Climatological Review for 1996
The National Weather Service Forecast Offices in the Twin Cities, Duluth, Sioux Falls, and La Crosse have prepared excellent climatological reviews for 1996. Click on the community name to view the summary.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
245 AM CST THU JAN 2 1997
...TWIN CITIES CLIMATOLOGICAL REVIEW OF...1996...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RECORDS.
NORMALS = 30 YEAR PERIOD...FROM 1960-1991.
AVERAGE = 30 YEAR MOVING AVERAGE...FROM MOST CURRENT DATA
...TEMPERATURES... 1996 .. 30YR
ACTUAL .. NORMAL
AVERAGE ANNUAL MEAN ................... 42.4 .. 44.9 (# 6 COLDEST)
AVERAGE DAILY MAXIMUM ................. 51.9 .. 54.3 (#10 COLDEST)
AVERAGE DAILY MINIMUM ................. 32.8 .. 35.3 (# 5 COLDEST)
COLDEST MONTH LAST YEAR ............... 10.2 JAN
WARMEST MONTH LAST YEAR ............... 70.5 AUG
HIGHEST DAILY ........................ 96 JUN 28
LOWEST DAILY ......................... -32 FEB 2
LAST SPRING FREEZE.. 32 OR LOWER....... 32 ON MAY 13/ AVERAGE = MAY 1
GROWING SEASON ....................... 142 DAYS / AVERAGE = 157 DAYS
FIRST AUTUMNAL FREEZE.. 32 OR LOWER.... 26 ON OCT 2/ AVERAGE = OCT 5
LAST ZERO DEGREES.. OR LOWER ......... -10 MAR 26
FIRST ZERO DEGREES.. OR LOWER ......... -4 NOV 24
...PRECIPITATION.../...INCHES... 1996 .. 30YR
ACTUAL .. NORMAL
TOTAL FOR THE YEAR..................... 26.06 .. 28.32
MAXIMUM MONTHLY........................ 5.08 NOV
LEAST MONTHLY.......................... 0.24 FEB
GREATEST 24HR.......................... 2.23 JUN 16-17
FIRST THUNDERSTORM..................... FEB 8
TOTAL NUMBER OF THUNDERSTORMS ......... 32 (UNOFFICIALLY 33)
LAST THUNDERSTORM...................... NOV 15 (UNOFFICIALLY DEC 14)
...SNOWFALL.../...INCHES... 1996 30YR
ACTUAL .. AVERAGE
TOTAL FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR.. 1996..... 72.6 .. 49.8
TOTAL SEASONAL.. 1995-96............... 55.5 .. 49.8
LAST.. TRACE OR MORE .................. 0.1 APR 26
FIRST.. TRACE OR MORE ................. T OCT 30
LAST 0.1 INCH OR MORE ................. 0.1 APR 26
FIRST 0.1 INCH OR MORE ................ 1.7 NOV 15
LAST 1.0 INCH OR MORE ................ 1.7 APR 14
FIRST 1.0 INCH OR MORE ................ 1.7 NOV 15
GREATEST 24HR SNOWFALL (SEASONAL)...... 7.9 DEC 8 - 9 1995
GREATEST 24HR SNOWFALL (CALENDER) ..... 7.3 MAR 24-25 1996
GREATEST SNOW DEPTH ................... 18 DEC 1996
...NUMBER OF DAYS WITH (A)... 1996 .. 30YR
ACTUAL .. NORMAL/AVERAGE
MAXIMUM OF.. 90 DEGREES OR HIGHER ..... 8 .. 15
MAXIMUM OF.. 85 DEGREES OR HIGHER ..... 27 .. 38
" 80 " ..... 67 .. 68
" 75 " ..... 94 .. 98
" 70 " ..... 121 .. 127
" 65 " ..... 143 .. 150
MAXIMUM OF.. 60 DEGREES OR HIGHER ..... 161 .. 172
MAXIMUM OF.. 32 DEGREES OR LOWER ..... 99 .. 78 (# 5 GREATEST)
MINIMUM OF 32 DEGREES OR LOWER ....... 176 .. 155 (# 1 GREATEST)
" " 20 " " " ....... 108 .. 92 (# 6 GREATEST)
" " 10 " " " ....... 70 .. 52 (#12 GREATEST)
" " 0 " " " ....... 47 .. 31 (# 5 GREATEST)
" " -10 " " " ....... 18 .. 13 (# 9 GREATEST)
MINIMUM OF -20 DEGREES OR LOWER ....... 8 .. 3 (# 2 GREATEST)
...NUMBER OF DAYS WITH (A)... 1996 .. 30YR
ACTUAL .. NORMAL
HEATING DEGREE DAYS..CALENDER YEAR.... 8782 ..7981
COOLING DEGREE DAYS................... 602 .. 682
PRECIPITATION.. TRACE (ONLY) .......... 67 .. 80
PRECIP.. 0.01 OR MORE (MEASURABLE)..... 121 .. 113
PRECIP.. 0.10 OR MORE ................. 57 .. 56
PRECIP.. 0.50 OR MORE ................. 16 .. 15
SNOWFALL.. TRACE OR MORE .............. 92 .. 74
SNOWFALL.. 1.0 INCH OR MORE ........... 25 .. 14
SNOWFALL.. 2.0 INCHES OR MORE ......... 10 .. 9
SNOWFALL.. 3.0 INCHES OR MORE ......... 7 .. 4
THUNDERSTORMS.......................... 32 .. 38
CLEAR.................................. MSG .. 97
PARTLY CLOUDY.......................... MSG .. 101
CLOUDY................................. MSG .. 168
...MISCELLANEOUS DATA...
