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December 2014 Saint Cloud Weather Summary


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(December 2014 Summary)

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December Was the November That Wasn't

December 2014 St. Cloud Weather Summary

December 2014 ended up making up for the cold November (9th coldest on record) by threatening several warm December records. The average December 2014 temperature at the St. Cloud Regional Airport was 24.1°F, 8.2°F warmer than the average (high 29.6°F, low 18.6°F). Until the 26th, the average was 26.7°F, which would have been the 6th warmest December if it held up. It was still milder than November (22.9°F), only the 5th year that St. Cloud has had a December warmer than November (previous years: 1891, 1894, 1896, 1959). During December, there were 9 daily record warm temperatures (see daily December records) tied or broken, including a tie for December warmest low temperature, 42°F on December 14. The only other December day with a low as warm as 42°F was December 1, 1962. There were 16 days that were at least 10 degrees warmer than average with 8 days at least 20 degrees warmer than average.

Recent years that had warmer Decembers: Dec. 2006: 25.6°F (tied for 7th warmest), Dec. 2011: 25.1°F (10th warmest)

The warmth unfortunately came with a lot of cloud cover. The warm conditions trapped old cold air near the ground. The old air quickly became filled with moisture, leading to several cloudy and foggy days. There were two long streaks of cloudy days in St. Cloud, one spanning 7 complete days (Dec 10-16) from 4:41 AM Dec. 9 through 7:53 PM Dec. 17, and the other spanning eight complete days (Dec 19-26) 7:07 AM Dec. 18 through 9:53 AM Dec. 27.

However, the warm pattern was a relatively dry pattern. There was a near average 0.75 inch of December precipitation, but the warm conditions only produced 2.5 inches of snowfall. By the end of the month, the St. Cloud 2014-2015 snowfall was 20.1 inches, right on the average through the end of December.

The warm middle of the month ended up removing most of the snow cover that had been built up in November. There was a late winter snowstorm that hit southern Minnesota and the Twin Cities on December 26 and 27, which put back a snow cover over southern Minnesota in time for the cold outbreak. Still, snow cover remains thin across much of northern and central Minnesota, at least until a potential first January weekend snowstorm.

The snowfall and rainfall were still enough to contribute to one of the 10 wettest and whitest years (see below).

 

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(December 2014 Summary)

Precipitation

Temperature

Snowfall

    December 2014 Statistics

Temperatures (°F)
December 2014
Normal
December Average High Temperature (°F)
29.6
24.7
December Average Low Temperature (°F)
18.6
7.1
Mean Temperature for December (°F)
24.1
15.9

$6th Coldest December on Record

   

December Extremes

Temperature(°F)
Date
Warmest High Temperature for December 2014 (°F)
50
December 14
Coldest High Temperature for December 2014 (°F)
4
December 30
Warmest Low Temperature for December 2014 (°F)
38
December 3
Coldest Low Temperature for December 2014 (°F)
-8
December 1
Record Temperatures in December 2014
Temperature(°F)
Date
Old Record
Daily Record Warm Average
40
December 13
39 in 1913
46
December 14
39 in 1908
 
38
December 22
35 in 1899
 
35
December 25
34 in 1936
Daily Record Warm Low
42
December 14
35 in 1928
 
36
December 22
31 in 2006
 
36
December 23
33 in 1982
 
33 (tied)
December 24
33 previously in 1982
 
32 (tied)
December 25
33 previously in 1936
December Record Warm Low
42 (tied)
December 14
42 on Dec 1, 1962
 
Temperature Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
December 2014 Days with High Temperatures <= 32°F
17
23.5
December 2014 Days with High Temperatures <= 0°F
0
1.0
December 2014 Days with Low Temperatures <= 32°F
25
25.7
December 2014 Days with Low Temperatures <= 0°F
4
9.9
December 2014 Days with Low Temperatures <= -20°F
0
0.9
Melted Precipitation (in)
December 2014
Normal
December 2014 Melted Precipitation (in)
0.75
0.82
 
