Wintry mix spreads across Minnesota

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Our rare Valentine’s Day storm set records for precipitation and warmth. 

The Twin Cities smashed the daily precipitation record for Feb. 14 by more than doubling the previous record. We picked up 68 one-hundredths (.68) of an inch of precipitation Tuesday at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The previous record was 43 one-hundredths of an inch (.43) set in 1950.

What’s really notable here is that the previous record was the liquid equivalent of the snow that fell on Valentine’s Day in 1950. Tuesday’s system was all rain. That’s highly unusual for February in Minnesota. 

Here are some select precipitation totals from our region, in inches: 

We also set a record for the record high minimum temperature in the Twin Cities Tuesday. The minimum temperature during the 24-hour period Tuesday was 35 degrees. That breaks the previous record of 33 degrees set in 2002. 

Blizzard conditions escalated quickly overnight across western Minnesota. Winds gusted over 60 mph in some locations. here are some select wind gust reports.

The air mass behind Tuesday’s storm is seasonably colder. Highs will be in the 10s through Friday across most of Minnesota. 

Overnight lows will dip below zero north of the Twin Cities and will likely hover a few degrees above zero in the inner Twin Cities core. 

The weekend looks milder again with highs back into the 30s. 

Weather and Climate News

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Unusual Valentine's Day storm set records; winter strikes back

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