HOURS OF SUNSHINE ..................... MSG .. 4465
PERCENT OF POSSIBLE SUNSHINE........... 58 .. NORMAL...58
AVERAGE WIND SPEED.................. 10.4 MPH .. NORMAL...10.6 MPH
PEAK GUST............................. 49 MPH AUG 6
...SEA LEVEL PRESSURE.../...INCHES...
HIGHEST .............................. 30.76 JAN AND NOV
LOWEST ............................... 28.90 OCT
...1996 MONTHLY STATISTICS...
TEMPERATURE PRECIPITATION SNOWFALL
DAILY AVG / DEP TOTAL / DEP TOTAL / DEP
EXTREMES TEMP / NORM PCPN / NORM SNFL / AVG
JAN 44 -23 .. 10.2 / 1.6 .. 1.87 / 0.92 .. 14.3 / 1.2
FEB 50 -32 .. 18.0 / 0.0 .. 0.24 /-0.68 .. 1.2 / -7.3
MAR 58 -10 .. 25.3 /-5.7 .. 1.39 /-0.55 .. 14.4 / 4.4
APR 71 21 .. 41.4 /-5.0 .. 0.76 /-1.66 .. 2.3 / -0.7
MAY 87 32 .. 55.6 /-2.9 .. 2.37 /-1.02 .. 0 / -0.1
JUN 96 39 .. 69.4 /-0.8 .. 4.76 / 0.71 .. --- / ---
JUL 90 49 .. 70.0 /-3.6 .. 2.10 /-1.43 .. --- / ---
AUG 94 51 .. 70.5 / 0.0 .. 1.43 /-2.19 .. --- / ---
SEP 88 33 .. 62.2 / 1.7 .. 1.30 /-1.42 .. 0 / 0
OCT 80 16 .. 48.8 / 0.0 .. 3.01 / 0.82 .. T / -0.7
NOV 57 -11 .. 25.4 /-7.8 .. 5.08 / 3.53 .. 16.8 / 6.9
DEC 35 -27 .. 13.7 /-4.2 .. 1.75 / 0.67 .. 23.7 / 14.5
ANNUAL 96 -32 .. 51.9 /-2.5 ..26.06 /-2.26 .. 72.6 / 22.8
WINTER (D,J,F) .. 15.8 /-2.1 .. 2.24 /-0.67 .. 31.8 / -1.5
SPRING (M,A,M) .. 40.8 /-4.5 .. 4.52 /-3.23 .. 16.4 / 3.6
SUMMER (J,J,A) .. 69.1 /-1.7 .. 8.29 /-2.91 .. --- / ---
AUTUMN (S,O,N) .. 45.5 /-2.0 .. 9.39 / 2.93 .. 16.8 / 6.2
...1996 DAILY TEMPERATURE RECORDS...
