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| Minneapolis, Minnesota Weather Station - 1890 |
For my Way Back Whens-day post, I thought it would be fun to share some of the extreme records in Minnesota weather over the past 130 years! You may be surprised.
Highest Temperature was July 29, 1917 (and July 6, 1936) at 117 °F.
Highest heat index was July 19, 2011 at 130 °F degrees.
Lowest Temperature was Feb. 1996 (I remember!) at -60 °F
Lowest Wind Chill was January 9th, 1982 at -71 °F.
Largest single-day change was a 71 °F drop on April 3, 1982.
Most snow in one snowstorm was Jan. 6-8th, 1994 with 47 inches.
Earliest recorded snow was on August 31, 1949
Latest recorded snow was on June 4, 1935
In 2010 we broke many state-wide records for the number of tornados in one day (48), in one month (71) and in one year (113). That summer (the year my twins were born) I had to bring my children down into our basement six times, which surprised me, because in the eight years we lived in that house, I had never had to bring them down there before.
I didn't mention the record rain, hail, flooding or droughts we've had. More proof that you never know what to expect in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Needless to say, Minnesota is a state of extreme weather. It's one of the reasons we live here (I think).
What about you? Do you have extreme weather where you live? Have you ever had to take shelter in a basement for a tornado? Ever weathered a blizzard? Had school canceled because of cold weather?
Yes, for extreme weather...extreme heat, anyway! Ha! Although one December, it did snow here in Phoenix. Didn't stick, but that didn't stop us all standing outside with our faces lifted to the sky and probably twirling around like silly people who'd never seen "that white stuff" before. :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in Texas for the first 6 years of my life, I do remember my mom taking us into the bathroom with a mattress and tornado drills at my preschool.
Lindsay, no matter where you live, and no matter how many times you see snow, it's still magical. I never tire of seeing it fall from the sky...I tire of seeing it lying around on the ground after five months - but seeing it fall from the sky is breathtaking!
DeleteI was accidentally born here (Minnesota), but I have grown to love it - except when the humidity is so high and your cloths stick to your skin and you can't breath and when it is so cold you don't want to breath.
ReplyDeleteMom, I remember you telling me this as a child...it made me wonder if I was accidentally born here, too. :) I know - I didn't share about the intense humidity. I think that's what makes the heat so unbearable in the summer, when your skin is so wet, you feel all sticky and gross. Or the incredible cold with dry, dry weather! It's terrible on the skin in the winter, too! Right now I should go and put lotion on! :)
DeleteWOW! Most of those dates weren't that long ago!
ReplyDeleteI can't remember if it was this past summer or the summer before, but I felt like we had the A/C for all of it--which is very unusual because people usually come down to the shore to cool off with the ocean breeze. But there wasn't any. LOL
I know, Jennifer, a lot of these I remember. And a lot of people come to central and northern Minnesota to escape the heat at the lake - but you have to be IN the lake to cool off. :) Hey, congrats again on the new release!!
DeleteVery extreme, Gabrielle! No tornadoes here, but plenty of hurricanes and blizzards. I still remember your post about autumn in Minnesota, and those beautiful pictures. :)
ReplyDeleteHello, Heidi! Yes, extreme is right. :) We don't get the hurricanes, but occasionally, if it's a really bad hurricane like Sandy, we do get some residual weather from it. High winds, rain and cold and/or heat. Nothing like being in the hurricane, though.
DeleteWow. Just WOW! That's off the hook...and very interesting actually. It prompted me to look up some Texas stats:
ReplyDeleteLowest temp: -23 (1899)
Highest temp: 120 (1994)
Tornadoes: Too numerous to count, including 6 F5.
Highest sustained wind: 145mph (Hurricane Carla in 1961)
Rainfall: 109 inches in 1873
Hail 6" in diameter or larger: 8 inches
Snowfall: 65 inches (1923)
Just WOW!
