Mild March 2012

bloodroot photo Mother Nature is rearranging her trophy case. An unprecedented mid-March influx of warm, moist air has produced record-setting temperatures for many locations east of the Rockies, including Minnesota.

During this warm stretch, the maximum temperature in the Twin Cities has reached or exceeded 70 degrees on eight days, breaking the previous March record of five set in 1910. Through March 19, the Twin Cities maximum temperature reached or exceeded 70 degrees for four consecutive days, breaking the previous record of three consecutive days which occurred on March 23-25, 1939 and March 22-24, 1945.

When the Twin Cities temperature reached 80 dgrees on March 17, it was the first 80 degree temperature since October 9, 2011. The span without 80 degree temperatures was 159 days, the fewest consecutive number of days without 80 degrees in the modern record.

Also see the National Weather Service Summary of Record Temperatures and Dew Point Temperatures.

Mid-March Temperature Records

Date	Maximum High Temperature Record	2012 Maximum Temperature	Maximum Low Temperature Record	2012 Minimum Temperature
Twin Cities
March 10	59 in 1878	66 new record	45 in 1878	34
March 11	61 in 1902	66 new record	45 in 1977	46 new record
March 12	69 in 1990	52	50 in 1990	43
March 13	66 in 2007	67 new record	46 in 1995	34
March 14	64 in 2010	73 new record	45 in 1973	48 new record
March 15	69 in 1927	63	42 in 1927	42 ties record
March 16	71 in 1930	79 new record	43 in 2003	42
March 17	76 in 1894	80 new record *	47 in 1894	59 new record
March 18	71 in 1921	79 new record	48 in 1968	61 new record **
March 19	72 in 1910	79 new record	48 in 1910	61 new record **
March 20	66 in 1938	65	41 in 1938	57 new record
March 21	76 in 1938	66	47 in 1938	55 new record
March 22	71 in 1945	70	44 in 1910 & 1935	56 new record
March 23	83 in 1910	73	48 in 1910 & 1920	59 new record
March 24	76 in 1939	70 ***	52 in 1945	51
	all records		all records
* also earliest 80 degree temperature ever recorded in March (previous record: 83 degrees - March 23, 1910) also warmest maximimum low temperature ever recorded in March * eighth day reaching 70 degrees or more lengthens new March record (previous record: five in March 1910)

Additionally, all-time high Twin Cities dew point temperature records were set on March 16 through March 23. The dew point temperatures on those dates ranged from 57 to 60 degrees. The maximum dew point temperature on March 17, 19, 22, and 23 reached 60 degrees, tying the all-time record for the month of March.

Date	Maximum High Temperature Record	2012 Maximum Temperature	Maximum Low Temperature Record	2012 Minimum Temperature
Duluth
March 10	54 in 1902 & 1990	53	37 in 1878	25
March 11	60 in 1902	57	38 in 1902	34
March 12	55 in 1903	43	38 in 1903	37
March 13	57 in 2007	55	42 in 1995	32
March 14	60 in 1902	68 new record	44 in 1902	40
March 15	60 in 2010	53	39 in 2010	35
March 16	60 in 2003	55	40 in 2010	36
March 17	61 in 1968	75 new record	36 in 1966	40 new record
March 18	67 in 1968	73 new record	43 in 1968	50 new record *
March 19	66 in 1910	72 new record	41 in 1918	48 new record
March 20	60 in 1938	62 new record	35 in 1911 & 1918	50 new record
March 21	68 in 1910	58	39 in 1910 & 1946	39 ties record
March 22	72 in 1945	54	39 in 1945	39 ties record
March 23	68 in 1939	48	43 in 1920	42
March 24	64 in 1910 & 1928	70 new record	40 in 1928 & 2000	37
	all records		all records
* also warmest maximimum low temperature ever recorded in March (previous record: 48 degrees - March 28, 1946)

