To: MPR's Morning Edition From: Mark Seeley Re: Topics for MPR's Morning Edition, Friday, Dec 31, 2004 HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!! HEADLINES: - 2004 Minnesota weather review... - 2004 National weather review... - 2004 International weather review... - Maximum range in daily temperatures... - Almanac for December 31st - Manky weather - Outlook Topic: 2004 Minnesota weather stories and headlines.... A warmer than normal year, with excess precipitation in many places. The beginning and ending of the year were bookmarked by -45 degrees F at Park Rapids in January (the 30th) and at Embarrass in December (Christmas Eve). Highest temperature in the state was 97 F at several locations both in June and July. Precipitation was abundant in many places, with La Crescent reporting over 48 inches for the year, Winona 47 inches, and Albert Lea 45 inches. Bricelyn reported 9.22 inches of rain in one day (September 15), while Alden, west of Albert Lea reported 13 inches from one storm (Sept 15-16). Discounting the polar regions of Alaska, Minnesota reported the coldest temperature in the nation on at least 55 days in 2004. Cold temperatures in late January and February drove frost deep into the ground, beyond 60 inches in places. Many septic systems were frozen and homeowners had to bear the expense of thawing them out. A snow burst on the morning of March 8th produced 2-3 inches of snow in an hour, snarled traffic and caused numerous accidents in the Metro area. Over 25 Minnesota communities reported temperatures of 90 F or higher on April 28th with Benson tying the state record for the date at 95 F. A terrific wind storm in the Twin Cities on Mother's Day (May 9th) brought down many trees, especially in Como Park. A very cold growing season in Minnesota caused crops to develop very slowly. There was widespread frost in central and northern counties on August 20-21. But, the crop season was rescued by one of the warmest Septembers in history and most crops reached maturity. For many communities there were more days with 90 F or greater temperatures in September than any other month of the year, a highly unusual pattern. One of the largest and most intense flash floods in Minnesota history occurred on September 15-16 in parts of Martin, Faribault, Freeborn, and Steele Counties, dumping up to 10 to 13 inches and flooding every watershed in the area. Finally, a freezing rain and drizzle on December 20th across central Minnesota produced nearly 350 traffic accidents, the most for any single day of the year. Topic: 2004 National Weather Stories and Headlines.... Alaska recorded its warmest ever summer with 90 F plus readings in the months of June, July, and August. There were also more than the usual number of thunderstorms. The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center reports that 2004 was a record year for number of tornadoes in the United States. The preliminary count is over 1700 breaking the record of 1424 set in 1998. There were new record monthly totals reported in August (173), and September (247). Despite this high frequency in tornadoes there were only 35 deaths nationally due to such storms, a testamonial to the improved storm warning system of the National Weather Service. The Atlantic hurricane season was an active one with 15 named tropical storms, nine of which affected the United States. Four hurricanes visited Florida (Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne). This produced the most costly hurricane season with estimates running as high as $42 billion. A downstream consequence to American agriculture as a result of Hurricane Ivan will be the introduction of Asian soybean rust as a major crop disease. Lingering drought in the western states did not abate in many areas and aggravated another very active wildfire season. Christmas week snows blanketed Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. The same system even brought Arkansas and the New Orleans area an exceptionally rare White Christmas. Topic: 2004 International Weather Stories and Headlines... A January cold wave in South Asia, primarily India and Bangladesh, was blamed for over 600 deaths as much of the homeless population was exposed to temperatures in the 30s F. Australia suffered through one of the worst February heat waves ever, with temperatures soaring to 113 degrees F. A very rare hurricane formed in the South Atlantic off the coast of Brazil in March. By the end of the month it struck the coastal region near Santa Catarina, as a tropical storm named Catarina. Peru, Chile, and Argentina suffered through a cold, snowy winter (June and July) reporting over 50 deaths due to the snow and cold. A rare August 20th hard freeze caused nearly $1 billion in crop losses to farmers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. Japan suffered through its worst ever tropical storm season, sustaining ten storm landfalls. In October Typhoon Ma-on with winds of 109 mph struck near the Tokyo area, the strongest storm there in 10 years. (P.S. I recognize that the significance of the above pales in comparison to the recent tsunami disaster in Indonesia and the coastal regions of the Indian Ocean, but that disaster is distinctly geologic in nature and not atmospheric) MPR listener question: I heard you mention during the Christmas Eve Midday program that the all-time state temperature records for Christmas Day are 62 degrees F at Faribault in 1923 and -50 F at Big Falls in 1933, a range of 112 degrees for a single day. What is the largest range in daily temperature records for the state? Answer: The largest range in statewide daily temperature records can be found in the months of February and March which for both warmth and cold can be greatly modified by the presence or absence of snow cover on the Minnesota landscape. The largest range in temperature I can find is for March 18th. In 1921 Canby (Yellow Medicine County) registered a temperature of 84 degrees F on that date, while in 1939, Sawbill Camp (Cook County) reported a low of -48 degrees F on the same date. This is a range of 132 degrees F on the same date! Twin Cities Almanac for December 31st: The average MSP high temperature for this date is 24 degrees F (plus or minus 13 degrees F standard deviation), while the average low is 8 degrees F (plus or minus 14 degrees F standard deviation). MSP Local Records for December 31st: MSP weather records for this date include: highest daily maximum temperature of 50 degrees F in 1904; lowest daily maximum temperature of -12 degrees F in 1968; lowest daily minimum temperature of -24 degrees F in 1973; highest daily minimum temperature of 34 degrees F in 1904; record precipitation of 0.48 inches in 1911; and record snowfall of 7.2 inches in 1977. There have been 30 measurable snowfalls on this date since 1891. Greatest snow depth on this date was 18 inches in 1969 and 1996. The worst wind chill conditions occurred in 1968 with a reading of -47 F. Average dew point for December 31st is 9 degrees F, with a maximum of 43 degrees F in 1965 and a minimum of -34 degrees F in 1967. All-time state records for December 31st: Scanning the state climatic data base: the all-time high for this date is 58 degrees F at St Peter (Nicollet County) in 1921 and at Winona in 1965; the all-time low is -57 degrees F at Pokegama Dam (Itasca County) in 1898. The heaviest snowfall statewide on this date occurred in 1996 when Two Harbors reported 18.4 inches, concluding a month in which they had over 48 inches of snow. On this date in 1887 Grand Meadow reported 11 inches of snow, that melted down to 1.50 inches of precipitation, a state record for the date. Words of the week: Manky weather..... This is a British expression for the type of weather that brings persistent, low overcast skies, high humidity, sometimes fog, and generally murky conditions. We have certainly had our share of this type of weather during December. Manky is sometimes used as a adjective to indicate something is dirty or unpleasant. Outlook: Cloudy with a chance for snow in western sections on Saturday, perhaps light snow and freezing drizzle elsewhere. Snow likely on Saturday night, lingering in the eastern sections early Sunday. Then cooler temperatures will settle over the area for much of next week. There will be another chance for snow Monday night through Wednesday. It looks like the first full week of January may bring some accumulating snowfalls.