December 2008 Saint Cloud Weather Summary

Saint Cloud Weather Summary for December 2008 and Annual Weather Summary for 2008

    December 2008 Statistics

Cool Late Winter, Spring and Cold Start to Winter Make First Cold Year Since 1996
2008 Annual Saint Cloud Weather Summary

For the first time since 1996, St. Cloud ended up with a below normal average temperature for the year 2008. The 2008 average temperature of 40.8°F was 0.9°F colder than normal. This is not extraordinarily cold, but is a marked contrast to recent years. The last 11 years have all been milder than normal with 8 of those years being at least a degree warmer than normal and 5 of those years being among the 11 warmest years in St. Cloud records.Given the fact that several of these recent years have been warm due to the mild winters, the cold late winter, spring, and December has come as quite as shock to transplants and those of us who easily forget about the very cold winters in the past.

The cold spring was spurred on by nearly unprecedented late season snowfall. In 2007-2008, there was more snow since March 1 (28.7 inches) than there was before March 1 (23.5 inches). So, 55.0% of the 2007-2008 snowfall has fallen from March 1 on. That's the 8th highest percentage of spring snowfall. There have been only 10 seasons in which half or more of the snowfall has occurred after March 1. Only three of these season (1964-1965, 2001-2002, and 2007-2008) had above normal snowfall in the year (it's much easier to get a higher percentage when there is less total snow). That included the 7th snowiest March and the 4th snowiest April. And, with us just completing the 4th snowiest December, the calendar year 2008 ended up with 62.1 inches of snow, well above the normal 45.8 inches.

The total 2008 precipitation was within a quarter inch of normal. The total was 27.36 inches, just above the 27.13 inch normal level. However, St. Cloud and central Minnesota sustained yet another growing season shortfall, although not nearly as bad as the 2007 situation. At its height (June 15-September 10), St. Cloud ended up being 4 inches below normal before more normal rainfall in September and October eased the conditions in central Minnesota. However, the summer of 2008 had near normal temperatures with only 3 days with highs of at least 90 degrees. So, the combination of dryness and heat did not approach last year's level. Still, from the Twin Cities south and eastward, moisture conditions were considerably worse, as noted in the Dry Mid-Summer report from the State Climatology Office.

Despite the cool spring, St. Cloud's growing season was well above normal. The last frost of the spring was on April 30 and the first frost in St. Cloud didn't occur until October 4, ranking as one of the later frosts in St. Cloud records. The first hard freeze (low temperature of at least 28°F) occurred on October 21, among the latest 10% of hard freezes in St. Cloud records. The growing season lasted 157 days, the longest growing season in St. Cloud since 159 days in 1970.

It should also be noted that mild winters at high latitudes are consistent with the predictions of continental winters during global warming. If 2008 continues to be an exception to the recent warm winters rather than a sign of returning to normal, then these winters will become more consistent with global warming.