NEW RECORD ........................... PREVIOUS RECORD
DATE /TEMP RECORD TYPE TEMP YEAR
FEB 1 /-12 .. COLD MAXIMUM -8 1951
FEB 2 /-32 .. MINIMUM -28 1965
FEB 2 /-17 .. COLD MAXIMUM -14 1917
FEB 3 /-26 .. MINIMUM -25 1923
MAR 26 /-10 .. MINIMUM 0 1955 + 1965
JUN 8 / 39 .. MINIMUM ...TIED... 39 1987
JUL 10 / 49 .. MINIMUM ...TIED... 49 1945
JUL 29 / 70 .. COLD MAXIMUM ...TIED... 70 1971
SEP 14 / 33 .. MINIMUM 38 1923
OCT 3 / 26 .. MINIMUM 27 1989
OCT 31 / 16 .. MINIMUM 18 1951
NOV 27 /-11 .. MINIMUM -6 1897
DEC 25 /-22 .. MINIMUM ...COLDEST XMAS... -20 1962
DEC 25 / -9 .. COLD MAXIMUM...COLD/XMAS... -6 1933
DEC 26 /-27 .. MINIMUM -22 1990
DATE /DAILY PRECIPITATION/SNOWFALL PREVIOUS RECORD
JAN 16 / 0.90 .. PRECIP. 0.39 1906
MAR 24 / 6.8 .. SNOW 5.5 1937
MAR 25 / 3.6 .. SNOW 3.0 1900
NOV 15 / 1.58 .. PRECIP. 0.67 1944
NOV 16 / 1.27 .. PRECIP. 1.19 1918
DEC 14 / 5.2 .. SNOW 3.7 1983
DEC 18 / 2.9 .. SNOW ...TIED... 2.9 1919
DEC 23 / 0.53 .. PRECIP. 0.38 1926
DEC 23 / 6.2 .. SNOW 3.5 1914
CARLYON
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
955 AM CST WED JAN 1 1997
...1996...A COOL AND WET YEAR IN THE TWIN PORTS...
1996 WAS QUITE AN EVENTFUL YEAR IN THE NORTHLAND...FROM A NEW MINNESOTA
STATE RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE...TO AN END TO THE ALL TIME SNOWIEST SEASON
FOR MANY LOCATIONS...AS WELL AS TO THE START OF ANOTHER SNOWY WINTER
SEASON. THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF THE WEATHER OF 1996 IN THE TWIN
PORTS. OFFICIAL CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA FROM 1941 TO PRESENT WAS TAKEN AT A
LOCATION NEAR THE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. DATA RECORDED FROM 1870 UP TO
1941 WAS TAKEN AT A LOCATION CLOSER TO LAKE SUPERIOR IN THE DOWNTOWN
AREA. NORMALS ARE BASED ON THE YEARS FROM 1961 TO 1990.
...SUMMARY OF 1996...
DEPT FROM DEPT FROM
MONTH AVG T NORMAL PCPN NORMAL SNOW NORMAL
JANUARY 2.2 -4.8 1.35 +0.13 34.0 16.9
FEBRUARY 11.9 -0.5 1.10 +0.30 21.3 11.3
MARCH 19.4 -5.0 0.50 -1.41 11.4 13.8
APRIL 33.9 -4.7 1.63 -0.62 12.6 6.4
MAY 48.2 -2.6 1.61 -1.42 TRACE 0.7
JUNE 61.4 +1.6 5.06 +1.24 0 TRACE
JULY 62.6 -3.5 7.76 +4.15 0 0
AUGUST 66.5 +2.8 2.92 -1.07 0 0
SEPTEMBER 56.1 +1.9 5.13 +1.29 0 TRACE
OCTOBER 43.8 +0.1 3.09 +0.60 0.3 1.3
NOVEMBER 20.8 -7.6 5.38 +3.58 15.9 11.0
DECEMBER 10.4 -2.4 1.51 +0.27 41.7 15.5
1996 36.4 -2.1 37.04 +7.04
...1996...
THE COLD AND WET TREND OF 1996 HELPED THE YEAR MAKE IT ON THE TOP 10
LIST IN THE DULUTH RECORD BOOKS. THE YEAR CAME IN AS THE 7TH WETTEST IN
AIRPORT RECORDS...WHICH BEGAN IN 1941. 1996 ALSO CAME IN AS THE 4TH
COLDEST IN AIRPORT RECORDS...AND TIED FOR THE 9TH COLDEST OF ALL TIME.
...A RECORD START TO 1996...
1996 STARTED OUT VERY COLD AND SNOWY. JANUARY CAME IN AS THE 6TH
SNOWIEST JANUARY OF ALL TIME...AND FEBRUARY WAS THE 5TH SNOWIEST OF ALL
TIME. THE TEMPERATURE IN DULUTH DIPPED TO -35 THE MORNING OF JANUARY
20TH...SETTING A NEW RECORD LOW FOR THAT DATE. RECORD LOWS WERE ALSO
SET ON FEBRUARY 1ST AND 2ND WITH MORNING LOWS OF -33 AND -39
RESPECTIVELY. FEBRUARY 2ND WILL ALSO GO DOWN IN THE MINNESOTA RECORD
BOOKS THANKS TO THE COMMUNITY OF TOWER. THE TEMPERATURE DROPPED TO -60
THAT MORNING IN TOWER...BREAKING THE OLD RECORD OF -59 SET WAY BACK IN
FEBRUARY 9TH 1899 AT LEECH LAKE DAM.
