Weathering the Weather in 2021 - Twin Cities, Minnesota

Very warm year, 10 record warm temps, 6 months top 16 warmest ever. 

131 consecutive hours below zero in February which had 13 below zeros & was colder than January.    January: no below zeros, 4 thaws, longest being 6 days mid month.       9 consecutive days above 90° in June (3^rd longest stretch) including 99° on 5th.            3rd warmest Fall on record.

  

Rain & Snow was down in a Jekyll & Hyde year that saw alternating extreme dry and wet periods more like Heckle & Jeckle (fyi, they were Magpies).   June was the 8th driest on record yet August was the 9th wettest; September was the 23rd driest.  Global warming is amplified in the mid latitudes with Minnesota seeing warmer drier extended Autumns offset by cooler Springs.  Lake Superior is one of the fastest warming bodies of water in the world.

Snowfall was an easy going well below normal 39" (55" is average).  In an unheard of twist the snowiest month of the '20 - '21 winter was October which was the snowiest October ever.

 

Old School temperature range of 119 degrees.  Highest being 99 degrees unexpectedly in early June.    Minus 20 was the low point.  Minus 20 degrees was standard winter fare pre global warming, the standard for real cold was minus 25 to minus 30 degrees.

The Twin Cities gathered about 48% of available sunshine.   Without fail January or August is the sunniest month.  Never seen January as the cloudiest month like this past year.   June was the sunniest month which  is unusual since it normally has a lot of clouds with the advent of the thunderstorm season; June was the 8th driest this year with little cloud formation & accompanying rain.    

                          2 0 2 1    R E C O R D S   &   E X T R E M E S

Record High:          33°  January 15  tie

Record Cold High:     -3°  Feb 13

Record High:          62°  March 9  (1879) 

Record High:          84°  April 5  (1991) 

Record High:          96°  June 4  tie

Record High:          99°  June 5 

Record Warm Low:   74°  June 5  tie

Record High:          96°  June 9

Record Warm Low:   73°  June 9  tie

Record Warm Low:   65°  Oct 1

Record High:          54°   Dec 15

 

First Robin:               March 20

First Thunder:           March 10

Ice Out:                      March 22

Ice In:                         December 12                

First Freeze:              October 23

Last Freeze:               April 25

Growing Season:      181 days

First Snow:                November 13

First 1” Snow:           December 4

Last Snow:                April 14, .1”

Perm Snow Cover ‘20:    December 23

Perm Snow cover out:    March 8

Snow Cover Days:    75

First Below 0°:          December 29

Last Below 0°:           February 20

Bee Line (first 60°):   March 9

First 80°:                    April 5

Last  80°:                    October 1

90° days:                    22

100°  days:                 0

Below 0° days:          15

 

  12^th warmest January

    8^th warmest March

    2^nd warmest June

    8^th driest June

    9^th rainiest August

  16^th warmest September

  23^rd driest September

    9^th warmest October

    2^nd warmest November

    2^nd warmest Fall

     4^th snowiest December

 

Top 5 Weather Events @ Minneapolis

1.      17” snow Dec 11^th but a brown Christmas

2.      131 consecutive hours below zero in Feb which had 13 below zeros

3.      9 consecutive days above 90° (3^rd longest stretch) including 99° on 5^th

4.      January:  no below zeros, 4 thaws, longest being 6 days mid month

5.      79° dewpoint & 107° heat index July 28th

WEATHER OF 2021

 The weather in 2021 was very warm with 6 months being the top 16 warmest ever & 10 record warm temps.  Snow & rain was way down with alternating extremes in temps & precip. Will 2022 be the start of a coup.

WINTER:    started snowy in the fall with Octobers 8” of snow being the snowiest month of winter.  Only 33” of snow fell.

JANUARY   was the 12^th warmest on record with no below zero temps.  It had 4 thaws; the 6 day thaw mid month saw a run of upper 30’s.  January is frequently the most sunny month but it was the cloudiest month of the year.

 FEBRUARY   for the 2^nd year in a row it was colder than January; 11°  colder.  There were 13 below zero days with 131 consecutive hours below zero from the 11^th to the 16^th.  Only 6” of snow.

 SPRING:   rolled in lamb like baking off  the snow cover on March 8^th.  It was warm and dry.

 MARCH   was the 8^th warmest & average precip.  Record high 62° on the 9^th with record dewpoint of 59°.   Ample sun & only 3 ¾” of snow.

  APRIL   was cloudy with average temps & precip. The 10 days from the 6^th to the 15^th were cloudy with every day but 1 with precip.  The 25^th was the last freeze and last trace of snow.

 MAY   was pretty average which is pleasant.  It started dry with only .1” of rain the first 18 days.

 SUMMER  was pleasantly warm with ample sun & rain; 44% of the years precip fell in May & June. There were 11 90° days all summer.  It was the 11^th warmest summer on record.

 JUNE  had 13 90° temps, it was the 2^nd warmest & 8^th driest on record.  The 9 consecutive 90° days from the 3^rd thru the 11^th is the 3^rd longest stretch of 90’s ever.  It included the highest temp of the year, 99° on the 5^th.  5 record warm highs & low temps were set.

 JULY  was warm & dry with 8 90° temps and only 5 days with rain totaling 1.6”  The 28^th had a sweltering 79 dewpoint & 107° heat index.

 AUGUST   continued warm & dry until 5” of rain fell the last week of the month making it the 9^th wettest August.  The 22^nd and last 90° of summer was the 19^th.

 AUTUMN:     was the 2^nd warmest on record and dry per new global warming trends. 

 SEPTEMBER   was the 16^th warmest and 23^rd driest with less than 3” of rain.  Sept is reliably the most pleasant month in Minn to be outdoors.

OCTOBER    was the 9^th warmest.  The low temps were 8° above average.  Most of the global warming effect in Minn is warmer night time lows, especially in winter.  The season’s first freeze was late on the 23^rd.

NOVEMBER   was the 2^nd warmest on record and dry with only 1.2” of rain over 5 days.  The first snow dropped a half inch on the 13^th.  About as pleasant as Nov can be.

 Early WINTER of ’21– ‘22:   Winter was a no show until 17” of snow dropped on the 11^th.  It was the 2^nd snowiest Dec but above average temps.

 DECEMBER    A record high 54° on the 15^th brought a snowless ground & a fire and wienie roast overlooking the Mississippi.  It was a brown Christmas but true winter rolled in the last week with snow and the first below zero temp.  A stout 30” of snow for the month.

 Mr. Weatherbee Analytics