Minnesota WeatherTalk

Preliminary Climate Summary for April: Cool, wet, and windy are the terms that apply to April’s climate in Minnesota. Despite some 70°F and 80°F weather that occurred during the second week of the month, most climate stations report a mean monthly temperature that is 1 to 7 degrees F below normal. In many areas of the state over 20 days registered cooler than normal temperatures. Extremes for the month were 90°F at several southern climate stations on the 12th and 13th to just -9°F at Seagull Lake (Cook County) on April 7th. During the second week of the month over 70 daily high maximum temperature records were tied or broken within the state climate station network. Conversely, over 60 daily cold daily maximum temperature records, and over a dozen daily cold minimum temperature records were tied or broken. Minnesota reported the lowest temperature in the 48 contiguous states just once during the month. Wetter than normal conditions dominated most of the state during the month, wi...

April Climate Update: Significant variations in temperature continue across the state. During the first week of the month many northern communities reported subzero temperatures in the early morning hours, including -9°F at Seagull Lake (Cook County) on the 7th, while during the second week of the month Granite Falls, Windom, Winona, Austin, Hastings Dam, and Mankato reported 90°F. The third week of April has been dominated by precipitation, with many areas of the state reporting between and 1 and 2 inches of precipitation since last Saturday (April 15). Observers in 20 Minnesota counties have reported over 2 inches of precipitation this week. In fact, April 17-18 brought snow to many parts of eastern Minnesota, and in some cases record-setting amounts: On April 17th Brainerd reported a record 5 inches, Preston a record 6 inches, La Crescent a record 6.5 inches, and Hokah a record 11.0 inches; then on April 18th Gunflint Lake reported a record 7.0 inches. Then, thunderstorms on A...

April high winds continue, but with huge temperature contrast: April winds continue to howl in most places. Many climate stations report a high frequency of wind gusts over 30 mph (10 or more days). MSP reports wind gusts greater than 30 mph on 11 of the first 14 days, while Rochester reports 10 such days and 6 days with wind gusts over 40 mph. While high winds are the constant climate element this month, temperatures are by far the most variable. During the first week of the month (April 1-7) temperatures around the state averaged 7°F to 9°F cooler than normal, with even some record-setting cold readings like: -a maximum temperature of only 24°F at Park Rapids (Hubbard County) on April 5 -a maximum temperature of only 25°F at Pipestone on April 6th -a minimum temperature of -5°F at Brimson (St Louis County) on April 7th -a minimum temperature of -2°F at Hibbing on April 7th Then starting on April 8th, the strong winds turned more southerly and ushered in very warm air temperatures ind...

April Living Up to Its Reputation for Wind: Climatology shows that April is on average the windiest month of the year in Minnesota. It is a transition month that sees more frequent large changes in atmospheric pressure. Through the first 5 days of April, winds were very strong across the region. At some Minnesota climate stations the daily weather brought wind gusts over 30 mph each day. Here is a list of climate stations showing how many days they reported wind gusts greater than 30 mph, along with a measure of the maximum wind gust through the first 5 days of the month: Brainerd 5 days, max gust 43mph Redwood Falls 4 days, max gust 47mph Mankato 4 days, max gust 43mph Rochester 4 days, max gust 45mph Moorhead 4 days, max gust 40mph MSP 4 days, max gust 50mph At Duluth, they reported a maximum wind gust of 70mph on April 4th, and 60mph on April 5th. Forecast models suggest winds will continue to be moderate to strong, but from the south, ushering in warmer air for much of the comin...