A burst of intense, early-spring warmth spread across Minnesota on March 14, 2025, breaking high temperature records for the date, and standing as the highest temperature on record so early in the season at some stations.
The warmth rode in on strong southerly winds that developed ahead of a powerful weather system that would ultimately bring rain, thunderstorms, and even blizzard conditions to parts of Minnesota on Saturday March 15th. Clearing skies allowed temperatures to soar into the 70s F in the southern half of the state, with 60s F widespread throughout the north.
The warm conditions broke daily high temperature records at over 30 long-term stations with at least 50 years of record. These records fell primarily in the southern half of Minnesota but included some central Minnesota locations and event Baudette in extreme northern Minnesota.
Ten of these daily record-setting stations also set records for the warmest day on record so early in the season. In other words,the maximum temperatures of 77 F at Caledonia and Forest Lake; 76 F at Red Wing and Hastings; 75 F at the Twin Cities and Cambridge; and 73 F at Artichoke Lake and St. Cloud all represent the earliest instances during the year of temperatures that high.
Back in 2024, three different dates set some "earliest-so-warm" records also: January 31, February 26, and March 3.
Please note: most volunteer observers with the official National Weather Service Cooperative program make their observations in the morning and record them on that calendar day. Thus, the high temperatures experienced on March 14th were recorded on the and reported for the 15th. A strong cold front had swept through Minnesota by early on the 15th, and so record-warm air was not in the state on that calendar day.
March 24, 2025
KAB