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SUBJECT: A schizophrenic year ends up warm, even though it’s cold
December 2001 and 2001 annual St. Cloud weather summary
FROM: Bob Weisman Earth Sciences, St. Cloud State University December 2001 in Saint Cloud was another incredibly warm month, although not quite as warm as November. The average December temperature was 23.9 degrees, nearly 10 degrees above normal. This makes December 2001 the 13th warmest December out of 121 years in recorded Saint Cloud history and the warmest December since 1997. In fact, Saint Cloud was on a pace for the warmest December ever through December 21st. The average temperature to that point was 29.1 degrees, half a degree warmer than December 1913, the warmest December on record. However, a change in the jet stream pattern dragged southward some normally cold air for December. During the last 10 days of the month, the average temperature was 13.0 degrees, still above normal but only slightly so. This dropped the average temperature for the month out of the top ten. December continued the remarkable streak of above normal temperatures. December 1 had a normal temperature, ending Saint Cloud’s streak of 34 consecutive above normal days from October 28 through November 30. This was the 12th longest streak in Saint Cloud daily records, which go back to 1896. The longest streak was 52 days in July 27 through September 15, 1900. We also had a longer streak in 1999 (42 days from Nov. 4 through Dec. 15) and in 1997 (36 days from Nov. 25 through Dec. 30). November 2001 goes down as only the 5th month in Saint Cloud history with every day having above normal temperatures and the first such month since January 1990. Then, we began another streak that lasted 23 days from December 2 through December 24 However, we just finished having 59 out of 60 days with above normal temperatures. The only streak that approaches this one is in 1986-87, when we had two streaks of 32 days and 42 days, separated by 15 days. Another remarkable sign of the warmth is the lack of below zero lows. The first below zero low was not recorded until December 31. This was the fifth latest date for the first below zero low and the latest since 1955. Only 4 years have made it through December without a below zero temperature. December was also very dry, as the 10.9 inch snowfall from late November melted. However, a small snowfall of 2.6 inches on December 22 reestablished the snow cover in time for Christmas. It was only one of two days with measurable snowfall. The 2.8 inches tied 1998 for the lowest December snowfall in the past 20 years. Still, the melting disguised the fact that seasonal snowfall is within 1.2 inches of normal. The warm, dry December has brought an end to an extremely schizophrenic 2001. The final average temperature was 43.8 degrees, 2.3 degrees above normal. This put 2001 in the warmest fifth of the 121 years in Saint Cloud records (tied 1881 and 1930 for 21st place). However, 1999 (tied for 8th place at 44.8 degrees) and 1998 (3rd warmest at 46.3 degrees) were warmer. Some people might think that this year’s warmth was primarily due to our extraordinarily hot summer. The summer was warmer than normal by 2.3 degrees. However, this was much cooler than the hot summers during the 1986-1989 drought and the summers during the 1930’s drought. Still, it was only the third above normal temperature summers in the past 10 years. Statewide, there were 8 heat-related deaths, far more than from any other weather-related cause, despite a state record in tornadoes (no deaths in Minnesota). The overall warmth during 2001 was primarily caused by the late year warmth, including the all-time warmest November on record, and a strong January thaw. This continues the global trend of milder cold-seasons producing the warm average conditions. On the other hand, the dominant news from the first third of the year was that it was our first cold winter in 4 years. This included an extraordinarily deep (reaching 23 inches twice) and prolonged snow cover (at least one inch on the ground until April 7). The coldest high temperature for 2001 was 1 degree above zero on February 2. Thus, 2001 is only the 11th year in Saint Cloud records without a below zero high and the first year since 1990. Precipitation ended up about an inch above normal, but this was schizophrenic as well. During the growing season, we had an extraordinarily rainy season from April through mid-June. April set a record for the rainiest April on record by more than 2 inches and was the 15th rainiest month of all time. On April 22, Saint Cloud picked up over three and a half inches of rain, the 8th rainiest day in Saint Cloud history. The rain, on top of the late snow melt of a deep snow pack, led to serious flooding on most state rivers, including the Sauk and Mississippi. However, the flooding did not reach the extremes of 1997. However, the rains abruptly stopped in mid-June, and were well below normal through October. The June through October rainfall was slightly over 10 inches, the 10th lowest total on record and more than 6 inches below normal. Ground water that was not well recharged by the heavy April rains showed the stress of three consecutive dry growing seasons, including a more severely dry year in 2000. To drive home the point of the wild fluctuations, 2001 was only the third year in Saint Cloud history to have one of the 10 wettest springs on record (3rd wettest) followed by one of the 10 driest summers (10th driest). The deep snow pack during the first third of the year hinted at a heavy snow year. However, Saint Cloud missed the brunt of nearly every storm during the 2000-2001 season. On the other hand, despite slightly below normal snowfall during this winter, Saint Cloud was one of the places hardest hit by the November 26-27 snowstorm. The official snowfall of 10.9 inches in Saint Cloud was the highest snowfall in 2 1/2 years. Overall, the calendar year snowfall, which spans parts of two seasons, was about half an inch below normal.
