Minnesota WeatherTalk

Preliminary April Climate Summary: April was a roller coaster month climate-wise, starting out cool and wet, then warm and dry in the middle, and finally finishing cool and wet again.

Most observers report average monthly temperatures that are from 1 to23 degrees F above or below normal. The cooler than normal reports came primarily from northern communities while the warmer than normal reports came from the southern counties. Extreme temperatures for the month ranged from 86 degrees F at Wheaton (Traverse County) on the 15th to -13 degrees F at Seagull Lake (Cook County) on the 4th. A number of Minnesota climate stations reported new record high daily temperatures in the 70s F on the 4th, and record high daily temperatures in the 80s F on the 14th and 15th. Conversely a number of climate stations reported new record daily low temperatures on the 3rd, 4th, and 9th of April. Minnesota reported the coldest temperature in the nation on four dates during the month.

Precipitation f…

Helpful rains arrive: With the agricultural planting season now fully underway, some helpful rains began to occur this week following a dry start to the month of April. Up until the rains came, rapid planting progress was made, with earliest ever planting of sugar beets across the state. Also corn was being planted at a robust rate and may be near 50 percent completed by next week. Many northwestern Minnesota observers reported 0.75 inches to over an inch of rain, while southwestern areas received from half an inch to nearly 1.5 inches of rain (Luverne reported 1.64 inches). Elsewhere amounts generally ranged from a quarter inch to a half inch of rainfall. Though most observers still reported below normal rainfall for the month so far, rainfall is expected to average above normal for the balance of the month and will add to soil moisture recharge.
New Seasonal Climate Outlooks: The NOAA Climate Prediction Center released new seasonal climate outlooks on Thursday this week (April…

WeatherTalk will not be published Friday, April 8 or April 15. Mark Seeley will send the next WeatherTalk on Friday, April 22.

March was another warm month with observers reporting mean monthly temperature values that ranged from 5 to 10 degrees F above normal. Extremes daily values for the month ranged from 74°F at Winona on the 9th and at Madison (Lac Qui Parle County) on the 12th, to a frigid -22°F at Seagull Lake (Cook County) on March 1st. Minnesota reported the nation's lowest temperature only twice during the month. On a statewide basis March of 2016 will rank 4th warmest in Minnesota history back to 1895. Further four of the top five warmest months of March in Minnesota have occurred since 2000. The warm temperature pattern removed the frost from most of the state's soils, and accelerated the ice-out dates on area lakes.

Thanks to a wet last week of the month, most observers reported a wetter than normal month of March, except for areas of the northern Red River Valley in northwestern Minnesota which were generally drier than normal. Extreme values for the month ranged from 5.78 inches a…