Warm air surging in from the south combined with bare ground to produce record warm conditions across parts of Minnesota on Tuesday January 28th, and again on Thursday January 30, 2025.On Tuesday, temperatures generally climbed into the 40s F across the state, with some readings of 50 F or higher in southern and western Minnesota. Windom recorded a high of 54 F, Rochester hit 51 F, and the Twin Cities tied its record of 47 F. Over 30 long-term stations--mostly in southern Minnesota-- broke or tied daily maximum temperature records for the 28th or 29th, depending on the time of observation.After a brief cool-down on Wednesday, temperatures rose in many cases to even higher levels on Thursday, with the 50s F spreading across even more of the state. A slew of stations observed record-high in the mid and upper 50s F, including 58 F at Albert Lea, Caledonia, Windom, and Winnebago; 57 F at Pipestone, Wells, and Worthington; 56 F at Austin and Rochester; 55 F at Grand Meadow; and 54 F at Zumbrota and the Winona Dam. The Twin Cities observed a maximum temperature of 52 F and St. Cloud observed 49 F--both records for the date. Over three dozen daily temperature records were broken or tied during this period.Some of the warmth was likely attributable to lack of snow cover. Snow reflects incoming sunlight, and by doing so, prevents the ground from heating the air above it. Analyses across the state have shown that days with snow cover are often 5-15 degrees F cooler than days with bare ground at the same time of year, with lower temperatures generally associated with deeper snow. Incidentally, an even stronger heat wave had affected Minnesota just one year earlier, on January 31, 2024.
Feb 3, 2025KAB
Feb 3, 2025KAB