(DETAILS OF DEC 2001 FOLLOW, THEN COMES A SUMMARY OF 2001)
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DECEMBER 2001 ST CLOUD STATISTICS
TEMPERATURE (oF) DEC 2001 NORMAL
Average high 31.7 23.1
Average low 16.0 5.0
Monthly average 23.9 14.1
Warmest high 50 on the 5th
Coldest high 14 on the 28th, 31st
Mildest low 32 on the 4th, 16th
Coldest low -3 on the 31st
Daily temperature records set:
Record warm mean temp: 40 (tie) on the 5th (tied record set in 1939)
Record warm lows: 30 (tie) on the 5th (tied record set in 1939,
1951, 1980)
MELTED PRECIPITATION (in) DEC 2001 NORMAL
Total melted precip .27 .83
Most in 24 hours .20 on the 22nd
SNOWFALL (in)
Total snowfall 2.8 9.2
Most in 24 hours 2.6 on the 22nd
Seasonal (2001-2002) 15.1 16.3
SEASONAL ST. CLOUD SNOWFALL(IN)
OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY TOTAL
2001-2002 0.5 11.8 2.8 15.1
NORMAL 0.5 6.8 8.9 10.1 7.0 9.8 2.3 0.1 45.5
ANNUAL 2001 ST CLOUD STATISTICS
TEMPERATURE (oF) 2001 NORMAL
Average high 54.4 52.7
Average low 33.2 30.4
Annual average 43.8 41.5
Warmest high 98 on Aug 6,7
Coldest high 1 on Feb 2
Mildest low 77 on Jul 31
Coldest low -24 on Feb 21
Days with highs of 90 or higher 18 12
Days with highs of 32 or lower 86 86
Days with highs of 0 or lower 0 3.3
Days with lows of 75 or higher 2 0.5
Days with lows of 70 or higher 5 3.1
Days with lows of 32 or lower 166 170
Days with lows of 0 or colder 33 43
Days with lows of –20 or colder 3(Feb) 5.4
Temperature Records Set
Monthly records
November highest temperature 41.8 (old record: 39.5 in 1899)
Daily records
Record warm highs 3 broken (46 on Jan 4; 97 on May 15;
98 on Aug 6)
2 tied (70 on Nov 6; 65 on Nov 15)
Record cold highs 1 broken (47 on May 22)
Record warm lows 5 broken (30 on Jan 14; 60 on Apr 29;
72 on Jun 25; 75 on Jul 31;
76 on Aug 5)
Record cold lows 0
Record warm average 7 broken (78 on May 15; 84 on Jun 25;
86 on Jul 31; 87 on Aug 5;
83 on Aug 6; 55 on Nov 5;
49 on Nov 12)
2 tied (72 on Apr 29; 54 on Nov 17)
Record cold average 1 broken (42 on May 22)
MELTED PRECIPITATION (in) 2001 NORMAL
Total melted precipitation 28.34 27.43
Most in 24 hours 3.78 on April 22-23
Most in calendar day 3.52 on April 22 (set April record;
8th highest daily
rainfall total in
Saint Cloud history)
Days with at least .01 in 109 96.8
Days with at least .10 in 52
Days with at least .50 in 17 16.7
Days with at least 1.00 in 5 5.6
Precipitation Records Broken
Monthly records
April precipitation 8.42 (old record: 6.31 set in 1896)
15th rainiest month on record
Daily precipitation 6 broken (.48 on Jan 30; 1.10 on Apr 7;
1.30 on Apr 13; 3.52 on Apr 22;
1.07 on Nov 24; 0.69 on Nov 26)
SNOWFALL (in) 2001 NORMAL
Total snowfall 44.9 45.5
Most in 24 hours 9.2 on Nov 26th (broke daily record; 2nd
highest Nov snowfall behind
Nov. 20, 1975—10.9 inches)
Days with at least 0.1 in 29
Days with at least 1.0 in 11 14.4
Days with at least 3.0 in 3
Days with at least 6.0 in 1
Snowfall Records Broken
Daily snowfall 5 broken (1.9 in on Feb 12; 4.5 in on Feb 24;
5.8 in on Feb 25; 2.9 in on Mar 12;
9.2 in on Nov 26)
1 tied (0.5 on Oct 24)
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2001 WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS BY MONTH/SEASON
