Perhaps the Warmest December 14th Ever
The table below is preliminary and probably contains some errors, but I think that it clearly demonstrates that in both magnitude (temperature departure) and areal extent (numbers of individual station records being set), this is perhaps the warmest December 14th ever....
The following table summarizes the 3 pm temperatures from various locations around the state. Nearly all of these temperatures establish a new record high for December 14th. Though the all-time state high temperature for this date of 60 degrees F at Pipestone in 1912 is likely not be be broken, the number of high temperature records being broken today around the state and region probably makes this the warmest December 14th ever on a statewide basis.. Unfortunately, the freezer door to our north which has been closed most of the fall, will open by the end of the week, allowing cold air to spill down over us. It is not out of the question to be approaching 0 degrees F by the weekend. This is disturbing, not only for our own comfort, but for all those plants in the landscape (shrubs, grasses, alfalfa, lilacs, etc) that have broken dormancy or not properly hardened off for winter....
Location 3pm temp Previous record for Dec 14th Name (F) (value and year) MSP 54 52 F in 1894 Bemidji 48 (tied) 48 F in 1899 Park Rapids 48 44 F in 1960 Morris 55 48 F in 1894 Montevideo 55 53 F in 1894 and 1912 Willmar 54 49 F in 1960 Redwood Falls 56 49 F in 1960 New Ulm 57 53 F in 1960 Hibbing 50 43 F in 1997 Cook 50 42 F in 1960 St Cloud 53 49 F in 1960 Duluth 49 39 F in 1960 and 1997 Faribault 54 53 F in 1910 Hutchinson 55 50 F in 1960 Winona 55 47 F in 1910 and 1912 Rochester 52 41 F in 1960 Worthington 54 51 F in 1921 Marshall 55 45 F in 1960, 1986, and 1997 Albert Lea 55 50 F in 1910 Crane Lake 52 38 F in 1976 Intl Falls 46 41 F in 1997 La Crosse, WI 55 46 F in 1910 and 1936 Mark Seeley Professor and Extension Climatologist Department of Soil, Water, and Climate University of Minnesota St Paul, MN 55108
mcwg@soils.umn.edu
URL: http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/981214.htm
Last modified: December 14, 1998
