Cold December: 2013

Temperature Drop from December 28 to December 29
Courtesy: Minnesota State Climatology Office

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.