Precipitation Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
December 2014 Days with Measurable (>= 0.01 inch) Precipitation
9
6.6
December 2014 Days with >= 0.10 inch Precipitation
2
2.0
December 2014 Days with >= 0.25 inch Precipitation
1
0.7
December 2014 Days with >= 0.50 inch Precipitation
0
0.1
December 2014 Days with >= 1.00 inch Precipitation
0
0.0
December Extremes
Precipitation (in)
Date
Most Daily Precipitation in December 2014
0.46 inch
December 15
Record Precipitation in December 2014
Precipitation (in)
Date
Old Record
No records set
     
Snowfall (in)
December 2014
Normal
December 2014 Saint Cloud Airport Snowfall (in)
2.5
10.5
2014-2015 Seasonal Snowfall (1 Oct 2014 - 31 Dec 2014)
20.1
20.1
 
Snowfall Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
December 2014 Days with Measurable (>= 0.1 inch) Snowfall
8
8.3
December 2014 Days with >= 1.0 inch Snowfall
0
3.2
December 2014 Days with >= 2.0 inch Snowfall
0
1.6
December 2014 Days with >= 5.0 inch Snowfall
0
0.2
     
December Extremes
Snowfall (in)
Date
Most Daily Snowfall in December 2014
0.8
December 25
Record Snowfall in December 2014
Snowfall (in)
Date
Old Record
No records set
     

 

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(December 2014 Summary)

Precipitation

Temperature

Snowfall

.

Wet 2014 Breaks Recent Partial Season Dry Spells
2014 Annual Saint Cloud Weather Summary

 

Wettest Year Since 1965

2014 broke the recent streak of middle and late growing season dry spells. Instead, the rains came early and often. When it was over, the St. Cloud Regional Airport had accumulated 36.72 inches, 8.99 inches above average. This was St. Cloud's 4th wettest calendar year on record and the wettest since 1965. Among the milestones were the 5th wettest winter (Dec. 2013 through Feb. 2014), the second wettest spring, within which both April and May ranked in the 10 wettest. There were 119 days with measurable precipitation, which was tied for 15th most on record, and 10 days with at least one inch of precipitation, the 7th highest total on record. There were 6 days (Feb. 17, Apr. 28, May 31, Aug. 29, Sept. 3, Nov. 10) with new daily precipitation records. The September 3 rainfall totaled 2.94 inches, the highest single storm rainfall in St. Cloud since 4-5 October 2005. Most of that rain fell during one hour.

June 2014 was the wettest June on average in Minnesota in the history of state rainfall records. There were 6.18 inches in St. Cloud, but that wasn't high enough to produce any records.

The heavy rainfall was concentrated in the eastern half of Minnesota. Portions of the Red River Valley had 10 inches less (green areas) than the St. Croix Valley and east central Minnesota. Going into 2015, Minnesota is lacking a bit of snow cover, most of the abnormal dryness shown on the US Drought Monitor, but ground water is in good shape.

Back-to-Back Heavy Snowfall Years

The total 2014 snowfall was 71.6 inches, the 7th highest calendar year snowfall in St. Cloud records and 25.5 inches above average. That comes on the heels of the 84.3 inches (2nd highest on record) posted last year. The winter of 2013-2014 (Dec. 2013-Feb. 2014) produced 50.6 inches, the 3rd highest winter snowfall total on record. April 2014 also produced the 4th highest April snowfall with 12.0 inches. Then, the 2014-2015 snow season began with St. Cloud's 13th heaviest snowfall on record, 13.5 inches on November 10 and 11. It was the heaviest November snowfall since 1985 and produced a 24-hour November record for the highest daily snowfall. The total November snowfall was 17.6 inches, the 8th snowiest November on record.

The combination of snow and cold conditions led to the 4th latest date ending date for continuous snow cover. The last of 127 consecutive days was April 8. That was the latest end of the snow streak since 1979. The 131 days tied for the 16th highest days with an inch of snow cover. An average winter has 86 consecutive days with an inch on the ground and 101 days overall.

Other daily snowfall records in 2014 were set on: January 18, February 17, February 20, and April 16.

So far, the 2014-2015 snow season has 20.1 inches through the end of December, exactly average for this point in the winter.

