Despite high winds and periodic rains, crop planting making good progress:
Afternoon 4” depth soil temperatures have averaged in the low to mid 50s F this week across much of the southern half of Minnesota. This is ideal for corn planting which is making excellent progress this week. Up north, the soil temperatures are in the mid to upper 40s F and farmers are making good progress on spring wheat and sugar beet planting. Gardening centers have been stocking up on seasonal supplies and report business has picked up this past week as well.
Weather should continue to be favorable for the agricultural planting season, with temperatures expected to be above normal for the balance of April and into the first weeks of May. Farmers will have to work around rain showers, but on the other hand, they will be welcome in most places to add to soil moisture recharge.
The ice went out on Loon Lake in St Louis County on Wednesday, April 23 this week and I suspect a number of northern lakes will lose their ice over the next week or so with warmer temperatures expected.
I suspect by month’s end next Wednesday that most places in Minnesota will report a mean monthly temperature for April that ranges from 2°F to 5° above normal. Many areas will also report above normal precipitation, though there will be some drier than normal areas in the north.
It has been a very windy April, with some climate stations reporting wind gusts over 30 mph on over half of the days. Saint Cloud has already reported 19 such days. A few climate stations have reported wind gusts over 50 mph.
Weekly Weather Potpourri:
In this week’s AGU-EOS Bulletin there is an interesting article about reconstructing historical droughts using climate models in conjunction with tree ring records. Analysis shows that some historical drought periods in Italy have lasted up to 40 years and that the impacts on critical river systems used for hydropower generation have been more extreme than in any in the modern era.
A recent study published in Nature Human Behavior by researchers from UCLA and Princeton shows how the public more readily absorbs the risk and threats of climate change when the evidence of climate change impacts is presented in a more binary fashion, than in a gradual change in data from year to year or decade to decade. “By focusing on the increasing rate of once-rare events, like extreme heat days or thousand-year floods, or the slow loss of seasonal joys like skiing or outdoor ice skating, scientists who publicly address climate change can help communities care more about the climate crisis.”
Jenn Jordan of the Weather Underground reviews the 2025 “State of the Air” report from the American Lung Association. She points out from the report that approximately 156.1 million American citizens live in areas with failing grades for ozone or particulate matter in the air. Some of the cities with the worst overall air quality include Bakersfield, CA; Detroit; and Houston. Those with some of the best air quality scores include Bangor, ME and Colorado Springs. For the future, those states investing more in clean energy are expected to see improvements in overall air quality.
MPR listener question:
With the temperature rollercoaster behavior this spring, we were wondering for the Twin Cities area what is the latest date for having a daily maximum temperature which doesn't even reach the freezing mark of 32 degrees F?
Answer:
The latest date (going all the way back to 1871) is April 30, 1909, when the high temperature in the Twin Cities only reached 31 degrees F. I might further add that 2.4 inches of snow fell on that date as well.
Twin Cities Almanac for April 25th:
The average MSP high temperature for this date is 61 degrees F (plus or minus 11 degrees F standard deviation), while the average low is 42 degrees F (plus or minus 8 degrees F standard deviation).
MSP Local Records for April 25th:
MSP records for this date: highest daily maximum temperature of 91 degrees F in 1962; lowest daily maximum temperature of 37 degrees F in 1950; lowest daily minimum temperature of 25 degrees F in 1907; highest daily minimum temperature of 65 degrees F in 1990, and record precipitation of 1.47 inches in 1902. Record snowfall is 3.2 inches also in 1950.
Average dew point for April 25th is 36°F; the maximum dew point on this date is 63°F in 1990 and the minimum dew point on this date is 9 degrees F in 1933.
All-time state records for April 25th:
The state record high temperature for this date is 96 degrees F at Madison (Lac Qui Parle County) in 1962. The state record low temperature for this date is 5 degrees F at Leech Lake (Cass County) in 1990. The state record precipitation for this date is 3.55 inches at Hokah (Houston County) in 1994. The statewide snowfall record for this date is 16.0 inches at Two Harbors (Lake County) in 1950.
Past Weather:
The coldest April 25th in state history was in 1909 when many Minnesota communities saw record cold morning low temperatures as well as record cold afternoon high temperatures. With 1-3 inches of snow on the ground, many northern communities reported morning temperatures in the teens and single digits. Kelliher in Beltrami County saw an afternoon high temperature of only 30°F.
A late season winter storm brought heavy snow to northern Minnesota over April 25-26 of 1950. Many record daily snowfalls were reported. In total, the storm brought 8 to 16 inches to many places and 18 inches to Walker, where schools were closed because of the storm.
The warmest April 25th in state history was in 1962 when over 70 Minnesota climate stations reported record high maximum temperatures in the afternoon. Twenty counties reported a temperature of 90°F or higher. Farmers were busy planting all day in the heat.
Early season thunderstorms brought 2-4 inches of rain to portions of southern Minnesota over April 25-26 of 1994. These rains brought an abrupt halt to planting field crops and many farmers had to wait nearly a week for fields to dry out.
Outlook:
The weekend will start sunny and with warmer than normal temperatures statewide. Increasing cloudiness will occur later on Saturday and into Sunday and will bring a chance for rain. Chances for rain will continue into Monday, which will be even warmer with some thundershowers across the state, and perhaps even the threat of severe weather. Temperatures will continue to range above normal next week, but with periodic chances for showers.
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