A very wet week for much of Minnesota:
Since last Friday (May 16), many areas of the state have received abundant rainfall, and for many the wettest week of the year so far. Many climate stations have reported 3 to 5 inches of rainfall since last Friday, and portions of Wright and Cass Counties have reported over 5 inches. A few areas of north-central and northeastern Minnesota reported less than an inch of rainfall, and International Falls reported only 0.10 inches since last Friday.
Some areas that reported abundant rainfall also recorded record-setting daily amounts. A number of these areas included long-term Minnesota climate stations: A few examples of record rainfalls reported included:
For May 20th:
2.00 inches at Pipestone
1.88 inches at Litchfield
1.60 inches at Marshall
1.56 inches at Detroit Lakes
1.52 inches at both Waseca and Alexandria
1.45 inches at Tracy
1.36 inches at Milan
For May 21st:
2.21 inches at Kimball
1.58 inches at Minnesota City
1.46 inches at Long Prairie
1.40 inches at Hastings
1.39 inches at Theilman
Even while much of the state was coping with wet and cold weather this week, portions of northern Minnesota from Baudette through International Falls and over to Grand Marais were under Red Flag Warnings from the National Weather Service because afternoon humidity was so low (18 to 24 percent) and winds were gusting up to 35 to 45 mph, quite the contrast from the rest of the state. Also observers in some northern counties like Koochiching, St Louis, Lake, Cass, and Itasca reported multiple frosts this week with traces of snow on May 18 and May 19.
The timing of the rains this week was good for Minnesota agriculture as most of the major crops have been planted and the added moisture will help assure good germination and early development.
Weekly Weather Potpourri:
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on devastating record rains in New South Wales this week, especially north in the area north of Sydney. Some observers have reported over 24 inches of rainfall this week and expect up to another 4 inches to fall into the coming weekend. Over 50,000 people have been evacuated from the flooding. According to the Bureau of Meteorology this is the wettest month of May back to 1871.
The Weather Underground web site features an interesting article this week about some of the nation’s most turbulent major airports where landing aircraft can be tricky because of wind behavior. Among the nation’s most difficult airports to land are Denver, Bozeman, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, and Jackson Hole.
MPR listener question:
Do you think it is safe to transplant vegetables and other sensitive plants to my outside garden yet?
Answer:
Unless you live in far northern Minnesota, I think it will be safe to do so in most places starting this weekend. I know many gardeners have waited patiently to put in sensitive seed or transplant tomatoes and other plants which they started indoors earlier this spring. The cold temperatures (lows in the mid 30s to low 40s F) experienced earlier this week are probably the last for many areas of the state, except the far north Today marks the lastest spring date we have ever had a minimum temperature below 30 degrees F in the Twin Cities area back to 1872.
Of course, some places in northern Minnesota have climates that are much more restrictive to garden crops. For example, at Cloquet (Carlton County), not far from Duluth, frost has occurred on nearly every date in June at some time over the past hundred years. Frost has also occurred there on 4 dates in July and 17 dates in August. So gardeners are ready to cover their plants and protect them from frost in those months as well.
Twin Cities Almanac for May 23rd:
The average MSP high temperature for this date is 72 degrees F (plus or minus 8 degrees F standard deviation), while the average low is 53 degrees F (plus or minus 7 degrees F standard deviation).
MSP Local Records for May 23rd:
MSP records for this date: highest daily maximum temperature of 89 degrees F in 2012; lowest daily maximum temperature of 52 degrees F in 2004; lowest daily minimum temperature of 28 degrees F in 1963; highest daily minimum temperature of 73 degrees F in 2010; and record precipitation of 1.56 inches in 1975. There has not been any snowfall on this date.
Average dew point for May23rd is 47°F; the maximum dew point on this date is 69°F in 1991 and the minimum dew point on this date is 22 degrees F in 2009.
All-time state records for May 23rd:
The state record high temperature for this date is 97 degrees F at Tract (Lyon County) in 1926 and at Fergus Falls (Otter Tail County) in 1928. The state record low temperature for this date is 15 degrees F at Remer (Cass County) in 1986. The state record precipitation for this date is 4.54 inches at Park Rapids (Hubbard County) in 1933. The statewide snowfall record for this date is 1.2 inches at Grand Portage (Cook County) in 1897.
Past Weather:
Widespread frost occurred in all parts of the state on May 23 of 1924. Many northern communities reported morning lows in the 20s F, and frost was reported as far south as Winona. The afternoon high temperature at Two Harbors only reached 49°F.
The warmest ever May 23rd was in 1928 when afternoon temperatures reached 90°F in over 20 Minnesota counties. While Fergus Falls sweltered in 97°F, Grand Marais saw the high temperature only reach 52°F.
Thunderstorms brought heavy rains to northern Minnesota on May 23 of 1933. Some of the largest rainfall amounts of the 1930s occurred in portions of Norman, Hubbard, Cass, and Aitkin Counties where 3 to 5 inches of rainfall was measured.
Outlook:
Sunny weekend coming up with temperatures a few degrees cooler than normal. Generally, a dry Memorial Weekend, with a small chance for showers later in the day on Saturday in the north and later on Monday in the southern counties. Temperatures will slowly moderate above normal by Wednesday through Friday of next week, with slight chances for thunderstorms. The week will be dry in northern counties.
Comments