Donna, I'm so happy it prompted you to do some historical research of your own! A historian's dream come true!! :) Wow - Texas has some pretty intense extremes, as well. Our largest hail was also 6" in diameter. Your dates are a little earlier than mine - it looks like Texas is in need of some intense weather soon!! :)
DeleteOh, man, I'm a weather junkie. Love this! I once made the recommendation to a supervisor that we get the day off if the temperature was 20 degrees above or below normal. He was a weather junkie, too, and loved the idea. (Though it was never implemented--hunh.)
ReplyDeleteThat's funny, Sarah! It would be hard to do that in Minnesota, because there really is no "normal" weather! :) I can't imagine why your supervisor didn't go for that great idea!!
DeleteI live near the southern tip of Lake Michigan, just outside of Chicago. We can have extreme cold or heat. This year, our winter has been pretty mild so far, and we are snowless (an inch or over at ORD)so far, which is really strange because we are noted for harsh winters.
ReplyDeleteInteresting weather info on Minnesota!
Loved reading about it.
Loree, I know for many years there wasn't enough snow in Minnesota for our snowmobilers, so many of them went to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to snowmobile! Michigan would probably be a really diverse weather state, with the lake affect, the northern portion and the southern portion!
DeleteUm, yes we get extreme weather in Iowa--although probably not quite as extreme as in way up in northern MN. But yes, blizzards, for sure..and hot, muggy summer days. We had this insane blizzard in like 2007 or 2008 or something and OH MAN, it was crazy...everything in town shut down for almost a full week...one of my good friends and I put on snow clothes and walked down the center of Main Avenue...the town was like a ghost town and my legs killed the next day from walking through the snow. Craziness...but fun. :)
ReplyDeleteMelissa, I remember the intense ice storms when we lived in Iowa. Not only were they cold and inconvenient, but they were dangerous! Yes, Iowa is similar to Minnesota, but a little more moderate as far as the "average" weather.
DeleteYour experience in snowshoes made me giggle! :)
And yet, Canada is considered cold and frozen???
ReplyDeleteOh my!!-71F???
I know, Jennifer! I've wondered what Canada is like with Minnesota being so extreme! You'll have to do some research and let me know. :)
DeleteYikes! All I can say is I'm glad I've never had to experience the highs or lows of Minnesota weather.
ReplyDeleteJohanna, you don't know what you're missing! :) The weather often gives us a good excuse to batten down the hatches, curl up next to a fireplace and let the world whirl around us.
DeleteGrowing up, we had to rush to the basement on several occasions due to tornadoes. And once here in MS, I had to corral about 40 toddlers and two year olds in the bathroom during one. Needless to say, we all got soaked from potty water. Gag.
ReplyDeleteIn Colorado where I live, it doesn't get too cold. Although recently it dropped below 0. Last year we had "cold days" instead of snow days, but the funny thing is, it actually didn't get very cold-maybe the low teens! But it was a fun day off of school! :) We usually get at least one snow day a year, but not too many blizzards since it's so dry.
ReplyDeleteSaw you while visiting Livia's blog. Just wanted to say hi and follow you.
ReplyDeleteJessica - I have a distinct memory of sitting in a basement bathroom waiting out a tornado warning with my sister and mom! Not a great memory...but we were all very close in that moment. :) 40 toddlers and 2 year olds?!?! How does one get into that type of situation to begin with?
ReplyDeleteMarissa - thank you for stopping by! My sister lives in Colorado and based on the seven years she's been there, I would say that Colorado and Minnesota have similar weather patterns, although Colorado is much milder. It's always fun getting an unexpected day off of school, isn't it?
Peaches - nice to meet you! Thank you for stopping by and following my blog. Livia has a great blog and I've enjoyed getting to know her. Hope to "see" you again at my blog home. :)
It's so fun to read the records in our state! And like you, I remember being there for several of them. I am still in awe that it got to 117 degrees in Minnesota ever... Wow. Fun Post!
ReplyDeleteMichelle - it is fun to see all these records and to know that a lot of them happened in my life time! Thanks for stopping by! :)
ReplyDeleteI live in Eastern Washington State. Our weather is pretty mild, though it does get hot in the summer and pretty cold in the winter. Our biggest extreme has been Mt. St, Helens. Does that count?
ReplyDelete