Minnesota WeatherTalk

Preliminary Climate Summary for April 2022: Wet and cool are the most appropriate terms for the climate of April. Most climate observers report a mean monthly temperature that is 6 to 8 degrees F below normal. Over two-thirds of the days delivered colder than normal temperatures. April of 2022 will end up among the top ten coldest in history on a statewide basis, joining 2013 and 2018 in that category. Within the state climate network over 30 stations reported setting at least one new daily minimum temperature record during April, while over 60 stations reported setting at least one new cold daily maximum temperature record, including a high temperature of just 20°F at International Falls on the 15th. Extremes for the month ranged from 81°F at Granite Falls (Yellow Medicine County) on the 23rd to -5°F at Seagull Lake and Gunflint Lake on the 1st and 2nd of the month. Except for southwestern Minnesota, all regions of the state reported above normal precipitation for the month, most...

Wet April Restoring Creeks, Streams, and Rivers: Through the first two thirds of April the climate signature has been cold and wet. Temperatures are averaging 6 to 8 degrees F cooler than normal, while for many, precipitation is at least twice normal. The wetter areas are in northern and eastern counties. Many northern climate stations report over 3 inches of precipitation so far this month, while Bemidji (Beltrami County) is showing 4.02 inches, and Wolf Ridge ELC (Lake County) 5.56 inches. In the southeast, Wabasha and Rochester are reporting over 3 inches, while Lake City is reporting nearly 4 inches. Only some portions of southwestern Minnesota are reporting precipitation totals less than one inch so far this month. With respect to snowfall, many climate stations in the southern half of the state are reporting less than 3 inches so far this month. In contrast, many climate stations in north-central and northeastern Minnesota are reporting 15 to 25 inches of snowfall so far th...

Major Winter Storm Brings Widespread Precipitation and High Winds: A large-scale winter storm brought a wide swath of precipitation to Minnesota over April 12-13 this week. Many areas reported thunder and lightning, as well as hail, especially in southern counties. There were over 35 reports of hail (1 inch diameter or greater), as well as 8 reports of damaging high winds (up to 60 mph). Also, the La Crosse, Wisconsin National Weather Service Office reported tornado touchdowns in Taopi (Mower County) and near Spring Valley (Fillmore County). The Taopi tornado was very destructive, damaging or destroying many homes and buildings, while the one near Spring Valley did mostly tree damage or damage to farm buildings. The backside of the storm ushered in cold air, snow flurries, and high winds to many areas on Thursday, April 14th. The following climate stations reported wind gusts over 50 mph on Thursday: MSP, Marshall, Windom, Redwood Falls, Fairmont, Worthington, and Jackson. Preci...