...SPRING 1996...
CONDITIONS DRIED UP IN SPRING...BUT THE COLD SPELL CONTINUED. SPRING OF
1996 WAS THE 5TH COLDEST AND THE 5TH DRIEST IN AIRPORT RECORDS. THE
MONTH OF MARCH ENDED UP AS THE 6TH DRIEST MARCH IN AIRPORT RECORDS.
APRIL WAS THE 5TH COLDEST AND 9TH SNOWIEST IN AIRPORT RECORDS. A
MORNING LOW OF 19 ON APRIL 26TH SET A NEW RECORD LOW FOR THAT DATE.
THE END OF SPRING ALSO BROUGHT AN END TO THE RECORD SNOWFALL ACROSS THE
AREA. 135.4 INCHES OF SNOW FELL FROM SEPTEMBER TO MAY IN THE TWIN
PORTS...MAKING THE SNOWFALL SEASON OF 1995-1996 THE SNOWIEST SINCE
RECORDS BEGAN IN 1870. THE NORMAL FOR DULUTH FOR A SEASON IS 76.9
INCHES. SNOWFALL RECORDS WERE ALSO SET TO THE NORTHWEST AND EAST.
INTERNATIONAL FALLS HAD A TOTAL OF 115.8 INCHES FOR THE 1995-1996
SEASON. THEIR NORMAL IS 64.2 INCHES. HURLEY WISCONSIN RECEIVED 250
INCHES OF SNOW. THEIR NORMAL IS 171.4 INCHES.
...SUMMER 1996...
THE SUMMER OF 1996 WAS YET ANOTHER WET ONE IN THE TWIN PORTS. THE SUMMER
(JUNE...JULY AND AUGUST) CAME IN AS THE 9TH WETTEST IN AIRPORT RECORDS.
JULY WAS THE 8TH WETTEST OF ALL TIME...AND THE 2ND WETTEST IN AIRPORT
RECORDS. JULY ALSO CAME IN AS THE 8TH COLDEST IN AIRPORT RECORDS. JUNE
AND AUGUST WERE BOTH ON THE WARM SIDE. A RECORD HIGH OF 92 WAS SET ON
JUNE 12TH...AND THE MONTH OF AUGUST CAME IN AS THE 10TH WARMEST IN
AIRPORT RECORDS.
...FALL 1996...
THE FALL CAME IN AS THE 4TH WETTEST OF ALL TIME...THANKS MOST IN PART TO
NOVEMBER. THE WET AND COLD TREND OF NOVEMBER OF 1996 MADE IT THE NUMBER
ONE WETTEST AND 5TH COLDEST OF ALL TIME. A MORNING LOW OF -10 GAVE
NOVEMBER 26TH A NEW RECORD LOW FOR THE DATE.
...A RECORD END TO 1996...
IT SEEMED LIKE THE SNOW DIDN'T STOP FALLING DURING THE MONTH OF
DECEMBER. IN FACT...THERE WERE ONLY 4 DAYS DURING DECEMBER 1996 THAT WE
DID NOT RECEIVE ANY SNOW. THE 10.3 INCHES OF SNOW WHICH FELL ON
DECEMBER 30TH SET A NEW DAILY RECORD FOR THAT DATE. DECEMBER 1996 CAME
IN AS THE 2ND SNOWIEST OF ALL TIME.
TAP
SIOUX FALLS AREA CLIMATIC SUMMARY FOR 1996
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SOUTH DAKOTA
1240 PM CST JAN 1 1997
...1996 WAS COOL...DRY...BUT INTERESTING IN SIOUX FALLS...
IT WAS OVERALL A VERY COOL YEAR IN SIOUX FALLS AND THE SURROUNDING
TRI/STATE AREA. TEMPERATURES AVERAGED OUT TO 42.2 DEGREES FOR 1996 OR
3.3 DEGREES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 45.5 DEGREES. THIS WAS THE 4TH COOLEST
YEAR ON RECORD AND WAS VERY CLOSE TO TYING THE 2ND COOLEST YEAR SINCE
RECORDS BEGAN IN 1893. THE FOUR COOLEST YEARS ON RECORD WERE THE
FOLLOWING... 40.93 DEGREES IN 1917... 42.14 IN 1950... 42.15 IN 1951
...AND 42.23 DEGREES IN 1996.
