Late December Warmth

The warmth of Autumn, 1999 continued into early winter across much of Minnesota. December 25 was mild with record high temperatures set in northern areas of the state. December 29, 1999 was also extraordinarily warm, with 50 degree temperatures reported across many locations in southern and central Minnesota.

Below you will find record event reports released by the National Weather Service. These reports offer information about Minnesota's larger cities and some of the larger border communities.

    RECORD EVENT REPORT
    NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
    330 PM CST SAT DEC 25TH 1999

    ...WARMEST CHRISTMAS DAY ON RECORD TIED AT DULUTH...
    AT 300 PM THIS CHRISTMAS AFTERNOON...THE TEMPERATURE AT THE DULUTH
    INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REACHED 44 DEGREES. THIS TIES...CHRISTMAS DAY
    OF 1881 AS THE WARMEST CHRISTMAS ON RECORD. THE HIGH OF 44 DEGREES DID
    BREAK THE AIRPORT RECORD HIGH OF 41 DEGREES, WHICH WAS SET IN 1994. 
    THE NORMAL HIGH FOR TODAY IN DULUTH IS 18 ABOVE AND THE NORMAL LOW
    IS 1 ABOVE. 
    ALLTIME RECORDS DATE BACK TO 1870 AND AIRPORT RECORDS DATE BACK TO 1941. 
    A NEW ALLTIME CHRISTMAS DAY HIGH OF 45 DEGREES WAS ALSO SET AT INTERNATIONAL
    FALLS. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH FOR CHRISTMAS DAY OF 43 DEGREES
    SET IN 1994.
    THE NORMAL HIGH TODAY FOR INTERNATIONAL FALLS IS 13 ABOVE AND THE
    NORMAL LOW IS 7 BELOW ZERO.

    RECORD REPORT
    NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
    440 PM CST SAT DEC 25 1999

    ...RECORDS FALL IN EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA...

    THREE RECORDS FELL ALONG THE RED RIVER VALLEY OF THE NORTH THIS 
    CHRISTMAS DAY OF 1999. AT FARGO NORTH DAKOTA...THE TEMPERATURE 
    REACHED 47 DEGREES...BREAKING THE OLD RECORD OF 44 SET IN 1994.

    AT THE GRAND FORKS AIRPORT...5 MILES WEST OF THE CITY...THE HIGH WAS 
    45 DEGREES. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 42 DEGREES ALSO SET IN 
    1994.

    THE CITY OF GRAND FORKS ALSO BROKE THE RECORD HIGH...REACHING 45 
    DEGREES. THE OLD RECORD WAS 42 DEGREES SET IN 1994 AND PREVIOUS 
    YEARS. THE RECORDS FOR THE CITY GO BACK TO THE EARLY 1900S...WHILE 
    THE AIRPORT RECORDS BEGIN IN THE EARLY 1940S.

    RECORD REPORT
    NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
    400 PM CST WED DEC 29 1999

    ...NUMEROUS HIGH TEMPERATURE EXTREMES ESTABLISHED THIS AFTERNOON...
    A GROUND DEVOID OF SNOWCOVER...DRY AIR MASS...AND A BRISK WEST TO
    NORTHWEST DOWNSLOPING FLOW HAS BROUGHT AN UNSEASONABLY WARM DAY TO
    THE NORTHERN PLAINS. MOST LOCATIONS HAVE EXCEEDED THEIR WARMTH OF
    RECORD FOR THE DATE...AND MANY HAVE BROKEN RECORDS STANDING A CENTURY
    OR LONGER. A SUMMARY OF FINAL HIGH TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON...
    LOCATION NEW WARMTH ON RECORD PRIOR EXTREME/YEAR
    SIOUX FALLS 56 47/1929
    SIOUX CITY IA 61 59/1937
    MITCHELL 58 55/1900
    YANKTON 62 56/1890
    VERMILLION 60 54/1929
    SPENCER IA 52 50/1929
    HURON 59 52/1898
    
    RECORD EVENT REPORT
    NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
    400 PM CST WED DEC 29 1999

    ...YET ANOTHER TWIN CITIES TEMPERATURE RECORD FALLS BY THE WAYSIDE...
    THE TWIN CITIES HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS...53 DEGRESS AT 332 PM.
    THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF...44 SET DECEMBER 29 1908.
    
    RECORD EVENT REPORT
    NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
    500 PM CST WED DEC 29 1999
    ...LA CROSSE AND ROCHESTER BREAK RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES...
    THE TEMPERATURE AT THE LA CROSSE AIRPORT REACHED 53 DEGREES THIS 
    AFTERNOON. THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH WAS 46 DEGREES SET IN 1908.
    AT THE ROCHESTER AIRPORT THE AFTERNOON HIGH REACHED 46 DEGREES. THE 
    PREVIOUS RECORD TEMPERATURE WAS 42 DEGREES SET IN 1936.

    RECORD REPORT
    NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
    500 PM CST WED DEC 29 1999

    ...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES SET ACROSS EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA TODAY...
    NUMEROUS RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE ESTABLISHED TODAY ACROSS 
    EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA. AT GRAND FORKS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...THE 
    TEMPERATURE REACHED 49 DEGREES...BREAKING THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH 
    OF 33 DEGREES SET BACK IN 1965. AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 
    OFFICE IN GRAND FORKS...A NEW RECORD HIGH WAS SET TODAY...48 
    DEGREES...BREAKING THE PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH OF 45 DEGREES SET IN 
    1904. 
    AT HECTOR FIELD IN FARGO...THE HIGH TODAY WAS 52 DEGREES...SMASHING 
    THE OLD RECORD HIGH OF 44 DEGREES WHICH HAD STOOD SINCE 1897. AT 
    DEVILS LAKE...THE HIGH TODAY WAS 47 DEGREES. THAT BREAKS THE 
    PREVIOUS RECORD HIGH WHICH WAS 41 DEGREES SET IN 1965.

 

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URL: http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/warm9912.htm
Last modified: December 30, 1999