Mar 15, 2021 - News

Spring in Minneapolis has been getting colder

Data: Fox 9; Chart: Michelle McGhee/Axios
Data: Fox 9; Chart: Michelle McGhee/Axios

Don’t let the recent warm snap fool you. Spring in the Twin Cities has been trending colder — though the rest of the year has been getting warmer, especially fall.

What's happening: Starting in January, meteorologists began using weather data from 1991 to 2020, instead of from 1981 to 2010 — bringing about new daily averages.

  • Fox 9 meteorologist Cody Matz compared the old averages to the new ones.

By the numbers: The data backs our observations of May snow piles and brown December lawns.

  • Winter has been lingering. March and April have been colder, and April has been 40% snowier thanks in large part to late storms in recent years, Matz said.
  • Fall has been much warmer — September is up 1.3 degrees — and longer. December has been 2 degrees warmer, with November snowfall down 25%.

The bottom line: Minnesota is still getting warmer overall. The new average yearly temp is now 46.6 degrees, up from 46.2 degrees.

This story first appeared in the Axios Twin Cities newsletter, designed to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news unfolding in their own backyard.

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