THE TOTAL PRECIPITATION AT THE SIOUX FALLS AIRPORT IN 1996 WAS 19.84
INCHES OR 4.02 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL AT THE AIRPORT OF 23.86 INCHES.
HOWEVER AS USUAL SOUTHERN SIOUX FALLS RECEIVED MORE FOR THE YEAR WITH
AROUND 24 INCHES IN 1996.
EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR WAS BELOW NORMAL IN TEMPERATURE EXCEPT FEBRUARY
AND JUNE. THE COLDEST MONTHS COMPARED TO NORMAL WERE MARCH/APRIL/MAY...
JULY...AND NOVEMBER/DECEMBER. PLEASE REFER TO THE TABLES. SPRING 1996
WAS THE 7TH COOLEST SPRING ON RECORD. SPRING IS DEFINED
METEOROLOGICALLY AS THE MONTHS OF MARCH/APRIL/MAY. THE MONTH MOST
ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE YEAR...FEBRUARY...IRONICALLY HAD THE COLDEST
ACTUAL TEMPERATURE OF THE YEAR OF 29 BELOW ZERO ON FEBRUARY 2ND. THE
WARMEST TEMPERATURE OF THE YEAR WAS ONLY 93 DEGREES ON JUNE 28TH.
PRECIPITATION WAS GENERALLY ON THE LIGHT SIDE COMPARED TO NORMAL AT
SIOUX FALLS EXCEPT FOR MAY AND THE AUTUMN PERIOD FROM SEPTEMBER TO
DECEMBER. SPRING AND SUMMER WERE GENERALLY DRY WITH THE NOTABLE
EXCEPTION OF THE MONTH OF MAY AND ALSO EARLY AUGUST WHEN THUNDERSTORMS
PRODUCED TIMELY RAINS. ON THE EVENING OF AUGUST 6TH THUNDERSTORMS
PRODUCED AT LEAST AN INCH OF NEEDED RAIN FOR THE CROPS BUT ALSO THE MOST
WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER EVENT OF THE YEAR WITH STRONG WINDS...HAIL...
AND TORNADOES IN THE TRI/STATE AREA. HOWEVER THE SUMMER OF 1996 ENDED
UP AS THE 3RD DRIEST SUMMER ON RECORD AT THE SIOUX FALLS AIRPORT WITH A
TOTAL OF 3.89 INCHES...OR 5.04 INCHES BELOW THE NORMAL OF 8.93 INCHES.
THIS WAS NOT FAR FROM THE 2ND DRIEST SUMMER OF 3.86 INCHES IN THE
NOTORIOUSLY DRY AND WARM SUMMER OF 1976. THE DRIEST SUMMER ON RECORD
WAS 3.55 INCHES WAY BACK IN 1894. RELATIVELY COOL TEMPERATURES AND SOME
TIMELY RAINS ALLEVIATED THE LOCAL DRYNESS IN THE SUMMER OF 1996 IN
SIOUX FALLS.
THE MOST INCLEMENT WEATHER OF THE YEAR OCCURRED IN THE LATTER PART OF
1996 WITH THE NORMALLY BENIGN AUTUMN PERIOD RATHER BUSY IN THE WEATHER
DEPARTMENT.
THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF NOTABLE WEATHER EVENTS IN THE SIOUX FALLS
AREA IN 1996...
1. ON JANUARY 10TH A PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN CAUSED MAJOR DISRUPTION
TO THE MORNING RUSH HOUR WITH NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS IN SIOUX FALLS.
2. LATE ON JANUARY 17TH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN CHANGED TO SNOW AND
BLOWING SNOW WITH NEAR 4 INCHES SNOWFALL. NORTHERLY WINDS GUSTED TO
55 MPH AT 323 AM CST ON THE 18TH.
3. ON JANUARY 25TH THERE WAS 7.5 INCHES OF VERY FLUFFY SNOW AT THE
SIOUX FALLS AIRPORT.
4. ON FEBRUARY 10TH STRONG WEST/NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 58 MPH AT
1203 PM CST.
5. ON THE EVENING OF MARCH 24TH SLEET AND FREEZING DRIZZLE CHANGED TO
SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WITH 4 INCHES SNOWFALL RECORDED. STRONG NORTH/
NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 55 MPH AT 803 PM CST.