JAN - Coming off the third coldest December in Saint Cloud history, the January thaw was quite
welcome. Temperatures averaged nearly 8 degrees above normal, ranking in the warmest
15% of Saint Cloud Januaries and warmer than the Januaries of the three previous years
mild winter.
A record for precipitation was set on January 30 with much of the precipitation falling as
rain.
5.4 inches of snow fell, the lowest January snowfall in 10 years.
On January 3, the temperature was above normal, ending a streak of 23 consecutive
days of below normal temperatures, the longest streak in the past 14 years. Later in the
year, Saint Cloud will end up with one of the longest above normal streaks on record.
FEB - The cold winter resumed. Average temperatures were 8 degrees below normal, making
February 2001 the 14th coldest February on record. Three mornings had lows of –20 or
colder, including –24 on Feb 21, the coldest morning of the year. The coldest high
temperature, 1 degree, was recorded on Feb 2.
17.8 inches of snow fell, the snowiest February in 30 years and the 8th snowiest February on
record.
Three daily snowfall records were broken, including consecutive days during the storm of
February 23-25 which produced a total of 10.6 inches. The snow depth in Saint Cloud
reached 23 inches on Feb 25, which tied for the deepest of the year.
The liquid content of the snowfall, 1.46 inches, was the 9th highest February liquid
equivalent and the highest in 30 years.
The winter months (Dec 2000-Feb 2001) ended up being the 12th coldest winter on record
with an average temperature 3.2 degrees below normal.
MAR - The last significant snowfall (5.8 in) of a snowy winter fell on March 12-13, pushing the
snow depth back to 23 inches. Only 0.8 inches fell the rest of the month, with the last
measurable snowfall of 0.6 inch on Mar 31.
The 56.6 inches for the 2000-2001 snow season were 10.2 inches above normal. Ironically,
Saint Cloud did not get a “direct hit” from any snowstorm during the winter of 2000-2001.
APR - The rainiest April in St. Cloud history. 8.42 inches of rain fell, breaking the April record
from 1896 by more than 2 inches and ranking as the 15th wettest month in Saint Cloud
history. Three daily rainfall records were set, including 3.52 inches on April 2, marking
a new April daily rainfall record and the 8th highest daily rainfall total in Saint Cloud
history. The heavy rains, coming so soon after the melting snow cover, exacerbated severe
river flooding, seen locally along Little Rock Lake, the Sauk, and the Mississippi. Still,
rivers did not quite reach the record levels of 1997.
The snow pack finally melted by Apr 7, ending 146 consecutive days with at least one inch
of snow on the ground since Nov 13, 2000.
MAY - A schizophrenic month. The month averaged 1.5 degrees above normal. The week of May
12-18 had an average high temperature of 80.1 degrees, including two highs of 90 or above
(May 15 with a high of 97 was the warmest day since July 30, 1999). The average high
during May 19-27 was 59.8 degrees, including a 47 high on May 22, the only daily record
cold high set in 2001. It was the coldest May high since May 13, 1997.