While statewide 2014 will be the coldest year since 1996, St. Cloud's 2014 is warmer (41.4°F) than 2013 (40.7°F). 41st coldest out of 134 years (avg 42.9°F)

2014 A Bit Cooler Than Average After Slow Start

The prolonged cold winter of 2013-2014 got most of the temperature attention. The summer also got off to a slow start with a wet, cloudy June. Then, there was a cool period with highs in the 50's for three straight days in September (first time since September since 1986). Also, November ended up being the 9th coldest November.

However, the final numbers showed that 2014 in St. Cloud was only a bit cooler than average and warmer than in 2013. The average 2014 temperature (through December 30) was 41.5°F, 1.4°F cooler than average, and only the 44th coolest year of the 134 years in St. Cloud temperature records. 2013 had a cooler average temperature (40.7°F), so for St. Cloud, this is not the coldest year since 1996.

The cold statistics were dominated by the winter months, which tied for the 5th coldest on record. It included 15 days with a high of zero or colder, the second highest total on record, and 63 days with a low of zero or colder, the 8th most cold lows on record. There were 14 days with a low of at least -20, the 6th highest total on record.

There were 5 record cold highs tied or broken, including the -15 high on January 6. This was the 25th high of -15 or colder in St. Cloud records and the first since Feb. 2, 1996. There were 5 record cold lows tied or broken, 4 during the winter months into early March.

However, July and August ended up being warmer than average, despite only 2 days with a high of at least 90 degrees. After the early September coolness, temperatures rebounded to much above average in late September and most of October. The only record warm high set in 2014 was the 85-degree high on September 28. And the year finished with the warm December that couldn't hold up during the last week. Five of the 6 record warm lows and 4 of the 5 record warm average temperatures tied or set in 2014 happened in December.

The early cool September period led to an odd first frost pattern. Several places in rural Stearns County got their first frost in the first 10 days of September, but for those areas that missed it, the first frost held off until the first 10 days in October. St. Cloud Airport had the first frost on October 5, so the growing season was 166 days long. The average is 137 days.

 

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(December 2014 Summary)

Precipitation

Temperature

Snowfall

 

2014 Statistics

Temperatures (°F)
2014
Average
Average High Temperature (°F)
51.3
53.7
Average Low Temperature (°F)
31.5
32.1
Mean Temperature for 2014 (°F)
41.4
42.9
2014 Temperature Thresholds
2014
Average
Warm Season    
2014 Days with High Temperatures >= 90°F
2
11.4
2014 Days with High Temperature >= 100°F
0
0.5
2014 Days with Low Temperatures >= 70°F
2
3.0
2014 Days with Low Temperatures >= 75°F
0
0.47
Growing Season (Consecutive Days with Low Temp>= 32°F)
163
137
Cold Season
2014 Days with High Temperatures <= 32°F
104
87.7
2014 Days with High Temperatures <= 0°F
9
4.3
2014 Days with Low Temperatures <= 32°F
161
170.4
2014 Days with Low Temperatures <= 0°F
54
42.5
2014 Days with Low Temperatures <= -20°F
10
5.4
Liquid Equivalent Precipitation (in)
2014
1981-2010 Average
2014 Total Precipitation (in)
36.72#
27.71
#4th Wettest Year    
Precipitation Thresholds
2014
1896-2014 Average
2014 Days with Measurable (>= 0.01 inch) Precipitation
119 (15th highest)
97.3
2014 Days with >= 0.10 inch Precipitation
61
52.9
2014 Days with >= 0.25 inch Precipitation
34
32.1
2014 Days with >= 0.50 inch Precipitation
19
16.8
2014 Days with >= 1.00 inch Precipitation
10 (7th most)
5.5
Snowfall (in)
2014
1981-2010 Average
2014 Total Snowfall
71.6&
46.1
Precipitation Thresholds
2014
1904-2013 Average
2014 Total Days with Measurable (>= 0.1 inch) Snowfall
46
32.5
2014 Total Days with >= 1.0 inch Snowfall
15
14.0
2014 Total Days with >= 2.0 inch Snowfall
9
7.6
2014 Total Days with >= 5.0 inch Snowfall
5
1.5
&7th highest calendar year snowfall
2014 Month-by-Month Summary January-July
Temperature (°F)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul
Average High Temperature 16.2 16.4 31.7 50.2 68.1 78.5 81.7
Average Low Temperature -6.9 -5.5 13.3 31.5 47.2 58.1 58.7
Mean Temperature 4.7 5.5 22.5 40.8 57.6 68.3 70.2
Departure from Normal -6.9 -11.5 -6.9 -3.7 +1.1 +2.7 -0.1
2014 Warmest High Temperature