6. ON APRIL 25TH AT 418 PM CDT STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 53 MPH.
7. ON JUNE 5TH FROM 615 TO 625 PM CDT HAIL UP TO AN INCH IN DIAMETER
AND WINDS GUSTING TO 60 MPH OCCURRED IN SOUTHWEST SIOUX FALLS.
8. ON JUNE 12TH NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 53 MPH AT 545 PM CDT.
9. ON JUNE 19TH AROUND 550 PM CDT THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN DUMPED ONE INCH
HAIL AND CAUSED WIND GUSTS TO 63 MPH IN PARTS OF SIOUX FALLS.
10. IN THE EVENING OF AUGUST 6TH FROM 845 TO 900 PM CDT WINDS GUSTED TO
60 MPH IN PARTS OF SIOUX FALLS ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
11. IN THE EVENING OF OCTOBER 16TH INTO EARLY THE 17TH UNSEASONABLY
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS STRUCK THE AREA WITH FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING... 1.23 INCHES OF RAIN... 45 MPH WIND GUSTS... AND SOME
HAIL.
12. ON OCTOBER 29TH INTENSE LOW PRESSURE MOVED OVER THE AREA CAUSING A
SMALL TORNADO SOUTHEAST OF SIOUX FALLS AT 140 PM CST FOLLOWED IN THE
EVENING BY STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WHICH GUSTED TO 61 MPH AT 803 PM CST.
THE LOWEST AIR PRESSURE OF 28.93 INCHES WITH THIS SYSTEM WAS THE LOWEST
EVER RECORDED IN THE MONTH OF OCTOBER. THE LOWEST PRESSURE EVER ON
RECORD WAS 28.63 INCHES ON MARCH 26TH 1950.
13. ON NOVEMBER 15TH TO 16TH THE WORST ICE STORM IN MEMORY STRUCK SIOUX
FALLS AND THE SURROUNDING AREA WITH BETWEEN 2 AND 3 INCHES OF MELTED
PRECIPITATION IN THE FORM OF FREEZING RAIN...SLEET...AND SOME SNOW.
14. ON NOVEMBER 23RD A SNOWFALL OF 5.2 INCHES WAS RECORDED AT THE
AIRPORT ALONG WITH SOME THUNDER AND LIGHTNING.
15. ON DECEMBER 14TH TO EARLY ON THE 15TH 9.9 INCHES OF SNOWFALL WAS
REPORTED AT JOE FOSS FIELD. THIS HELPED TO BRING THE SOLIDLY PACKED
SNOW DEPTH TO 15 INCHES BY THE 17TH. EVERY DAY OF THE REMAINING 15 DAYS
OF DECEMBER WAS BELOW NORMAL IN TEMPERATURE. BELOW ZERO TEMPERATURES
WERE RECORDED ON 12 OF THESE DAYS BOTTOMING OUT ON DECEMBER 26TH WITH A
LOW OF 20 BELOW ZERO.
THE FOLLOWING TABLES GIVE A MONTH BY MONTH BREAKDOWN OF WEATHER IN 1996
AT THE SIOUX FALLS AIRPORT...
TEMPERATURES
AVERAGE DEPARTURE EXTREMES MONTHLY
MONTH MAX MIN MONTHLY FROM NORM HIGH LOW RECORDS
JANUARY 21.1 0.7 10.9 MINUS 2.9 53 21B
FEBRUARY 33.8 11.8 22.6 PLUS 2.9 65 29B
MARCH 38.6 16.2 27.4 MINUS 5.1 69 11B
APRIL 56.1 28.6 42.4 MINUS 4.5 79 18
MAY 64.2 45.5 54.9 MINUS 3.5 90 30
JUNE 80.4 57.1 68.8 PLUS 0.5 93 41
JULY 81.2 56.9 69.1 MINUS 5.2 90 43 6TH COOLEST
AUGUST 81.7 58.2 70.0 MINUS 1.4 92 47
SEPTEMBER 69.5 49.2 59.4 MINUS 1.5 86 34
OCTOBER 60.2 35.2 47.7 MINUS 0.9 81 16
NOVEMBER 31.3 15.7 23.5 MINUS 9.5 64 13B 3RD COLDEST
DECEMBER 18.0 2.5 10.3 MINUS 8.0 34 20B 4TH COLDEST
1996 53.0 31.5 42.2 MINUS 3.3 93 29B
NORMAL YEAR 56.8 34.2 45.5
PRECIPITATION...INCHES
DEPARTURE DEPARTURE MAX WIND GUSTS...
