY RATE THE GEOMAGNETIC STORMS ON THE SUN ONLY A G SCALE.

WHEN I CREATED THESE GRAPHICS, IT WAS A G-4, IT'S JUST BIN UPGRADED TO A G-5 WHICH MEANS AN SUPREME GEOMAGNETIC STORM.

WHAT IS THAT?

WE HAVE BIG SUN SPOTS AND SOLAR FLAIRS, TECHNICALLY A CORONAL MASS EJECTION.

>> YOU HAVE CHARGED PARTICLES HITTING THE IONSPEAKER, EXCITING NITROGEN AND OXYGEN AND THAT'S WHAT GIVES YOU THE GREENS AROUND REDS, ND IT COULD IN THEORY, ON PAPER, BE PRETTY SPECTACULAR, ESPECIALLY IF YOU CAN GET AWAY FROM LIGHT POLLUTION, IF YOU CAN GET AWAY FROM THE BIG CITIES.

IT PEAKS FRIDAY NIGHT, IT COULD BE VISIBLE AGAIN SATURDAY NIGHT.

WEAPON DON'T KNOW.

WORST CASE, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE'VE HAD ISSUES WITH THE PARTS OF THE GRID GOING DOWN, GPS -- >> Cathy: I WONDERED ABOUT THAT, CELL POTENTIAL?

>> CELLPHONES, WE DON'T KNOW BUT THIS IS THE BIGGEST AND THE STRONGEST SINCE LATE 2003, SO MORE THAN TWO DECADES, SO WE GOT A SHOT AND THE SHOWERS THIS EVENING ARE MOVING OUT, DISSIPATING, SKIES SHOULD BE CLEAR, VISIBLE IS GOOD.

THERE'S NO SMOKE, NO HAZE, SO AFTER THE WOLVES GAME TONIGHT, YOU MIGHT WANT TO SNEAK OUTSIDE AND I'M GOING SET MY ALEARN FOR 2:00 a.m. AND MAYBE 4:00 a.m.

GROWING TO BE A TOUGH NIGHT SLEEPING.

BUT I WANT TO SEE THIS.

WE MISSED THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE.

THIS COULD BE ONE OF THE BEST NORTHERN LIGHTS AND IF YOU HAVE SEEN T, YOU KNOW, IT'S PURE MAGIC.

>> Cathy: NICE.

>> Eric: YOU GOT OTHER STUFF FOR US?

>> Cathy: IT'S BEEN A QUIET SPRING, ARRANGED HERE.

>> THERE'S NO RHYME OR REASON.

IT'S WHENEVER YOU HAVE SUN SPOTS ON THE SUN, IT HAS MORE TO DO WITH THE NATURAL SOLAR -- >> Cathy: BUT OUR SPRING HAS BEEN PRETTY QUITE AROUND HER.

>> THANK YOU FOR THE SEGWAY, YES, CATHY, WE HAD HALF A WINTER AND WE'RE HAVING A GOLDILOCKSES SPRING, NOT TOO HOT, NOT TO COLD, NOT TO SLUSHY, NOT TO SEVERE, JUST RIGHT.

NO SEVERE STORMS.

NO RIVER FLOODING OF SIGNIFICANCE, NO FLURRIES.

WE HAD A TRACE BACK IN APRIL AT SP AND NO DROUGHT.

THE DROUGHT IS FADING RAPIDLY ACROSS MOST OF THE STATE.

WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF BEAUTIFUL DAYS.

CHECK THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEPTEMBER LAST YEAR, 55% OF MINNESOTA IN MODERATE, SEVERE, EVEN EXTREME DROUGHT.

NOW THAT'S DOWN DO 11%, UP NORTH AROUND BE MINUTE' AND PARTS OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY BUT WE RELEVANT OF HAVE RECOVERED FROM THREE-YEAR DROUGHT SO THAT'S GOOD NEWS.

AND THIS IS DATA FROM IOWA STATE SHOWING THE RANKING, HOW MUCH PRECIPITATION GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO 1893.

ONE OF THE TOP 10 WETTEST FOR MUCH OF SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL MINNESOTA HIM AND EVEN WETTER THAN THAT ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHERN IOWA AND NORTHERN ILLINOIS, YES, BUT WE ARE REPLENISHING SOIL MOISTURE, LAKE LEVELS, BUT WE'RE STILL NOT TOTALLY RECOVERED.

LOOK AT MINNESOTA, NO SEVERE WEATHER.

THOSE RED DOTS ARE TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS, THE BLUE DOTS SEARCH WINDS AND THE GREEN DOTS ARE LARGE HAIL.

SOUTHERN WISCONSIN, ARRANGED MADISON HAS GOT END WALLOPELD BUILT WE'VE BEEN VERY QUIET.

I DON'T THINK THAT WILL LAST.

JUNE PEAK MONTH FOR HEAVY RAIN AND FOR SEVERE WEATHER.

ODDS FAVOR A HOTTER THAN NORMAL SUMMER, MOST OF THE CLIMATE MODELS WE'RE LOOKING AT, POCKETS OF DROUGHT MAY IN FACT RETURN.

I WAS SURPRISED, THE MINNESOTA POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY IS EXPECTING MORE WILD FIRE SMOKE THIS SUMMER BASED NOT ON WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE BUILT WHAT'S HAPPENING UPWIND, SIGNIFICANT DROUGHT ACROSS CANADA.

>> Eric: WOW.

>> THE LAST 12 MONTHS, THE WARMEST ON RECORD WHERE YOU SEE THE DARK RED, WHICH INCLUDES ALMOST ALL OF MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN.

MUCH OF THAT IS EL NIÑO, SOME OF THAT IS BACKGROUND WARMING.

WE'RE ON TRACK FOR ANOTHER RECORD WORM EAR, THE OCEANS ARE UNUSUALLY WARM, SO IS THE ATMOSPHERE AND AGAIN THE TEN WARMEST YEARS HAVE BEEN THE LAST TEN YEARS.

NOTHING HOT SHAPING UN, NO SPIKES OF HEAT, ALTHOUGH WE COULD SEE LOW 80s FOR MOTHER'S DAY AND THEN COOLS BACK DOWN, LOW 70s, LOOKING OUTS THE NEXT TEN DAYS.

SO CHECK OUT THE AURORA, IF YOU GET A CHANGES LATER ON TONIGHT, IF YOU CAN GET AWAY FROM THE METRO EVEN BETTER BUT IT MAY BE VISIBLE EVEN IN THE TWIN CITIES.

DO YOU HAVE ANY