December 1998 Saint Cloud Weather Summary

1998 was the third warmest year in the 118 years of Saint Cloud
weather records. The annual average temperature was 46.3 degrees, more
than 4 degrees above normal for the year. The only years that have been
warmer were 1931 and 1987 (see table below).

The warmth of this year mainly resulted from the extremely warm winter
of 1997-98 (2nd warmest on record), including the warmest February in St.
Cloud history, a mild spring (7th warmest on record), and a warm fall (9th
warmest on record). In fact, only about 4 weeks of the final 4 months of
the year (first 2 weeks of November, last 12 days of December) had below
normal readings. The summer was actually slightly cooler than normal
and included the only two months (June, July) with below normal temperatures
in the past 13 months. This was reflected by the fact that 6 of the 8
days with a high of 90+ degrees occurred in May and September, not
meteorological summer months. Since El Nino had faded by late spring, it was
a contributing factor, but not solely responsible for this near record
pace.

The warm spring and fall set a record for length of growing season
relative to a hard freeze of 24 degrees. The last day with a temperature
of 20 degrees or colder was March 24 (a record for the earliest ever by 4
days) and the first morning that cold was on November 3, making for a
growing season without a hard freeze of 223 days, exceeding the old record
by 11 days and lasting 39 days above normal. And, despite some cold
temperatures in early November, the record warmth later that month and
in early December still caused some plants to bud again.

Rainfall in 1998 was about 2 inches below normal, and marked by
prolonged dry periods which made it seem worse. The rainfall did tend to
concentrate in one or two major rain events during the fall as the warm
pattern tended to be a dry one. However, the late appearance of arctic air
did allow these few storms to have access to Gulf of Mexico moisture,
including our rain event on the December 4-5, which dropped .73 inch of
the .89 inch December total.

1998 snowfall was almost 10 inches below normal. The 35.8 inches
is the second lowest annual total in the 1990's. Despite the illusion of
below normal snowfall early in the year, snowfall was near normal in
Jan-Apr (29.6 inches actual; 29.2 inches normal). It just didn't last
long thanks to a February thaw (the second of the winter) and the tendency
for wet snow in March and April, allowing it to melt within a day or two
of falling. November and December snowfall was less than 40% of normal
(actual: 6.2 inches, normal: 15.7 inches), accounting for most of the
deficit. The 16.8 inches in January accounted for almost half of the annual
snowfall (47%).

December contributed to the warmth by ending up with an average
temperature of 21.0 degrees, nearly 7 degrees above normal. This ranks
December 1998 as the 15th warmest December in the 118 years of Saint
Cloud records. If it wasn't for our return to reality during the past two
weeks, December was on a pace for record warmth. The first 15 days of the
month had an average high of 46.5 degrees (including three daily record highs)
and an average low of 22.3 degrees, yielding an average temperature of 34.4
degrees, which was almost 6 degrees warmer than the warmest December of all
time. There had been only 2 December days with a high of 60 or higher in St.
Cloud history before 1998: December 6, 1939 (high of 63) and December 2, 1982
(high of 60). There were 2 such days in 1998. December 1998 also had 4 days with
highs of 50 or higher, the second highest total to the 10 days in 1939. Only
7 Decembers in St. Cloud history have had at least 2 50 degree highs, the last
one in 1990.

However, the arctic air which had been bottled up in Siberia and Russia
for much of the cold season moved into Alaska and then into Canada and the
Central U.S. for the last 12 days of the month. Our average temperatures for
December 16-31 were high: 18.2 deg; low: -1.6 deg; for an average of
8.3 degrees. This made the last 16 days of the month average almost 6 degrees
below normal. So, December 1998 actually finished colder than December 1997
(12th warmest on record; 24.0 deg avg temp). While December 1997 did not
have the extreme warmth of December 1998, it also did not have the late
month cold spell.

Such December temperature roller coasters are not unprecedented in
the Saint Cloud records. In 1923, there were 2 highs above 50 degrees and one
high below zero. In 1939, the year with 10 days above 50 degrees and the
warmest December temperature on record, reality hit on the 30th. The 31st
began a string of 10 consecutive days with lows below zero, culminating
with a high of only -3 on January 4, 1940. In December 1990, two days broke
50 degrees early in the month, then arctic air came in on the 20th. The high
was 21 on the 20th, but was below zero for the next three days. In fact, in
the last 11 days of the December 1990, there were 4 days with highs below
zero and 5 consecutive days with lows of -20 or colder.

The ultimate roller coaster December occurred in 1962. Three days
early in that December had a high of over 50 degrees, but by the 10th,
the high was -3 and the low was -11. Temperatures then rebounded with 3
straight days of highs in the 40's during the 16th-18th, but another
cold air surge came in, dropping the high to only 8 on the 23rd. The
roller coaster continued with a high of 33 on the 28th and highs of 6 and
8 degrees on the 29th and 30th.

Because of the extremes within the same month, only 1939 from the
Decembers with 50 degree days mentioned above ranked in the 10 warmest
Decembers. Several of the above years ended up with warmer than normal
Decembers but Januarys which had normal or below normal temperatures.
One explanation for this phenomenon is the tendency for cold air trapped
above the Arctic Circle to continue to get colder when it is not released
into the middle latitudes. There is no sunshine in northern Alaska, northern
Canada, the Arctic Ocean, and Siberia during the month of December, so the
cold air can get even colder. When the jet stream changes direction, it can
finally drain this more extremely cold air over Minnesota, creating the
sharp temperature change. We were fortunate about the lack of snow cover
anywhere nearby or the second half of this December could have been even
colder.