MONTH FROM NORM SNOWFALL FROM NORM DIRECTION/MPH/DATE
JANUARY .99 PLUS .48 15.4 PLUS 8.9 N 55 ON 18TH
FEBRUARY .16 MINUS .48 1.7 MINUS 6.6 NW 58 ON 10TH
MARCH .82 MINUS .82 6.9 MINUS 3.3 NW 55 24TH/25TH
APRIL .55 MINUS 1.97 2.0 MINUS 0.2 NW 53 ON 25TH
MAY 5.27 PLUS 2.24 0 NE 49 ON 24TH
JUNE 1.14 MINUS 2.26 0 NW 53 ON 12TH
JULY .98 MINUS 1.70 0 SE 40 ON 3RD
AUGUST 1.79 MINUS 1.06 0 W 39 ON 6TH
SEPTEMBER 2.82 MINUS .20 0 W 45 ON 27TH
OCTOBER 1.63 MINUS .15 0 MINUS 0.5 NW 61 ON 29TH
NOVEMBER 2.91 PLUS 1.82 11.3 PLUS 6.3 SE 41 ON 14TH
DECEMBER .78 PLUS .08 19.8 PLUS 12.2 NW 44 ON 16TH
1996 19.84 MINUS 4.02 57.1 PLUS 16.8 NW 61 OCT 29TH
NOTE MONTHLY PRECIPITATION RECORDS...APRIL 1996 WAS 8TH DRIEST APRIL...
JUNE 1996 WAS 5TH DRIEST JUNE...NOVEMBER 1996 WAS 6TH WETTEST NOVEMBER
...AND DECEMBER 1996 WAS THE 4TH SNOWIEST DECEMBER ON RECORD.
ALSO NOTE...ALSO MAX WIND GUST IN JULY OF 40 MPH OUT OF SOUTH ON THE
16TH
RICHARD S. RYRHOLM...CLIMATIC FOCAL POINT
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
230 PM CST THU JAN 2 1997
...A LOOK BACK AT 1996 FOR LA CROSSE...
TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION
MONTH HIGH LOW AVE DEPARTURE TOTAL DEPARTURE SNOW
JAN 23.2 0.6 11.9 -2.5 3.03 +2.10 35.0
FEB 29.0 10.8 19.9 0.0 0.41 -0.49 1.2
MAR 39.2 17.7 28.5 -4.3 2.05 +0.09 5.8
APR 56.2 33.4 44.8 -2.9 1.95 -0.93 3.3
MAY 66.6 47.5 57.0 -2.5 1.50 -1.76 0.0
JUN 79.3 59.4 69.4 +0.9 5.98 +2.08 -
JUL 82.4 60.4 71.4 -2.1 2.32 -1.47 -
AUG 84.9 60.1 72.5 +1.7 2.16 -1.76 -
SEP 75.3 52.8 64.1 +2.3 1.64 -2.15 -
OCT 62.5 41.0 51.6 +1.4 2.98 +0.78 0.0
NOV 36.0 22.4 29.2 -6.4 4.44 +2.71 12.1
DEC 27.1 12.6 19.9 -0.4 1.41 +0.14 11.4
TOTALS 55.1 34.9 45.0 -1.3 29.87 -0.68 68.8
******************************RECORDS*******************************
TEMPERATURE...
HIGHS: 87 ON SEPTEMBER 30TH...PREVIOUS WAS 86 IN 1971
LOWS: -34 ON FEBRUARY 2ND...PREVIOUS WAS -32 IN 1873
-36 ON FEBRUARY 3RD...PREVIOUS WAS -28 IN 1886
*ALSO THE COLDEST FEBRUARY DAY ALL-TIME*
-31 ON FEBRUARY 4TH...PREVIOUS WAS -26 IN 1893
LOWEST HIGH: -13 ON FEBRUARY 2ND...PREVIOUS WAS -8 IN 1917
17 ON MARCH 26TH...PREVIOUS WAS 18 IN 1904
PRECIPITATION...
