December 2014 Saint Cloud Weather Summary

    December 2014 Statistics

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Wet 2014 Breaks Recent Partial Season Dry Spells
2014 Annual Saint Cloud Weather Summary

Wettest Year Since 1965

2014 broke the recent streak of middle and late growing season dry spells. Instead, the rains came early and often. When it was over, the St. Cloud Regional Airport had accumulated 36.72 inches, 8.99 inches above average. This was St. Cloud's 4th wettest calendar year on record and the wettest since 1965. Among the milestones were the 5th wettest winter (Dec. 2013 through Feb. 2014), the second wettest spring, within which both April and May ranked in the 10 wettest. There were 119 days with measurable precipitation, which was tied for 15th most on record, and 10 days with at least one inch of precipitation, the 7th highest total on record. There were 6 days (Feb. 17, Apr. 28, May 31, Aug. 29, Sept. 3, Nov. 10) with new daily precipitation records. The September 3 rainfall totaled 2.94 inches, the highest single storm rainfall in St. Cloud since 4-5 October 2005. Most of that rain fell during one hour.

June 2014 was the wettest June on average in Minnesota in the history of state rainfall records. There were 6.18 inches in St. Cloud, but that wasn't high enough to produce any records.

The heavy rainfall was concentrated in the eastern half of Minnesota. Portions of the Red River Valley had 10 inches less (green areas) than the St. Croix Valley and east central Minnesota. Going into 2015, Minnesota is lacking a bit of snow cover, most of the abnormal dryness shown on the US Drought Monitor, but ground water is in good shape.

Back-to-Back Heavy Snowfall Years

The total 2014 snowfall was 71.6 inches, the 7th highest calendar year snowfall in St. Cloud records and 25.5 inches above average. That comes on the heels of the 84.3 inches (2nd highest on record) posted last year. The winter of 2013-2014 (Dec. 2013-Feb. 2014) produced 50.6 inches, the 3rd highest winter snowfall total on record. April 2014 also produced the 4th highest April snowfall with 12.0 inches. Then, the 2014-2015 snow season began with St. Cloud's 13th heaviest snowfall on record, 13.5 inches on November 10 and 11. It was the heaviest November snowfall since 1985 and produced a 24-hour November record for the highest daily snowfall. The total November snowfall was 17.6 inches, the 8th snowiest November on record.

The combination of snow and cold conditions led to the 4th latest date ending date for continuous snow cover. The last of 127 consecutive days was April 8. That was the latest end of the snow streak since 1979. The 131 days tied for the 16th highest days with an inch of snow cover. An average winter has 86 consecutive days with an inch on the ground and 101 days overall.

Other daily snowfall records in 2014 were set on: January 18, February 17, February 20, and April 16.

So far, the 2014-2015 snow season has 20.1 inches through the end of December, exactly average for this point in the winter.

While statewide 2014 will be the coldest year since 1996, St. Cloud's 2014 is warmer (41.4°F) than 2013 (40.7°F). 41st coldest out of 134 years (avg 42.9°F)

2014 A Bit Cooler Than Average After Slow Start

The prolonged cold winter of 2013-2014 got most of the temperature attention. The summer also got off to a slow start with a wet, cloudy June. Then, there was a cool period with highs in the 50's for three straight days in September (first time since September since 1986). Also, November ended up being the 9th coldest November.

However, the final numbers showed that 2014 in St. Cloud was only a bit cooler than average and warmer than in 2013. The average 2014 temperature (through December 30) was 41.5°F, 1.4°F cooler than average, and only the 44th coolest year of the 134 years in St. Cloud temperature records. 2013 had a cooler average temperature (40.7°F), so for St. Cloud, this is not the coldest year since 1996.

The cold statistics were dominated by the winter months, which tied for the 5th coldest on record. It included 15 days with a high of zero or colder, the second highest total on record, and 63 days with a low of zero or colder, the 8th most cold lows on record. There were 14 days with a low of at least -20, the 6th highest total on record.

There were 5 record cold highs tied or broken, including the -15 high on January 6. This was the 25th high of -15 or colder in St. Cloud records and the first since Feb. 2, 1996. There were 5 record cold lows tied or broken, 4 during the winter months into early March.

However, July and August ended up being warmer than average, despite only 2 days with a high of at least 90 degrees. After the early September coolness, temperatures rebounded to much above average in late September and most of October. The only record warm high set in 2014 was the 85-degree high on September 28. And the year finished with the warm December that couldn't hold up during the last week. Five of the 6 record warm lows and 4 of the 5 record warm average temperatures tied or set in 2014 happened in December.

The early cool September period led to an odd first frost pattern. Several places in rural Stearns County got their first frost in the first 10 days of September, but for those areas that missed it, the first frost held off until the first 10 days in October. St. Cloud Airport had the first frost on October 5, so the growing season was 166 days long. The average is 137 days.