Jekyll and Hyde April: Wild temperature swings this month
From a record 85 degrees to frost in a week
We’re riding an April temperature roller coaster in Minnesota. And it’s been pretty typical of how the year is going so far.
Minnesota has alternated between extreme warmth and cold this year. Here’s a look at how wildly temperature patterns have fluctuated in 2021 so far.
Balmy April so far
The magnitude of warmth in the first eight days of April is astounding. Most of Minnesota is running around 10 degrees warmer than average give or take a few degrees.
The Twin Cities is running 13.1 degrees warmer than average for the first eight days of April.
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Temperatures have been more typical of May, June and even July with our record high of 85 degrees on April 5. The MSP Airport recorded five consecutive days with highs above 70 degrees. The Twin Cities average high hits 70 degrees on May 17.
Temperatures crash next week
Here’s a temperature reality check. The average high and low in the Twin Cities are 56 and 35 by this Sunday.
Temperatures next week will be about 40 degrees colder than our record high of 85 degrees last Monday. Highs will struggle to reach 45 degrees in the Twin Cities by Tuesday.
Low temperatures will dip well below freezing in most of northern Minnesota next week. Frost is likely in much of southern Minnesota.
Most of next week will be near or colder than average. That’s a radical change from our early April warmth.
2021: Wild temperatures swings so far
Overall 2021 is running significantly warmer than average in Minnesota. But this year is bringing wild temperature swings. To say our 2021 weather is moody is an understatement.
Check out the temperature by month so far compared to the average in the Twin Cities.
January +6.5F
February -9.1F
March +7.7F
April +13.1F (through April 8)
“Average” weather is just a concept this year in Minnesota. Volatile with extreme swings is a more accurate description of our temperature patterns so far in 2021.