ONE-DAY PCPN: 1.34 ON OCTOBER 29TH...PREVIOUS WAS 0.89 IN 1961
1.51 ON NOVEMBER 16TH...PREVIOUS WAS 1.03 IN 1961
ONE-DAY SNOWFALL: 6.3 ON JANUARY 18TH...PREVIOUS WAS 3.9 IN 1949
5.8 ON JANUARY 25TH...PREVIOUS WAS 3.4 IN 1992
12.0 ON JANUARY 26TH...PREVIOUS WAS 5.5 IN 1951
MONTHLY PCPN: 3RD HIGHEST JANUARY WITH 3.03
6TH HIGHEST NOVEMBER WITH 4.44
MONTHLY SNOWFALL: 2ND HIGHEST JANUARY WITH 35.0
*ALSO 2ND SNOWIEST MONTH ALL-TIME*
7TH HIGHEST NOVEMBER WITH 12.1
6TH LOWEST FEBRUARY WITH 1.2
***********************************************************************
JANUARY GOT THIS PAST YEAR OFF TO A RATHER OMINOUS START AS 35 INCHES
OF SNOW FELL OVER THE AREA...THE BULK OF WHICH CAME ON THE THE 25TH AND
26TH WHEN 17.8 INCHES FELL. WINTER THEN DECIDED TO HAVE MORE FUN
...PLUNGING US INTO A DEEP FREEZE AT THE END OF THE MONTH...CONTINUING
INTO FEBRUARY. LOW TEMPERATURES WERE BELOW ZERO FOR 11 CONSECUTIVE DAYS
(JAN 27TH-FEB 6TH)...AVERAGING -23 DEGREES. THE HIGH DIDN'T EVEN MAKE
IT ABOVE ZERO FROM JANUARY 30TH THROUGH FEBRUARY 4TH!!! AS A RESULT OF
THE COLD...THE SNOW COVER REMAINED AT 20 OR MORE INCHES FOR 12
CONSECUTIVE DAYS (JAN 27TH-FEB 7TH). FEBRUARY DID BRING A REPRIEVE FROM
THE SNOW THOUGH...WITH ONE OF THE LEAST SNOWIEST FEBRUARY'S EVER.
MARCH AND APRIL CONTINUED THE COLD TREND...BOTH AVERAGING BELOW NORMAL.
THEY ALSO ADDED AN ADDITIONAL 9.1 INCHES OF SNOW...BRINGING THE GRAND
TOTAL FOR THE 1995-96 SEASON TO 60.7 INCHES. THAT IS NEARLY 20 INCHES
ABOVE NORMAL...AND ALSO THE MOST SINCE THE 1991-92 SEASON. IF YOU ADD
IN THE BITTER COLD TO ALL THE SNOW...IT WAS PROBABLY THE WORST WINTER
SINCE 1974-75.
MAY FINISHED OUT THE SPRING MONTHS WITH MORE BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURES...AND WAS ALSO DRIER THEN NORMAL. THAT DRY TREND WOULD
TAKE A SHARP TURN UPWARDS IN THE MONTH OF JUNE...AS RAINFALL FOR THAT
MONTH NEARLY REACHED 6 INCHES. THIS WAS MUCH ABOVE NORMAL...BUT NOT
TOTALLY UNEXPECTED...AS JUNE TENDS TO BE THE WETTEST MONTH OF THE YEAR
FOR THIS AREA. THE REST OF THE SUMMER MONTH/S STAYED DRY...WITH ONLY
4.48 INCHES FALLING OVER JULY AND AUGUST...WHICH WAS A LITTLE OVER 3
INCHES BELOW AVERAGE.
THE AREA ALSO HAD ITS BOUTS WITH SEVERE WEATHER THIS LAST SUMMER...WITH
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AND HAIL BEING THE MAIN CULPRITES. FLASH FLOODING
ALSO CAUSED SOME PROBLEMS.
THE START OF THE FALL MONTHS WERE ON THE MILD SIDE...WITH MORE DRY
CONDITIONS FOR MOST OF SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER. IN FACT...IF IT WASN'T
FOR SEPTEMBER 26TH AND OCTOBER 29TH...THOSE TWO MONTHS WOULD HAVE BEEN
VIRTUALLY DEVOID OF RAIN. BOTH DAYS ACCOUNTED FOR ABOUT HALF OF ALL THE
RAIN THAT FELL.
NOVEMBER THEN DID AN ABRUPT ABOUT FACE...AND WAS ABNORMALLY COLD AND
WET...SETTING SEVERAL RECORDS...AND GETTING AN EARLY START ON THE NEW
WINTER SEASON.
DECEMBER FINISHED THE YEAR OUT ON A MORE NORMAL NOTE...WITH NEAR
AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION. SNOWFALL WAS A BIT ABOVE
NORMAL...BUT WAS SPREAD OUT OVER MANY DAYS. MEASUREABLE SNOW FELL ON 13
DAYS...WITH A TRACE OR MORE ON 24 DAYS.
OVERALL...1996 WAS THE COLDEST YEAR SINCE 1979 AND THE DRIEST SINCE
1989.
RIECK
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Last modified: January 3, 1997