Rainfall was nearly an inch above normal, making Spring (Mar 1-May 31) 2001 the 3rd
wettest spring on record (6.4 inches above normal).
JUN - Another multiple personality month. The first half was cold and rainy with 7 days of below
normal lows and measurable rain for 15 of the first 21 days of the month. This gave the
month of May 16-June 15 an average temperature of 57.7 degrees, nearly 3 degrees below
normal with rain on 21 of the 31 days. About this time, the long-range forecast came
out for a cold, wet summer. Then, it stopped raining and dried up, resulting in near normal
temperature and below normal precipitation for the month.
We had our first of 5 70-degree lows on June 25.
JUL - The first of two very warm summer months with an average temperature 1.5 degrees above
normal. No record highs were set, but the low of 77 on July 31 set a daily record warm low.
The heat and humidity were factors in the death of Cory Stringer as well as 7 other
Minnesotans through early August.
Rainfall was more than an inch below normal, and more than 2 1/4 inch below normal since
June 22.
AUG - A heat wave during August 4-8 produced 5 consecutive days with highs of at least 90
degrees. Included in this streak were two days (August 5 and 6) when the high hit 98
degrees. This tied for the 5th longest August heat wave (the longest was 8 days in 1930) and
became the 40th such streak during any month. There were two such streaks in 1995. The
streak ran the number of 90 days to 18, 6 above normal and the most since 1988 when 33
90-degree days were recorded.
The two days with highs of 98 beat out May 15’s 97 degree high for the hottest day of the
year.
There were two August days with a low of 70 or higher, including a low of 76 on the 5th.
Only 7 other years have had 2 or more low temperatures of at least 75, none since 1964.
These high minimum temperatures are a reflection of the high humidity that plagued
Minnesota during the heat wave.
The average August temperature was 3.3 degrees above normal, making the summer (Jun
1 - Aug 31) average temperature 2.3 degrees above normal. This was only the 3rd warmer
than normal summer in the past 12 years.
August rainfall was 2.27 inches below normal, yielding a summer rainfall deficit of over 4
1/2 inches. It was the 10th driest summer on record. It’s only the third summer ever to have
one of the 10 wettest springs followed by one of the 10 driest summers (1894 and 1950
were the others.
SEP - The rainfall deficit deepened. September had barely half the normal rainfall, making the
June-September rainfall deficit grow to 6.13 inches.
The growing season ended on September 24 with the first frost, followed quickly by 28-
degree low on the 26th .
OCT - Another nearly 1 inch deficit. Rainfall since June 1 was now only 10.07 inches, 7.29 inches
below normal, and the 10th driest total on record. 2001 was even drier (9th driest on record)
with 9.86 inches.
NOV - The average temperature of 41.8 degrees ranked as the warmest November in Saint Cloud
history, beating 1899 by 2.3 degrees, and ranking more than 12 degrees above normal.
Every single day in November had an above normal temperature. This is only the fifth
month in Saint Cloud history which had each day above normal. The others were August
1900, March 1973, February 1987, and January 1990. The consecutive day streak had run to
34 by the end of the month, the 12th longest streak in Saint Cloud records. The longest one
was 52 days from July 27 through September 15, 1900.
The warm November dragged the fall average temperature to a tie for 10th warmest on
record with 1998.
A major rain event of more than an inch on the 24th followed by a major snowfall of 10.9
inches on the 26th and 27th pushed the liquid precipitation total to 2.83 inches, more than an
inch and a half above normal and the 10th wettest November on record.
The Saint Cloud snowfall of 10.9 inches on Nov 26-27 produced a daily record snowfall
of 9.2 inches on November 26 and was the largest single storm snowfall since 11.6 inches
fell on January 4-5, 1997. Other reports included 13.5 inches at Saint Cloud State
University. Still, the total was dwarfed by the 29.1 inches at Willmar.
DEC - Consecutive days of above normal temperatures snapped at Saint Cloud on December 1
when average temperature ends up being normal. Another streak of 23 consecutive above
normal days runs from December 2 through December 24, making 59 out of 60 days with
above normal daily temperatures. The only streak that approaches this one is in 1986-87,
when we had two streaks of 32 days and 42 days, separated by 15 days.
