State Climatology Office - DNR Division of Ecological and Water Resources, St. Paul
Distributed: April 11, 2025
What happened in March 2025:
- After a relatively quiet winter, March came in like a lion and left as one too with a blizzard on March 4-5 and a wild weekend of storms, sleet, ice and snow to close out the month. Not everyone had above normal precipitation for the month, the western and northeastern parts of the state missed the largest events. However, overall the state finished with a preliminary 2.07 inches or .63 inches above normal. The highest total found so far was 5.36 inches at Owatonna, or 3.37 inches above normal. One of the drier locations was Ada with .41 inches of precipitation or .60 inches short of normal.
[see: March 2025 Precipitation Total Map | March 2025 Precipitation Departure Map | March 2025 Climate Summary Table | March 2025 Percent of Normal Precipitation Map] - There were quite a few precipitation events in March 2025. For the first time of the extended 2024-25 winter season, a powerful, fast-hitting winter storm brought heavy snow, fierce winds, and whiteout conditions to parts of Minnesota on March 4-5. Many southern and southeastern Minnesotans went to bed late on Tuesday March 4th with heavy rain falling, or with rain beginning to change to snow, but then woke up on Wednesday March 5th to intense, wind-blown snow piling up 6-12 inches deep.
[see: Overnight Blizzard, March 4-5 2025] - From March 14-23, there was a series of weather events affecting parts of Minnesota. On March 14-15, an intense low pressure system brought rain, thunderstorms, and blizzard conditions to parts of Minnesota. The barometric pressure was the lowest seen for a March storm in Minnesota in at least a decade. On March 19, a blizzard clipped far southeastern Minnesota with up to eight inches of snow. Not to be left out, on March 23 heavy snow fell in far northern Minnesota with International Falls seeing 7.5 inches.
[see: Big March 2025 storms that missed more than they hit] - Two separate but related areas of low pressure brought extreme warmth to southern Minnesota on Friday March 28th, with thunderstorms, an ice storm, sleet, a soaking rain, and then a blanket of wet snow to other parts of the state through Sunday March 30, 2025.
[see: The Weekend of (Almost) Everything!] - March 2025 warmer than March 2024 by about two degrees. The preliminary statewide average for March 2025 was 34.2 degrees or 5.5 degrees above normal. The warmest temperature found so far was 87 degrees at Sherburn in Martin County on March 29 and the coldest temperature found so far was -12 near Brimson in St. Louis County on March 2. [see: Minnesota Climate Trends | March climate Summary Table | 2025 March Temperature Map]
- A heat wave on March 14th set new maximum records for the date and also the highest temperature on record so early in the season. The Twin Cities saw 75 degrees, previously the warmest so early in the season was 73 degrees.
[see: Record-Early Warmth, March 14 (and 15th), 2025]
Where we stand now:
- Despite there being multiple snow events in March, 2025, the mild temperatures melted the snow almost as fast as it fell. By April 10, a meager snowpack remained in the arrowhead.
[see: MNDNR April Snow Depth Maps | NWS Snow Depth Estimation Map] - The U. S. Drought Monitor map released on April 10, 2025 depicts 90.4% of the state with some level of drought designation. Last year at this time, 87% of the state had some level of dryness indicator. On April 10, 2025 about 44% of the state was Abnormally Dry, 41% of the state in Moderate Drought conditions and 6% state in Severe Drought conditions. A wet end of March and beginning of April improved the drought information some over the southern half of the state. The U.S. Drought Monitor index is a blend of science and subjectivity where drought categories (Moderate, Severe, etc.) are based on several indicators.
[see: Drought Conditions Overview] - The meager snow pack and the continuing drought situation caused a very low flood risk this season statewide.;
[see: Statewide USGS Stream Flow Conditions | Central Minnesota Rivers | Southeast Minnesota Rivers | Northwest Minnesota Rivers, including the Red River - Water levels on most Minnesota lakes vary depending on lake and location. Minnetonka was at 929.00ft 928.82 feet on April 11. Minnetonka is .18 tenth of a foot higher compared to April, 2024. Gray’s Bay Dam is closed. White Bear Lake had a preliminary level of 922.64ft, .56 tenths of a foot lower than April 2024. Rainy Lake was in the median band and Lake of the Woods was on the low end of the median range for early April. Lake Superior was forecasted to be at 600.69 feet on April 11, six inches lower from last year at this time and seven inches below the long-term monthly average for April. The forecast is for a rise of three inches by early May.
[see:;Lake Minnetonka Water Level | White Bear Lake Water Level | Lake of the Woods Control Board Basin Data | Corps of Engineers Great Lakes Water Levels] - In its first report of the 2025 growing season, the Agricultural Statistics Service reported on April 7 that topsoil moisture across Minnesota was 4 percent Very Short, 28 percent Short, 58 percent Adequate, and 10 percent Surplus. 2% of the oat crop was planted, two weeks behind last year and two days behind the five year average.
[see: Agricultural Statistics Service Crop Progress and Condition] - Fire danger has been elevated at times over the past few weeks, depending on the weather conditions of the day. The potential for wildfires on April 11 is rated by DNR as Moderate over the west, southern, and east central parts of Minnesota and Low over the northeast, and central
[see: Fire Danger Rating Map] - Lake Ice out began in the far south, about two weeks ahead of the median, but behind 2024. The first lakes to lose their ice for the 2025 season was Clear and Fish Lakes on March 13, located to the southwest of the town of Ceylon in Martin County. Budd Lake in the same county lost its ice on March 14, two weeks earlier than the median of March 28. White Bear Lake lost its ice on March 28 and Minnetonka on March 29, also two weeks ahead of the median. Cooler temperatures in early April slowed progress a bit but was still nearly two weeks ahead of the median for the smaller lakes in central Minnesota.
[see: 2025 Lake Ice-Out Dates | DNR Conservation Officer Reports]
Future prospects:
- The April precipitation outlook indicates equal chances of below, normal and above-normal values across the entire state. Normal April precipitation ranges 1.5 inches in northwest Minnesota to around three inches in southeast counties. The historical probability of measurable precipitation for any given day in April ranges from 20 percent in the far northwest to 35 percent in the southeast.
[see: Climate Prediction Center 30-day Outlook | April Precipitation Normal Map] - The April temperature outlook is also a three-sided coin showing equal chances of below, normal and above-normal values across the entire state. Normal April high temperatures are in the mid to upper 40s early in the month, rising to the low 60s by month's end. Early-April normal low temperatures are near 20 in the north, near 30 in the south. By month's end, low temperatures average in the mid-30s in the north, near 40 in the south.
[see: Climate Prediction Center 30-day Outlook | April Temperature Normal Map] - The 90-day precipitation outlook indicates equal chances of below, normal and above normal precipitation from April-June over the state. The April through June temperature projection also has equal chances of below normal and above normal temperatures, with much of the southern half of the country seeing a tilt to above normal temperatures
[see: Climate Prediction Center 90-day Outlook]
From the author:
The relatively short-lived La Niña pattern is transitioning to an ENSO-Neutral pattern this spring and there’s about a 75% chance of an ENSO-Neutral pattern persisting though the summer. For October-December 2025 there are equal chances (42%) of ENSO-Neutral and La Niña
[see: ENSO Outlook ]
Upcoming dates of note:
- April 17: National Weather Service releases 30/90 day temperature and precipitation outlooks
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Pete Boulay MNDNR Climatologist