Minnesota experiences seventh-warmest year on record

Sunflowers on a pleasant September day in 2015
Courtesy: Minnesota State Climatology Office

 

2015 was the Earth's warmest year since record keeping began in 1880.

2015 finished in the top ten warmest in Minnesota as well. Looking at Minnesota from 1895-2015, it was the seventh warmest year on record. September 2015 and December 2015 were both the warmest on record. February 2015, the 17th-coldest of the modern record, prevented Minnesota's 2015 annual temperature from an even higher rank. The warmest year on record is 1987.

Table information below is courtesy NOAA's Climate at a Glance.

Top Ten Warmest Years on Record 
for Minnesota 1895-2015

Rank    Year     Value  Departure 
                        (1901-2000)
-------------------------------------
1.      1987     45.3   +5.2
2.      2012     45.2   +5.1
3.      1931     45.0   +4.9
4.      1998     44.9   +4.8
5.      2006     44.4   +4.3
6.      1999     43.7   +3.6
7.      2015     43.5   +3.4
8.      2001     43.1   +3.0
9.      2005     43.1   +3.0
10.     2010     42.9   +2.8

Statistics for 2015 
Minnesota Monthly Average Temperatures

Month    Rank          Value   Departure 
         (1895-2015)           (1901-2000)
-------------------------------------
Jan.     24th warmest   13.6    +7.1
Feb.     17th coldest    5.6    -6.5
Mar.     20th warmest   30.7    +5.4
Apr.     28th warmest   44.6    +3.3
May      59th coldest   54.2     0.0
Jun.     46th warmest   64.7    +1.0
Jul.     48th warmest   69.5    +0.7
Aug.     49th coldest   65.8    -0.5
Sep.      1st warmest   63.8     7.0 
Oct.     22nd warmest   47.9     2.9
Nov.      5th warmest   36.5     8.6
Dec.      1st warmest   24.8    11.9