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Record Warmth Over Minnesota - March 15-16, 2003
After a prolonged period of cold for the first half of March, the weather warmed up with southerly breezes that rapidly ate away at the snow pack over Minnesota. At Chanhassen, the snow pack melted 4 inches in one day with 4 inches on the 14th and only a trace by the 15th. Temperatures were balmy as the snow left and many 60's were common on the 15th and 16th. The mercury cracked 70 in a few places in southern Minnesota. Waseca reached 73 on the 15th and Preston reached 73 on the 16th.
To top off a spring weekend, thunderstorms developed over southeast Minnesota and western Wisconsin Sunday evening the 16th dropping nearly a half inch of rain at La Crosse.
Listed below is information from a National Weather Service Public information statements about various warm records broken.
RECORD EVENT REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS 525 PM CST SAT MAR 15 2003 ...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET FOR GRAND FORKS... AT 406 PM CST THE TEMPERATURE AT GRAND FORKS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REACHED 52 DEGREES. THIS ESTABLISHES A NEW RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR MARCH 15. THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 47 DEGREES WAS SET IN 1986. RECORD EVENT REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 553 PM CDT SAT MAR 15 2003 ...A NEW RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT THE ICEBOX OF THE NORTH... THE RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS BROKEN THIS AFTERNOON AT THE INTERNATIONAL FALLS AIRPORT. THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 57 DEGREES AT 330 PM. THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH FOR TODAY WAS 56 DEGREES SET IN 1946. RECORD EVENT REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 605 PM CST SAT MAR 15 2003 ...RECORD HIGH IN MANKATO THIS AFTERNOON... THE RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 63 FOR MARCH 15TH AT THE MANKATO AIRPORT THIS AFTERNOON HAS BEEN SURPASSED. THE NEW RECORD HIGH IS 72 DEGREES. RECORD EVENT REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 747 PM CST SAT MAR 15 2003 ...NEW RECORD HIGH ESTABLISHED IN ROCHESTER MINNESOTA... THE TEMPERATURE AT ROCHESTER MINNESOTA CLIMBED TO 67 DEGREES THIS AFTERNOON. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR TODAY (MARCH 15). THE OLD RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THIS DATE WAS 64 DEGREES BACK IN 1995. RECORD EVENT REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 427 PM CDT SUN MAR 16 2003 ...A NEW RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT THE ICEBOX OF THE NATION... THE DAILY RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS BROKEN THIS AFTERNOON AT THE INTERNATIONAL FALLS AIRPORT. THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 57 DEGREES AT 411 PM. THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH FOR MARCH 16TH WAS 51 DEGREES SET IN 1981. RECORD EVENT REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 418 PM CDT SUN MAR 16 2003 ...NEW ALL TIME DAILY RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT DULUTH... A NEW ALL TIME RECORD HIGH FOR DULUTH WAS SET AT 335 PM WITH A HIGH OF 60 DEGREES. THE PREVIOUS RECORD FOR THIS DATE...BASED ON ALL TIME RECORDS WAS 55 DEGREES SET IN 1918. RECORD EVENT REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 1201 AM CST MON MAR 17 2003 ...RECORD HIGH MINIMUM RECORD ESTABLISHED... THE RECORD HIGH MINIMUM FOR MINNEAPOLIS WAS 41 OBSERVED AT THE AIRPORT IN 1946. THE LOW SUNDAY OF 43 BREAKS THIS OLD RECORD.
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