Happy meteorological spring; winter stats update

Low-end 'moderate' winter overall. Near average snowfall.

Snow and cold index
Snow and cold index
Minnesota DNR Climate Working Group

Happy meteorological spring Minnesota!

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/meteorological-versus-astronomical-seasons
Seasons
NOAA

The months of March through May are considered “meteorological spring” for record-keeping purposes. A lot of landscape change occurs in Minnesota over the next three months. We go from a snow-covered landscape, the green grass, trees and blooming flowers in the next 90 days. Our lakes go from frozen white to deep blue.

Ice Out
Ice gives way on Lake Minnetonka in 2014.
Huttner, Paul

Meteorological winter stats coming in

Final numbers are still trickling in for meteorological winter. Even with our frigid February, winter was milder than average overall. The Twin Cities snow and cold index shows a low-end moderate winter overall.

Snow and cold index
Snow and cold index
Minnesota DNR Climate Working Group

It looks like the Twin Cities will come in around 1 to 2 degrees above average overall for meteorological winter. Here are the monthly temperatures vs. average for meteorological winter at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

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  • December: +5.6 degrees

  • January: +6.5 degrees

  • February: -9.1 degrees

You can see on the graph below how winter started mild, then temperatures crashed in February as the polar vortex pain a visit.

Winter temperatures in the Twin Cities
Winter temperatures in the Twin Cities
Twin Cities National Weather Service

Near average snowfall

Many locations in Minnesota are running near average for snowfall so far this winter season.

Season snowfall so far
Season snowfall so far
Midwest Regional Climate Center

The Twin Cities is running very close to the seasonal average as we open March.

Twin Cities season snowfall through February
Twin Cities season snowfall through February
Twin Cities National Weather Service

If the current mild March temperature and snowfall forecasts pan out, much of Minnesota may fall behind average during the month of March.

Stay tuned.