Minnesota WeatherTalk

Preliminary Climate Summary for March 2026: The weather during March was dramatically variable. Most climate stations will report a mean monthly temperature that ranges from 1.0°F above normal to 6.0°F above normal, with the greatest warmth in the southern part of the state which had erratic and mostly sparse snow cover during the month. This March is the 12th year out of the most recent 14 years that has brought warmer than normal mean temperatures to the state. Extremes for the month were -31°F at Seagull Lake (Cook County) on March 1st to 85°F at Pipestone and Worthington on March 21st. The 85°F reading on March 21st was a new statewide record high maximum for the date and the earliest ever in the year for a reading that high in Minnesota. Minnesota reported the lowest temperature in the 48 contiguous states only 4 times this month. Within the statewide climate network, there were over 80 reports of new daily high maximum temperature records set, as well as 40 reports of new daily h...

Back-to-back snowstorms with high winds: March 12-16 brought powerful back-to-back winter storms across portions of Minnesota, not uncommon for the month of March. The first storm over March 12-13 brought extremely high winds (above 60 mph wind gusts in many areas) and heavy snowfalls to northeastern areas of the state, especially the north shore landscapes along Lake Superior. Many areas reported 9 to 13 inches of snow, with blizzard conditions as well. A few long term climate stations reported daily record snowfalls, including: 7.8 inches at Brimson 7.0 inches at Embarrass and Two Harbors 6.8 inches at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center This March 12-13 storm brought remarkably high winds. Many areas, including the Twin Cities, reported wind gusts of 60 mph or greater. For a few locations record-setting March wind gusts were reported, including 53 mph at St Cloud (record for March 13) 60 mph at MSP (record for March 13 and highest since March of 2017) 69 mph at Rochester, recor...

Big Swings in March Weather: Through the first third of March most climate stations in Minnesota are showing an average monthly temperature that is 5°F to 8°F above normal. In fact, many areas of the state have seen temperatures in the 50s F on several days, and over March 8th and 9th, there were multiple reports of afternoon temperatures in the 60s F, including the Twin Cities. Both Pipestone and Worthington reached 70°F, the first time since last November 15th that temperatures have reached that high in the state. Beginning on Sunday and lasting through Tuesday, temperatures will take a dive and range from 15° to 20°F below normal across the state. A rollercoaster ride in temperatures is often typical of March. The driver for the temperature decline is a strong low-pressure system that will cross the area over Saturday and Sunday, bringing a widespread swath of snow. A few areas of the state have already picked up 4 to 8 inches of snow so far tis month, but this weekend will bri...

Cool start, then March turns quite mild: After starting the month with cooler than normal temperatures (many subzero mornings in the north over the 1st and 2nd), March produced quite a series of warm days this week. Most climate stations have reported daytime highs in the 40s F for the middle and end of this week, and over 60 climate observers have reported readings of 50°F or greater. In many areas nighttime temperatures were kept well above normal for this time of year because of the formation of fog, which took a while to burn off each morning. After a dry start to the month, forecasts continue to favor chances for rain on Friday, and some rain/snow early Saturday, as temperatures cool down a bit. It will also be breezy over the weekend. Then a dramatic warm up on Monday and Tuesday when many areas may see 50°F temperatures again, may be even a few 60°F temperatures. Then a more pronounced cool down for later next week, some cooler than normal days with chances for rain/snow, but...