Cold December: 2013
December 2013 finished as the 18th coldest December on record in the Twin Cities, with an average temperature of 12.4 degrees, or 7.3 degrees below normal. Ironically, no minimum temperatures were set during the month in the Twin Cities, but a record high temperature was set with 47 degrees on December 28th. That surge in warmth and the sharp cold front that followed caused a rather dramatic temperature change in the state. The Twin Cities fell from 47 degrees to -3 degrees over the span of 24 hours. Similar temperature drops occurred throughout the state. The largest 24 hour temperature change in Minnesota was 71 degrees on April 3, 1982 in Lamberton located in Redwood County. The high was 78 degrees and a vigorous cold front dropped the temperature to 7.
Temperatures have been much colder to the north. International Falls has measured seven nights of -30 or colder and December 2013 will wind up being the second coldest December on record with an average of -3.5 degrees as of December 30. The coldest December on record for International Falls is -4.3 degrees in 1983.
Listed below are temperature reports from the National Weather Service on December 31, 2013. The Duluth National Weather Serve also has a story on the extreme cold.
REGIONAL TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION TABLE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 927 AM CST TUE DEC 31 2013 VALUES REPRESENT HIGHS YESTERDAY...LOWS OCCURRING BETWEEN 6PM AND 6AM PRECIPITATION AND SNOW FALL OVER THE 24 HOUR PERIOD ENDING AT 6AM. SNOW DEPTH AT 6AM : : MAX MIN SNOW SNOW :ID LOCATION TEMP TEMP PCPN FALL DEPTH :ASOS SITES NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA DLH : DULUTH : -3 / -21 / 0.00/ T / 17 INL : INTERNATIONAL FALLS : -7 / -36 / 0.00/ T / 12 BRD : BRAINERD : 1 / -23 / T / / GNA : GRAND MARAIS : 2 / -14 / 0.00/ / HIB : HIBBING : -4 / -35 / 0.00/ / :ASOS SITES NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN ASX : ASHLAND : -2 / -14 / 0.00/ / HYR : HAYWARD : -4 / -22 / T / / : :AWOS SITES NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA DYT : SKY HARBOR : -2 / -15 / TWM : TWO HARBORS : -2 / -24 / BFW : SILVER BAY : 1 / -33 / CKC : GRAND MARAIS AIRPORT : -6 / -24 / ELO : ELY : -6 / -36 / ORB : ORR : -6 / -29 / CQM : COOK : -6 / -35 / CDD : CRANE LAKE : 0 / -38 / EVM : EVELETH : -6 / -33 / FOZ : BIGFORK : 0 / -33 / GPZ : GRAND RAPIDS : -2 / -22 / XVG : LONGVILLE : 0 / -29 / PWC : PINE RIVER : -2 / -27 / AIT : AITKIN : 0 / -22 / MZH : MOOSE LAKE : -4 / -27 / 04W : HINCKLEY : -4 / -26 / COQ : CLOQUET : -2 / -18 / HZX : MCGREGOR : -2 / -18 / :AWOS SITES NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN SUW : SUPERIOR : -3 / -21 / RZN : SIREN : -4 / -23 / PBH : PHILLIPS : -4 / -17 / .END THESE DATA ARE PRELIMINARY AND HAVE NOT UNDERGONE FINAL QUALITY CONTROL BY THE NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER /NCDC/. THEREFORE... THESE DATA ARE SUBJECT TO REVISION. FINAL AND CERTIFIED CLIMATE DATA CAN BE ACCESSED AT WWW.NCDC.NOAA.GOV. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COOPERATIVE WEATHER OBSERVATION SITES VALUES REPRESENT 24 HOUR HIGHS AND LOWS FOR THE PERIOD ENDING AT THE OBSERVATION TIME LISTED WITH THE LOCATION. MINIMUM TEMPERATURES MAY HAVE OCCURRED ON PREVIOUS DAY. PRECIPITATION AND SNOW FALL OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS AND SNOW DEPTH AT TIME OF OBSERVATION LISTED WITH LOCATION. .BR DLH 1231 C DH06/TAIRZX/TAIRZN/PPDRZZ/SFDRZZ/SDIRZZ : COOP OBSERVATIONS : OBS MAX MIN SNOW SNOW :ID LOCATION TIME TEMP TEMP PCPN FALL DPTH : :......EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...... : BNWM5: BRAINERD 7NW........: DH0700/ 1 / -21 / 0.01/ 0.2/ 13 CRLM5: PINE RIVER DAM......: DH0800/ -3 / -22 / 0.03/ 0.5/ 13 DLHM5: DULUTH NWS OFFICE...: DH0600/ -9 / -22 / T / T / 17 ISEM5: ISLE 12N............: DH0800/ -3 / -23 / T / T / 12 SDYM5: SANDY LAKE DAM......: DH0800/ -4 / -26 / 0.02/ 0.2/ 13 WRIM5: WRIGHT 3E...........: DH0600/ -5 / -31 / T / T / 16 : :......NORTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...... : CSLM5: CASS LAKE...........: DH0800/ 1 / -26 / 0.00/ 0.0/ 13 PKGM5: POKEGEMA DAM........: DH0800/ -2 / -23 / 0.00/ M/ 15 : :......NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA....... : BABM5: BABBITT.............: DH0700/ -7 / -42 / 0.00/ 0.0/ 19 BRMM5: BRIMSON.............: DHM / M / -42 / 0.00/ M/ M COKM5: COOK................: DH0600/ -7 / -27 / 0.00/ M/ 14 EMBM5: EMBARRASS...........: DH0600/ -5 / -43 / 0.00/ 0.0/ M FLDM5: FLOODWOOD...........: DH0730/ -4 / -32 / 0.00/ 0.0/ 17 GDPM5: GRAND PORTAGE.......: DH0700/ -3 / -19 / 0.00/ 0.0/ 17 ILIM5: ISLAND LAKE 4E......: DH0900/ -5 / -25 / T / T / 19 KABM5: KABETOGAMA..........: DH0700/ -8 / -35 / T / T / 18 LEIM5: ORR 3E..............: DH0600/ -7 / -35 / 0.00/ 0.0/ 14 TOWM5: TOWER 2S............: DH0730/ -6 / -36 / 0.00/ 0.0/ 13 : :......NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN....... : AWXW3: ASHLAND ............: DH0700/ / / 0.00/ 0.0/ 23 BUTW3: BUTTERNUT...........: DH0600/ -4 / -26 / M/ M/ M GURW3: GURNEY..............: DH0800/ -4 / -19 / 0.00/ 0.0/ 20 MAIW3: MADELINE ISLAND.....: DH0650/ -3 / -16 / T / T / 16 UPSW3: UPSON...............: DH0800/ -3 / -28 / 0.00/ 0.0/ 17 : :......NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN....... : BYFW3: BAYFIELD 9N.........: DH0700/ 8 / -7 / 0.04/ 1.2/ 29 CMKW3: CLAM LAKE 4W........: DH0700/ -6 / -29 / T / T / 17 SRAW3: SARONA..............: DHM / / / T / 0.1/ M SSPW3: SOLON SPRINGS.......: DH0900/ 2 / -13 / 0.00/ 0.0/ 16 .END THESE DATA ARE PRELIMINARY AND HAVE NOT UNDERGONE FINAL QUALITY CONTROL BY THE NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER /NCDC/. THEREFORE... THESE DATA ARE SUBJECT TO REVISION. FINAL AND CERTIFIED CLIMATE DATA CAN BE ACCESSED AT WWW.NCDC.NOAA.GOV.