Date	Maximum High Temperature Record	2012 Maximum Temperature	Maximum Low Temperature Record	2012 Minimum Temperature
International Falls
March 10	54 in 1977	59 new record	30 in 1988 & 2010	26
March 11	52 in 1957, 1959, & 2007	61 new record	36 in 2010	19
March 12	56 in 1996	43	39 in 1995	37
March 13	54 in 1911 & 1995	55 new record	44 in 1995	29
March 14	54 in 1911 & 2010	57 new record	38 in 2010	31
March 15	57 in 2003 & 2009	57 ties record	39 in 1914	24
March 16	58 in 2009	71 new record	34 in 2009	27
March 17	55 in 1968	77 new record	38 in 1968	52 new record
March 18	66 in 1918	79 new record *	38 in 1968	51 new record
March 19	60 in 1918	78 new record	41 in 1918	60 new record **
March 20	61 in 1987	61 ties record	33 in 2011	42 new record
March 21	56 in 1987	69 new record	36 in 1911	31
March 22	62 in 2000	72 new record	36 in 1920 & 1986	28
March 23	66 in 2003	54	48 in 1920	47
March 24	63 in 1921	58	41 in 2000	29
	all records		all records
* also warmest temperature ever recorded in March (previous record: 77 degrees - March 17, 2012) ** also warmest maximimum low temperature ever recorded in March (previous record: 52 degrees - March 17, 2012)

Date	Maximum High Temperature Record	2012 Maximum Temperature	Maximum Low Temperature Record	2012 Minimum Temperature
Rochester
March 10	63 in 1977	62	40 in 1966	33
March 11	60 in 1990	63 new record	43 in 1977	37
March 12	67 in 1990	54	47 in 1990	40
March 13	63 in 1990	66 new record	48 in 1995	36
March 14	70 in 1910	74 new record	44 in 1973	49 new record
March 15	67 in 2003	74 new record	41 in 1946	40
March 16	73 in 1930	78 new record	43 in 1930	48 new record
March 17	66 in 1930	81 new record *	45 in 1966	58 new record
March 18	60 in 1945	80 new record	46 in 1968	61 new record
March 19	69 in 1910	77 new record	38 in 1913, 1918, & 1976	62 new record **
March 20	72 in 1910	69	42 in 1918	58 new record
March 21	70 in 1918	66	44 in 1918 & 1946	57 new record
March 22	77 in 1938	75	40 in 1935 & 2000	59 new record
March 23	72 in 1945	71	49 in 1920	55 new record
March 24	82 in 1910	70	52 in 1945	54 new record
	all records		all records
* also earliest 80 degree temperature ever recorded in March (previous record: 82 degrees - March 24, 1910) ** also warmest maximimum low temperature ever recorded in March (previous record: 61 degrees - March 18, 2012)

Date	Maximum High Temperature Record	2012 Maximum Temperature	Maximum Low Temperature Record	2012 Minimum Temperature
Saint Cloud
March 10	54 in 1977	54 ties record	35 in 1966 & 2010	28
March 11	60 in 1901 & 1902	61 new record	45 in 1911	33
March 12	67 in 1990	50	41 in 1995	34
March 13	64 in 1911	62	39 in 1910	30
March 14	65 in 1981	71 new record	44 in 1902	37
March 15	64 in 1935	65 new record	40 in 1902 & 2010	30
March 16	63 in 1930	76 new record	38 in 1966	37
March 17	68 in 1894	75 new record	42 in 1968	51 new record
March 18	70 in 1910	75 new record	46 in 1968	61 new record *
March 19	71 in 1910	78 new record	39 in 1921 & 1987	59 new record
March 20	65 in 1910 & 1911	62	37 in 1918	50 new record
March 21	75 in 1911	63	40 in 1938 & 1946	50 new record
March 22	71 in 1945	62	40 in 1910	53 new record
March 23	81 in 1910	65	43 in 1910	52 new record
March 24	78 in 1910	70	48 in 1945	41
	all records		all records
* also warmest maximimum low temperature ever recorded in March (previous record: 52 degrees - March 29, 1910)