94°F on July 21

2014 Coldest High Temperature -15°F on January 6 (first high of -15 or colder since February 2, 1996; 25th on record)
2014 Warmest Low Temperature 72°F on July 21
2014 Coldest Low Temperature -25°F on February 11


2014 Monthly Record Temperatures
Temperature (°F)
Date
Record Warm Low Temperature (1 tied)
42
December 14
2014 Daily Record Temperatures
Temperature (°F)
Date
Record Warm High Temperature (1 broken)
85
September 28
Record Warm Average Temperature (4 broken; 1 tied)
73 (tie)
September 27
40
December 13
46
December 14
38
December 22
35
December 25
Record Warm Low Temperature (4 broken; 2 tied)
65
July 14
42
December 14
36
December 22
36
December 23
33 (tie)
December 24
32 (tie)
December 25
Record Cold High Temperature (2 broken; 3 tied)
-15 (tie)
January 6
4
February 25
0 (tie)
March 1
3
March 2
18 (tie)
November 18
Record Cold Average Temperature (2 broken; 2 tied)
-10 (tie)
February 25
-7
March 2
-5
March 3
10 (tie)
November 16
Record Cold Low Temperature (3 broken; 2 tied)
-20 (tie)
February 25
-19
March 3
16
April 15
-6 (tie)
November 15
-7
November 21
Precipitation (in)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul
Liquid Precipitation 1.34  1.17 1.20 5.90 6.74 6.18 1.25
Departure from Normal +0.69 +0.58 -0.35 +3.33 +3.79 +2.01 -2.06
Most in 24 hours 2.94 inches on September 3
New Daily Precipitation Records Set
Amount (inches)
Date
Daily Record Precipitation (6 broken)
0.44
February 17
1.58
April 28
1.68
May 31
2.03
August 29
2.94
September 3
1.24
November 10
Snowfall (in)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul
Snowfall 16.8 13.5 9.2 12.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Departure from Normal +6.3 +6.3 +1.1 +9.8 - - -
Most in 24 hours 13.2 inches on November 10
New Snowfall Records Set
Amount (inches)
Date
Monthly Record Daily Snowfall (1 broken)
13.2
November
Daily Record Snowfall (5 broken)
5.7
January 18
4.3
February 17
7.6
February 20
8.5
April 16
13.2
November 10

 

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(December 2014 Summary)

Precipitation

Temperature

Snowfall

2014 Month-by-Month Summary August-December
Temperature (°F)
Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec 2014
Average High Temperature 81.4 72.0 59.4 31.1 29.6 51.3
Average Low Temperature 61.0 50.4 37.0 14.7 18.6 31.5
Mean Temperature 71.2 61.2 48.2 22.9 24.1 41.4
Departure from Normal +3.4 +2.6 +2.5 -7.5 +8.2 -1.5

 

Precipitation (in)
Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec 2014
Liquid Precipitation 5.59 4.06 0.65 1.89 0.75 36.72
Departure from Normal +1.80 +0.60 -1.84 +0.51 -0.02 +8.99

4th Wettest in St. Cloud Records

Snowfall (in)
Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec 2014
Snowfall 0.0 0.0 0.0 17.6 2.5 71.6
Departure from Normal - - -0.9 +8.7 -8.0 +25.5

 

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(December 2014 Summary)

Precipitation

Temperature

Snowfall

 

Calendar Year Snowfall (Spans Two Winters) (1900-2014, Average = 41.6 inches)
Rank
Year
Snowfall (inches)
1
1936
85.2
2
2013
84.3
3
1965
81.7
4
1975
75.3
5
1917
73.1
6
1951
72.9
7
2014
71.6
8
1950
71.3
9
1991
69.4
10
1969
69.2

 

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(December 2014 Summary)

Precipitation

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Snowfall

Historic temperature data provided courtesy of the Saint Cloud National Weather Service Office, and NOAA/NWS
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Send comments to: raweisman@stcloudstate.edu