Image credit: Minnesota State Climatology Office.
It should come as no surprise that an exceptionally warm winter featuring record heat waves in December and January, also produced a showstopper in February, resulting in the warmest February day on record at some stations across Minnesota.
Sunny skies and southerly winds on Monday February 26 sent temperatures soaring into the 50s and 60s F across the state, with parts of far southern Minnesota reaching or exceeding 70 degrees F. Daily high temperature records were set at International Falls (53 F), Rochester (69 F) , St. Cloud (58 F), and the Twin Cities (65 F).
At Rochester, the high of 69 F obliterated the previous record for any day in February, previously 63 F, set on February 17, 1981. In the Twin Cities, the high of 65 F also claimed the top spot for any February day, beating out the February 26, 1896 reading of 64 degrees F.
The highest temperature observed at any National Weather Service cooperative station was 71 F, recorded at Austin, Albert Lea, and Wells. High temperatures of 70 F were observed at Winnebago, Winona, and Mabel. No station beat the all-time state temperature record for the date and the month of 73 F at Pleasant Mound on February 26, 1896, but this was the warmest February day on record across many parts of Minnesota.
June 3, 2024