Record Heat, April 5, 2021

After a weekend that was very warm by most measures, Monday April 5th produced some of the highest temperatures ever recorded in early April in Minnesota.

Sunny skies and southerly winds had produced warm and very dry conditions on Saturday and Sunday, with temperatures in the 60s and 70s both days, with some lower 80s registered in southwestern Minnesota on Sunday, as temperatures in many locations inched towards record territory.

The warm air mass took things to another level on Monday, as truly summer-like conditions streamed into southern and central Minnesota. Temperatures soared into the 80s throughout the southern half of Minnesota, including high temperatures of 88 F at Redwood Falls and Lamberton. Eighteen other stations recorded high temperatures of at least 85 degrees F, and over 50 stations recorded highs of at least 80 F. At many stations, high temperatures exceeded the normal high temperature values for the hottest days in July.

Thirty-eight stations with at least 50 years of observations broke daily high temperature records. This list includes Milan, St. Cloud, and the Twin Cities, all of which have over 125 years of observation. In fact, those locations, along with about 20 others, observed the highest temperature ever recorded so early in the season. It should be noted that many cooperative observers record their daily highs and lows (and precipitation) in the morning, and so would have logged high temperature values officially on April 6. This distinction matters, because April 6th, 1991 was slightly hotter than April 5th, 2021, so some stations did not set new records during this hot episode.

As often happens in warm surges fueled by southerly winds, many areas bordering Lake Superior were chilled by a lake breeze. Temperatures from Duluth through Grand Marais were generally held to the 50s, though even just 20 miles inland, locations observed high temperatures in the upper 60s and low 70s. Despite the common exception near Lake Superior, April 5th, 2021 was one of the hottest early-spring days on record in Minnesota.

Below are high temperatures across Minnesota observed on April 5th (though recorded and logged officially on April 6th at some locations). Data were retrieved using the Applied Climate Information System (ACIS).

Last updated April 7, 2021