Snow pack drops to zero on December 12, despite November snowstorm. The second
brown Christmas in the past 4 years is threatened until the December 22 snowstorm.
First below zero low of the winter on December 31, the 5th latest date in Saint Cloud
history.
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2001 MONTHLY STATISTICS FOR ST. CLOUD
MONTH JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN
Avg High (F) 25.5 17.6 33.0 54.5 68.3 77.0
Normal High (F) 18.5 24.8 37.6 55.0 68.4 77.4
Avg Low (F) 6.5 -5.1 14.2 34.4 46.6 55.5
Normal Low (F) -2.4 3.8 17.6 32.0 43.4 52.2
Avg Temp (F) 16.0 6.3 23.6 44.5 57.5 66.3
Normal Avg (F) 8.1 14.3 27.6 43.5 55.9 64.8
Precip (in) .78 1.46 .72 8.42 4.13 3.00
Normal Pre (in) .74 .63 1.41 2.35 3.16 4.60
Snowfall (in) 5.4 17.8 6.6 T 0.0 0.0
Normal Snow (in) 10.1 7.0 9.8 2.3 0.1 0.0
MONTH JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC YEAR
Avg High (F) 84.4 83.6 69.1 56.9 51.8 31.7 54.4
Normal High (F) 82.6 79.4 69.1 57.4 39.0 23.1 52.7
Avg Low (F) 59.6 57.2 46.7 34.7 31.7 16.0 33.2
Normal Low (F) 57.6 54.8 45.4 34.4 20.3 5.0 30.3
Avg Temp (F) 72.0 70.4 57.9 45.8 41.8 23.8 43.8
Normal Avg (F) 70.1 67.1 57.3 45.9 29.7 14.1 41.5
Precip (in) 2.10 1.69 1.78 1.28 2.83 .27 28.46
Normal Pre (in) 3.11 3.96 3.16 2.21 1.27 .83 27.43
Snowfall (in) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 11.8 2.8 44.9
Normal Snow (in) 0.0 0.0 T 0.5 6.8 8.9 45.5
Latest date for first below zero low at Saint Cloud, MN 1896-2001
Cold season First below zero low
1954-1955 January 12, 1955
1913-1914 January 11, 1914
1912-1913 January 4, 1913
1918-1919 January 1, 1919
2001-2002 December 31, 2001 5th latest on record; latest in 46 yrs
1939-1940 December 30, 1939
1923-1924 December 29, 1923
1907-1908 December 28, 1907
1899-1900 December 26, 1899
1964-1965 December 26, 1965
1987-1988 December 25, 2001
1921-1922 December 21, 1921
1967-1968 December 21, 1967
HEAVIEST DAILY RAINFALL TOTALS IN SAINT CLOUD HISTORY
AMOUNT (in) DATE
4.80 2 July 1903
4.57 3 August 1956
4.50 6 July 1897
4.12 19 August 1935
3.90 24 August 1895
3.62 8 September 1985
3.59 27 August 1960
3.52 22 April 2001
CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH HIGH AUGUST CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH HIGH
>= 90 DEGREES (SAINT CLOUD: 1896-2001) >= 90 DEGREES (SAINT CLOUD: 1896-2001)
Dates Number of Days Dates Number of Days
15-18 July 1936 14 1-8 Aug 1930 8
13-24 July 1901 12 18-24 Aug 1976 7
16-25 June 1910 10 16-21 Aug 1901 6
31 Jul - 8 Aug 1930 9 14-19 Aug 1922 6
24 Jul - 1 Aug 1935 9 7-11 Aug 1936 5
15-23 Jul 1964 9 7-11 Aug 1947 5
19-26 Jun 1911 8 1-5 Aug 1964 5
14-21 Jul 1932 8 4-8 Aug 2001 5
2-9 Jul 1948 8
4 streaks of 7 days
10 streaks of 6 days
17 streaks of 5 days
Most Recent: 6-12 June 1995; 10-14 July 1995
4-8 August 2001
(40 Heat Waves on Record)
