What’s the Deal With All of These Clouds?

(KNSI) – If you’re feeling like you’re living out the Johnny Cash lyric “I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when,” you’re not alone in your thinking.

It has been cloudy lately. Twenty out of the last 23 days in January have been cloudy.

Meteorologist Caleb Grunzke from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Chanhassen says a consistent snowpack and warmer temperatures coupled with little wind have made for a grey start to 2023.

“Moisture gets trapped underneath what we call temperature inversion, which is basically the air warms with height. Which is a very stable situation for our air.”

Traditionally, the temperature cools as you move higher in altitude. Temperature inversion tends to occur when there is light wind. It is usually a condition seen overnight and not for such a prolonged period.

Grunzke says we’ll see the sun, but it will come with a cold snap.

“We’ll see more opportunities for sun. The only problem is it will be sunny but it will also be very cold, so probably won’t feel that sun as much with those cold temperatures.”

On top of absorbing more vitamin D through the sunshine, we’ll also see better air quality. Temperature inversion is typically associated with poor air quality, and the region has already gotten two different air quality alerts this month that have lasted for a couple of days at a time. The next weather pattern headed our way will be on the blustery side and will blow the fine particulate matter away with it.

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KNSI News Director Jennifer Lewerenz contributed to this story.

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