Our Unusual April Could Be One of Coldest Ever in Minnesota
If you've been thinking our weather in Minnesota has been unusually cold, blustery and wet so far this April, you're right.
Our weather so far this spring hasn't been very spring-like here in Minnesota. In fact, our April is actually shaping up to be the fifth-coldest EVER here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Because we've not only had above-average rainfall this month, but we've also had colder temperatures, windier conditions, and less sunshine.
The crew over at the National Weather Service (NWS) office in La Crosse compiles the data on all those categories, and the numbers don't lie when it comes to the unusually cold, blustery and wet weather we've been experiencing so far during the month of April.
For instance, our average temperature for April 2022 so far has been a minuscule 39.2 degrees. That's over 5 degrees colder than the average April temperature southeast Minnesota usually sees. Heck, earlier this week, our high temperature only hit 36 degrees, which is WAAAY lower than the average 60-degree high temperature we normally see at this point in the month. (In fact, it's colder than our average LOW temperature usually is in April!)
Plus, it's been unusually windy this April in Minnesota too. NWS says Rochester has seen 11 days so far where 40 to 50 mile an hour wind gusts have been recorded, including gusts of 56 miles an hour on Thursday, April 14th.
Then there's been our lack of sunshine so far this month. If you're having a tough time remembering when we last saw the sun, it's understandable: NWS says there have only been 3 clear days so far in April, with 23 days being either partly or completely cloudy. Sheesh!
And, about those April showers-- we've had a LOT of them, as well. NWS says our rainfall total for April so far is 4.66 inches, which is 1.64 inches MORE than we usually get. (So, yeah, those May flowers should be beautiful this year, right?)
So, yeah, it's been cold, windy and rainy. But as KTTC meteorologist Amanda Morgan points out, at least this April isn't as cold as it was four years ago in 2018! But it explains why three Minnesota cities made the list of the Coldest Cities in America. Keep scrolling to see which cities made the list!
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