Climate Extremes for Minnesota
| Temperature |
Record |
Date |
Location |
County |
| Maximum |
114 degrees F. |
July 29, 1917
July 6, 1936 |
Beardsley
Moorhead |
Big Stone
Clay |
| Minimum |
-60 degrees F. |
February 2, 1996 |
near Tower |
St. Louis |
| Maximum 24-hour change |
71 degrees F. |
April 3, 1982 |
Lamberton |
Redwood |
| Snow |
|
|
|
|
| Maximum 24-hour snowfall |
36.0 inches |
January 7, 1994 |
near Finland |
Lake |
| Maximum single storm snowfall |
46.5 inches |
January 6-8, 1994 |
near Finland |
Lake |
| Maximum seasonal snowfall |
170.5 inches |
1949-1950 |
near Grand Portage |
Cook |
| Maximum snow cover |
75 inches |
March 28, 1950 |
near Grand Portage |
Cook |
| Earliest measurable snowfall |
0.3 inches |
Sept. 14, 1964 |
International Falls |
Koochiching |
| Latest measurable snowfall |
1.5 inches |
June 4, 1935 |
Mizpah |
Koochiching |
| Rain |
|
|
|
|
| Maximum 24-hour total |
10.84 inches |
July 22, 1972 |
Fort Ripley |
Crow Wing |
| Maximum annual total |
53.52 inches |
1991 |
St. Francis |
Anoka |
| Minimum annual total |
6.37 inches |
1976 |
Ortonville |
Big Stone |
| Longest dry spell |
79 days |
11/9/43 - 1/26/44 |
Beardsley, Canby,
Marshall, Dawson |
|
| Wind |
|
|
|
|
| Maximum measured gust |
110 mph (tornado) |
August 20, 1904 |
Minneapolis |
Hennepin |
| Pressure |
|
|
|
|
| Maximum |
31.11 inches |
January 21, 1922 |
Collegeville |
Stearns |
| Minimum |
28.40 inches (est.) |
January 11, 1975 |
Grand Portage |
Cook |
What was the coldest windchill ever seen in Minnesota? The answer can be a little tricky because on November 2001 the formula on how to calculate the windchill was changed. Perhaps the coldest windchill the Twin Cities has ever seen was -67 with the new formula (-87 with the old formula) back on January 22nd 1936. The temperature was -34 with a wind speed of 20mph. Without a lengthy state-wide wind record, it is difficult to say when was the coldest statewide windchill. There are some candidate dates though besides January 22, 1936. On January 9th and 10th, 1982 temperatures of -30 and winds of around 40mph were reported in Northern Minnesota. This would translate to -71 by the new formula (-100F by the old formula.) What about the highest heat index ever reached in the Twin Cities or Minnesota? The heat index is a "feels like" measure which factors together temperature and dew point. The highest heat index value ever recorded in the Twin Cities is believed to be 119 degrees, occurring on July 11, 1966 (our thanks to climate historian Charles Fisk). For Minnesota, an air temperature of 97 degrees teamed with an 84 degree dew point to create a heat index value of 125 degrees at the Red Wing airport at 3:00 pm on July 30, 1999. Climate Extremes for the United States
| Temperature |
Record |
Date |
Location |
| Maximum |
134 degrees F. |
July 10, 1913 |
Greenland Ranch, CA |
| Minimum |
-80 degrees F. |
January 23, 1971 |
Prospect Creek, AK |
| Maximum 24-hour change |
100 degrees F. |
January 23-24, 1916 |
Browning, MT |
| Snow |
|
|
|
| Maximum 24-hour snowfall |
75.8 inches |
April 14-15, 1921 |
Silver Lake, CO |
| Maximum seasonal snowfall |
1122.0 inches |
1971-1972 |
Paradise RS, WA |
| Maximum snow cover |
451 inches |
March 11, 1911 |
Tamarack, CA |
| Rain |
|
|
|
| Maximum 24-hour total |
43.00 inches |
July 25-26, 1979 |
Alvin, TX |
| Maximum annual total |
704.83 inches |
1982 |
Kukui, HI |
| Minimum annual total |
0.0 inches |
1929 |
Death Valley, CA |
| Longest dry spell |
767 days |
10/3/12 - 11/8/14 |
Bagdad, CA |
| Wind |
|
|
|
| Maximum measured gust |
231 mph |
April 12, 1934 |
Mt. Washington, NH |
| Pressure |
|
|
|
| Minimum |
26.35 inches (hurricane) |
September 2, 1935 |
Matecumbe Key, FL |
Climate extremes for the world are available from the National Climatic Data Center.  < p width="640" height="7">
 Return to Minnesota Climatology Working Group Main Page
URL: http://climate.umn.edu/doc/historical/extremes.htm
Last modified: September 8, 2004
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