December also continued the trend for well below normal snowfall.
Only 2.8 inches were recorded at the St. Cloud airport in December, about
a quarter of the normal total. This was the lowest December snowfall in
Saint Cloud since 1981 (when no measurable snow was recorded). The main reason
is that the primary storm track has been directly over or just to the north of
St. Cloud. The best snow usually falls within 200 miles on the cold side of the
storm. International Falls (Dec: 12.9 in, season: 35.3 in), Duluth (Dec: 12.8
in, season: 28.5 in), and Grand Forks (Dec: 5.6 in, season: 28.0 in), which have
been to the north of the primary storm track, have received plenty of snow
this season to date.

		DECEMBER 1998 ST CLOUD STATISTICS

TEMPERATURE (F)                 DEC 1998        NORMAL
Average high                      31.9           23.1
Average low                       10.0            5.0
Monthly average                   21.0           14.1

Warmest high                    61 on the 1st, 3rd (broke daily records; see below)
Coldest high                     0 on the 30th 
Mildest low                     30 on the 4th
Coldest low                    -19 on the 30th

Daily records set:              
Record warm highs:              61 on the 1st (old record: 58 in 1962)
				                 61 on the 3rd (old record: 57 in 1962)
				                 53 on the 14th (old record: 49 in 1960)

MELTED PRECIPITATION (in)       DEC 1998        NORMAL
Total melted precip                .89            .83
Most in 24 hours                   .39 on the 30th

SNOWFALL (in)
Total snowfall                     2.8            8.9
Most in 24 hours                   1.3 on the 20th
Seasonal (1998-1999)               6.2           16.2

JANUARY - 16.8 inches of snow, snowiest month of year 
          (accounted for 47% of year's snowfall)

FEBRUARY - 29.6 degrees average temperature - warmest Feb in St. Cloud history
	        (15.3 degrees above normal)
	        2 record highs, including 40 degrees on February 25, which is the warmest temperature ever high for the month of February
	        7 record mild lows tied or broken
	        no lows of zero or colder in month (2nd time ever)
	        0.6 inches of snow - 5th lowest February total snowfall, lowest in 34 years


DEC 97 - FEB 98 - Second mildest winter on record (only 1881-82 milder)
		  23.0 degrees, 10.9 degrees above normal

MARCH - 2.78 inches of precip, 9th wettest March on record
	     3 thunderstorm days in St. Cloud; hail in St. Cloud on the 29th
	     March 28 - 15 tornadoes in southern Minnesota (including Comfrey,
		   St. Peter) - 2 deaths, 38 injuries, $1-2 billion in damage
		   wet snow two days later (5.5 in - St. Cloud, up to 8 in for parts of central MN)
	     Total number of below zero readings in St. Cloud for cold season
	     16 days (fewest ever)

APRIL - mildest April in 11 years

MAY - 7th warmest May on record, 62.1 degrees, 6.2 degrees above normal
      3 highs of 90+ degrees (1st time since 1934)
      94 high on May 18 - warmest May temperature in 29 years
      May 15th - 2 tornadoes, widespread straight line wind damage (70-90 MPH
		 winds); 1 small tornado hit Pioneer Grounds in Albany, 
		 killing 1, injuring 37
		 $200 million in damage in state
      May 30th - Large hail, straight line winds injuring 13 people, 11 in
		   South St. Paul when storm hit trailer park
		 nearly 1/2 million customers without power
		 St. Cloud receives 3/4- 1 1/2 in diameter hail
		 $200 million damage in state

MARCH-MAY - 7th warmest spring on record, warmest since 1987
	    47.0 degrees, 5.5 above normal

JUNE - 1st colder than normal month since November 1997
       June 18 - 2 tornadoes in southwest MN, including one in Olivia which
		 destroyed four buildings
       June 26 - 8 tornadoes in southern Minnesota, plus thunderstorms with 
		 high winds, heavy rains
		 2 deaths in flash flooding along Zumbro River, 1 death
		   from lightning strike in Meire Grove
		 Wind gust to 77 MPH at St. Cloud Airport, 79 MPH at SCSU

JULY - July 20 - 8 tornadoes in northwest, north central Minnesota in the
		 afternoon; wind gusts to 110 MPH in southwest Minnesota
		 during the morning

JUN-AUG - Summer within 1 degree of normal temperatures, within .19 inch of
	       normal precipitation in St. Cloud

SEPT - warmest September in 50 years
       2 record highs tied
       3 90+ degree highs; 6 of the 8 90-degree highs during the year occurred
	    outside the summer months (1978 is the only other year with more 90-
	    degree highs outside the summer months than during June-August)

NOV -  Nov 9-10 - strongest storm ever to hit Minnesota
           state record low pressure recorded at Austin and Albert
		    Lea (28.43 in or 962.8 mb); record low pressures for
		    site also set at Minneapolis/St. Paul Int'l Airport
		    and Duluth wet snow in western Minnesota of up to 13.5 inches in Canby
		  (3.4 inches in St. Cloud...most melted by rain, above 
		    freezing temperatures by end of storm)

        Nov 26-29 - Warmest Thanksgiving weekend on record (avg high: 56.5 deg
							  avg low:  28.3 deg)
		  Two record highs broken
		  Second warmest Thanksgiving day high on record - 57 deg
         Nov 27 - Dec 3 - 4 record highs set in 7 days

SEP-NOV - 9th warmest fall on record, warmest since 1963
	       48.6 degrees, 3.4 deg above normal

DEC - 15th warmest December on record (21.0 degrees, 7.9 degrees above normal)
      3 record high temperatures
      First December ever with two days having highs of 60
      4 days with highs of 50 or higher, second highest number (first is 1939 with 10)
      2.8 inches of snow, lowest December snowfall total since 1981