by On February 14 the high in the Twin-Cities was 54 degrees. Breaking a previous record from 1896. People in Minneapolis were soaking it up.
“It just improves the mood. And being in Minnesota we really just got to go and enjoy days like these,” Adam Rakowski, a UMN student, said.
I asked National Weather Service Lead Meteorologist Nick Carletta about why these record highs have made their way to the Twin-Cities.
“Anyone who’s gone southwest of the Twin-Cities will notice there’s not a lot of snow down there so as that air mass comes over that area, it’s over a snow free area and that is part of why we’re having a lot warmer air.”
If that area was covered in snow, the snow would help keep that air cooler as it approached the Twin-Cities metro.
These circumstances allowed for some warmth for a couple days. Until February 18 when temperatures dropped and a snowstorm hit.
“In Minnesota our Falls and Springs are more transitional periods where we alternate between hot and cold. While the summer and winter are where it is more consistently warm or cold.”
And we can definitely expect more cold air in the coming weeks.
Scott Handel, a meteorologist at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said, “It’s not yet time to declare an early spring for Minnesota.”
Carletta also said that an early spring is not yet on the horizon.
“Not until we get into April or May are we gonna see those cold ones fall away and disappear entirely,” Carletta said.
