Tag Archives: record cold

Cold Start

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January started off very cold for most of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. Locally, the first 9 days of the month were the 10th coldest such period since 1881 in Fargo Moorhead. The average temperature during that stretch was -8.2° with the coldest temperature recorded being -33° on January 2. We also experienced three other days with lows in the -20s and an additional three days in the -10s.

Other parts of the country have faired even worse. Sioux Falls, SD and Sioux City, IA both had a Top 5 coldest first week of January on record. Numerous other cities from North Dakota to Texas and from the Great Lakes to Florida in some way recorded a Top 5 coldest stretch of weather, be it the average temperature, or a streak below freezing or some other point. You would have to go back to the 1970s to find a year that started off this cold.

Gloomy

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Back in September there seemed to be a bounce in everyone’s step and genuine excitement over the great weather that dominated almost the entire month. Almost daily in emails, phone calls or personal conversations someone would ask if we were going to break the record for the warmest September since 1881.

This month all of that has changed and there is no glee in the persistent clouds, rain and cool weather that has dominated our weather for the past three weeks. Although the first half of October was the coldest on record, the phone and email inboxes are not full of messages asking if this will be the coldest on record, or because of the rain, the wettest on record. If you must know, the answer to both is likely no, but we will finished the month in the top ten in both categories.

The weather pattern will change eventually, but probably not until sometime next month.

Record Cold October

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The first 15 days of October was a remarkable contrast to the warmth of September. You may remember that September was the 2nd warmest since 1881 but now the first half of October was the coldest such stretch since records began.

Although the past few days have brought warmer temperatures, before this weekend, the average temperature in October was a remarkable 10 degrees below average, a full one degree colder than any other recorded start of October. Also, whereas September was our 6th straight month with below average rainfall, October has been quite wet. Through the 15th this has been the 6th wettest October with 3.31 inches measured. Plus, it has been the 7th snowiest to that point with 0.7 inches recorded.

Does this mean a cold winter? Every year has unique weather, but none of the other years that started this cold and wet in October finished as a top ten coldest or wettest winter.

 

Our State Climatologist Dr. Adnan Akyuz sent this email to me with some more stats:

 

Daryl,

You are right. October 1 through 14 happens to be:

 

· the 10th coldest in terms of lowest minimum temperatures (see below):

 

Fargo Extremes
Lowest Average Minimum Temperature degrees F
Days: 10/1 – 10/14
Length of period: 14 days
Years: 1850-2009

Rank Value Ending Date
1 29.0 10/14/1935
2 30.9 10/14/1952
3 31.0 10/14/1989
4 31.3 10/14/1979
5 31.6 10/14/1993
6 31.9 10/14/1917, 10/14/1985
8 32.0 10/14/1885
9 32.6 10/14/1902
10 32.9 10/14/2009, 10/14/1883, 10/14/1987

· the coldest in terms of lowest average temperatures (see below):


Fargo Extremes
Lowest Average Average Temperature degrees F
Days: 10/1 – 10/14
Length of period: 14 days
Years: 1850-2009

Rank Value Ending Date
1 39.7 10/14/2009
2 40.7 10/14/1925
3 42.4 10/14/1935, 10/14/1917
5 42.5 10/14/1985
6 42.9 10/14/1894
7 43.0 10/14/1959
8 43.1 10/14/1979, 10/14/1881
10 43.3 10/14/1983, 10/14/1883

· the coldest in terms of lowest maximum temperatures (see below):


Fargo Extremes
Lowest Average Maximum Temperature degrees F
Days: 10/1 – 10/14
Length of period: 14 days
Years: 1850-2009

Rank Value Ending Date
1 46.5 10/14/2009
2 48.1 10/14/1925
3 51.3 10/14/1894
4 51.4 10/14/1983
5 51.9 10/14/1959
6 52.4 10/14/1927
7 52.7 10/14/1946
8 52.8 10/14/1932
9 52.9 10/14/1881
10 53.0 10/14/1985, 10/14/1969, 10/14/1917

So it was the lack of daytime heating as opposed to nighttime cooling that made it happen. Interestingly, it came just after the warmest September on record in terms of the minimum temperatures. Who said persistence is a good measure of forecast?

 

Adnan