ANNUAL LOWS OF >= 70 DEGREES ANNUAL LOWS OF >= 75 DEGREES
SAINT CLOUD: 1896-2001 (Avg: 3.1 days) SAINT CLOUD: 1896-2001 (Avg: 0.5 days)
Year Days Year Days
1931 16 1931 7
1900 11 1901 4
1936 11 1936 3
1937 10 1898 2
1941 9 1905 2
1897 8 1916 2
1901 8 1964 2
1930 8 2001 2
1935 8
1947 8 49 days on record
1955 8
1932 7
1933 7
2001 5
2001 GROWING SEASON STATISTICS
Temperature cutoff last day in spring first day in fall no of days
32 degrees
2001 April 25 Sept 24 151
normal May 10 Sept 26 142
28 degrees
2001 April 18 Sept 25 165
normal April 28 Oct 8 161
ST. CLOUD PRECIP--APRIL (109 YEARS; AVG = 2.24 IN; SDEV = 1.44 IN)
WETTEST DRIEST
8.42 IN 2001 <- Wettest in St. 0.05 IN 1987
6.31 IN 1896 Cloud History 0.08 IN 1926
5.74 IN 1893 0.21 IN 1907
5.55 IN 1986 0.25 IN 1934
5.31 IN 1954 0.32 IN 1898
4.93 IN 1894 0.34 IN 1959
4.68 IN 1991 0.46 IN 1933
4.51 IN 1968 0.48 IN 1980
4.40 IN 1947 0.59 IN 1930
4.16 IN 1984 0.67 IN 1996
RECORD LOW PRECIPITATION TOTALS
GROWING SEASON PRECIP: APR-OCT
AVG = 21.90 SDEV = 5.19; 112 YRS; 109 GOOD YRS
11.02 1976
12.80 1910
12.89 1922
13.57 1992
14.04 2000 - 5TH PLACE ALL TIME
14.52 1996
14.83 1931
14.96 1988
15.00 1948
15.25 1930
22.39 2001
PRECIP: JUN-OCT
AVG = 16.29 SDEV = 4.63; 112 YRS; 109 GOOD YRS
9.06 1950
9.11 1893
9.17 1976
9.38 1910
9.41 1936
9.59 1992
9.63 1894
9.63 1922
9.86 2001 - 9TH PLACE ALL TIME
10.07 2000 - 10TH PLACE ALL TIME
ST. CLOUD TEMPS--NOVEMBER (121 YEARS; AVG = 30.0 F; SDEV = 4.6 F)
WARMEST COLDEST
41.8 F 2001 ßWarmest in St. 18.7 F 1896
39.5 F 1899 Cloud history 20.9 F 1911
39.0 F 1904 21.1 F 1985
38.6 F 1913 22.0 F 1955
37.4 F 1999 22.2 F 1991
36.6 F 1939 22.3 F 1959
36.5 F 1908 22.5 F 1951
36.3 F 1963 22.5 F 1996
36.2 F 1934 23.2 F 1976
36.1 F 1917 23.8 F 1926
Consecutive Days of Daily Mean Temperature Above Normal (no zeroes) 1896-2001 at Saint Cloud, Minnesota
51 days July 27-September 15, 1900
43 days June 7-August 19, 1921
42 days January 26-March 8, 1987
42 days November 4-December 15, 1999
39 days November 16-December 24, 1913
39 days February 27-April 6, 1973
36 days January 11-February 15, 1942
36 days December 11, 1954-January 15, 1955
36 days November 25-December 30, 1997
36 days December 27, 1989-January 31, 1990
35 days July 8-August 11, 1935
34 days October 28-November 30, 2001
32 days July 10-August 10, 1916
32 days December 14, 1986-January 14, 1987
32 days May 19-June 19, 1991
32 days February 5-March 8, 1998
31 days January 10-February 9, 1910
31 days November 28-December 28, 1923
30 days August 13-September 11, 1913
30 days December 15, 1931-January 13, 1932
Entire Months with Daily Mean Temperature Above Normal/1896-2001
August 1900
March 1973
February 1987
January 1990
November 2001
URL: http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/stc0112.htm Last modified: January 2, 2002
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