With no snow cover and a rather strong mild southerly wind, temperatures soared into the 40's and low 50's across Minnesota, setting new record high temperatures. The Twin Cities saw a high of 52, breaking the old record of 51 that was set in 1936. St. Cloud reached 49 degrees, breaking the old record of 48 degrees set in 1905. The warmest National Weather Service Cooperative Stations found so far were Marshall, Montevideo and Redwood Falls, all with 53 degrees. A bank of clouds over southeastern Minnesota held temperatures down a bit.
A cold front swept across the state during the evening, but with only slightly cooler temperatures and no precipitation.
How rare is it to have a temperature of 50 degrees or higher for the last week of December in the Twin Cities? It has only happened five other times in the past 140 years.
Here's the six times the thermometer has reached 50 degrees in the Twin Cities in the final Week of December.
50 degrees or Higher in the Twin Cities for the Final Week of December (1872-2011) Temp Date ----------------- 53 Dec 29, 1999 52 Dec 26, 2011 51 Dec 25, 1922 51 Dec 26, 1936 51 Dec 30, 2004 50 Dec 31, 1904