Balmy Winter in the Twin Cities 2011-2012

The balmy winter of 2011-12 continues to march on. Relatively cooler weather moved in for the second week of February and dropped the average monthly temperature a bit. The meteorological winter average is 26.3 degrees, or fourth warmest winter on record. February marked the ninth month in a row in the Twin Cities that has finished above normal in the Twin Cities.

Twin Cities Warmest Meteorological Winters

Top Meteorological Winter (Dec-Feb) average temperatures (Twin Cities 1872-2012)

Rank   Year    Avg. Temp
--------------------------
1.)  1877-1878  29.0 F
2.)  1930-1931  26.9 F
3.)  2001-2002  26.8 F
4.)  2011-2012  26.3 F
5.)  1997-1998  25.9 F
6.)  1986-1987  25.8 F
7.)  1982-1983  24.0 F
8.)  1991-1992  23.5 F
9.)  1943-1944  23.5 F
10.) 1920-1921  23.2 F
11.) 1999-2000  23.1 F

 

The Twin Cities International Airport has only seen three nights that have dipped below zero for the winter of 2011-2012. That means that this winter has the second fewest sub-zero nights on record back to 1872. The coldest Minimum Temperature of the 2011-2012 season so far in the Twin Cities is -11. This is in a five-way tie for the third warmest winter minimum. The warmest winter minimum is -3 in the winter of 2001-02.

Twin Cities Least Number of Below Zero Minimums in a Winter

Rank Year  Number of days below zero (Twin Cities 1872-2012)
-------------------------------
1.)  2001-2002   2 
2.)  2011-2012   3*
3.)  1877-1878   4
4.)  1930-1931   5
5.)  2005-2006   6
6.)  1881-1882   7
6.)  1986-1987   7
8.)  1982-1983   8
9.)  1920-1921   9
10.) 1997-1998  10

As of February 27

 

January finished the 8th warmest in the Twin Cities with records going back to 1872. The average temperature was 23.3 degrees, or 7.7 degrees above normal. The average temperature for December 2011 and January 2012 together was 25.6 degrees, making it the 4th warmest December and January on record for the Twin Cities with only 1877-78, 2001-02 and 1913-14 being warmer. The average for 1877-78 was 27.8 degrees.

Twin Cities Daily records broken or tied during December and January

Twin Cities Daily records broken or tied during December and January. 

Date          Record     Value  Old Rec. Year
----------------------------------------------------
Dec. 26, 2011 Maximum    52     51       1936             
Jan. 06, 2012 Warm Low   37     35       1928
Jan. 09, 2012 Maximum    49     49       2002 (tie)
Jan. 09, 2012 Warm Low   37     34       2002
Jan. 10, 2012 Maximum    52     49       1990
Last modified: July 9, 2015

 

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