Minnesota WeatherTalk

Snow cover season begins: Even though more than 100 climate stations reported some snow this autumn before November began, all of that snow melted as the ground was too warm for snow cover to persist. There have been 87 more reports of snow from the state climate network so far this month, ranging from a few tenths of an inch to over 4 inches. In the northwestern counties Detroit Lakes and Fertile have reported over 4 inches, while in the northeast Duluth and Two Harbors have reported over 4 inches. And further up along Lake Superior’s north shore Grand Portage has reported 13.5 inches this week. But now the ground temperatures are cold enough in some areas of the state for the snow cover to stick around. Air temperatures this month have been colder than normal, with many nights dropping into the teens F, and even daytime temperatures remaining in the 30s F. The high temperature on Thursday, November 8th in the Twin Cities was only 28 degrees F, while at Pokegama Dam (Itasca Co…

October 2018 Climate Summary: Cool and wet are the two appropriate descriptions of October of 2018. Cooler than normal temperatures prevailed on 65-70 percent of the days in the month, while a number of climate stations reported precipitation on 20 or more days. On a statewide basis October of 2018 was the 12th coldest in history back to 1895, and it was the 10th wettest in history.

Mean October temperature in 2018 ranged from 3 to 6 degrees F cooler than normal around the state. The highest reading was 89°F at Marshall (Lyon County) on the 3rd, and the coldest reading was 8°F at Hallock (Kittson County) on the 12th. Within the state climate network the following record daily values were reported:
6 reports of a record daily high maximum temperature
2 reports of a record daily high minimum temperature
10 reports of a record daily low minimum temperature
111 reports of a record daily low maximum temperature

Many climate stations reported monthly total precipitation ranging from 3…

Precipitation for 2018: Yet, another wet year for Minnesota:
As we wrap up October we already know it has been a wetter than normal month. October is the 5th month of the year so far that has delivered above normal precipitation. For the first ten months of 2018 only the counties of northwestern Minnesota have been marginally drier than normal. The rest of the state has seen a precipitation surplus, and for some southern counties the precipitation surplus has been record setting. Many climate stations in those counties have reported total precipitation through the first ten months that is over 13 inches above normal.

A sample of precipitation for 2018 so far shows: Ada (Norman County) in the Red River Valley is just 20 inches, one of the few drier than normal spots in the state (2 inches less than average); both Caledonia (Houston County) and Harmony (Fillmore County) have reported nearly 53 inches (about 21 inches above normal), already ranking as the wettest year in their resp…

Wide swings in temperature:
This time of year the combination of clear skies, bright sun, and strong air mass advection (from either the north or south) can cause some very dramatic and large swings in temperature. That’s is what we experienced back on October 3-4 when many parts of the state saw afternoon temperatures in the 70s and 80s F drop overnight into the 20s and 30s F. The complete reversal of that pattern took place this Thursday, October 18th as morning lows in the 30s F were followed by bright sun, and mild southwest winds which caused temperatures to rise into the 70s F. Here are some temperature changes reported on October 18th:

MSP from a morning low of 33 degrees F to an afternoon high of 71 degrees F
Hallock from a morning low of 36 degrees F to an afternoon high of 75 degrees F
Baudette from a morning low of 30 degrees F to an afternoon high of 71 degrees F
Roseau from a morning low of 30 degrees F to an afternoon high of 72 degrees F
Alexandria from a morning low…