Jaw dropping December mega-thaw ahead? | Updraft | Minnesota Public Radio News

And Minnesota’s weather hits just keep on comin’. To steal a recent ad phrase, this could indeed be a December to remember weather event.

Overnight and early Thursday model runs just keep magnifying the intensity and duration of what looks like a near record breaking December heat wave starting late next week.

Check out the latest Global Forecast System temperature anomaly map from Climate Reanalyzer, which shows most of North America, including Minnesota, bathed in temperatures 10 to 20 degrees warmer than average by next Thursday.

The overnight European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts run is first out of the gate with 50s by late next week for the metro, advertising near record highs at or above 50 as soon as next Friday and Saturday.

The overnight GFS runs continue recent trends, and forecast highs in the 50s right through Dec. 16. Even more eye catching: a long string of lows above freezing, even in the 40s to near 50 degrees?

It remains to be seen if the magnitude and duration of this warm spell currently forecast will hold in the next week. December weather can turn on a dime, and a cold snap or pre-Christmas snowstorm is still entirely possible.

But right now the smart money appears to be on a warm, snow free landscape across much of Minnesota by Dec. 20.

You may want to wait to put that ice house out this year.

Paul Huttner is chief meteorologist for Minnesota Public Radio. Huttner has worked TV and radio stations in Minneapolis, Tucson and Chicago. Paul is a graduate of Macalester College in St. Paul and holds a bachelor’s degree in geography with an emphasis in meteorology.