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Archive 1Archive 2Archive 3Archive 4Archive 5

Climate

We keep seeing changes in the climate section. User:Gopher backer has added new unsubstantiated temperature numbers (e.g. -20 degrees F) which do not appear in the referenced article. I'm leaning toward reverting Gopher backer's edits of today for that reason. What do others think? Appraiser 22:06, 31 October 2006 (UTC)

Agree, I saw his edits and was unsure what to do. I think we copy the text here and we can try and meld the two versions together. It's partially my fault, he asked about the weather section on my talk page and I didn't reply. He seems to want to collaborate so I don't think he would mind a revert and work on it here approach. -Ravedave (help name my baby) 22:16, 31 October 2006 (UTC)
Agreed. All of us are tempted to add more and more detail, but given the length of the article it would be better to add, and link to, separate in-depth pages on the subjects rather than giving sections such as Climate undue prominence in the main article. Kablammo 21:50, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
That's fine. I just thought I'd throw a few things out there to explain why it gets cold here, why warm, etc. However, the one statement I don't get at all is this one: "The state's climate is profoundly affected by the jet stream which can create winter temperatures lower than parts of Alaska." 1. Aren't a lot of states climate affected by the jet stream (maybe most) 2. And with the "winter temps lower than parts of Alaska", that's one that has me confused. Which parts of Alaska? Nome? Fairbanks? Juneau? FYI, Juneau's average January temperature is warmer than most (if not all) of Minnesota's is, so that should not be a surprise at all. I could even make the statement that "parts of Florida can have winter temps lower than parts of Alaska", and that statement would also be true. In my opinon that is a really vague statement with little meaning. That's my 2 cents, and I'll stay out of it from here on out. Gopher backer 00:53, 3 November 2006 (UTC)
Don't stay out! Your suggestions are useful, and even it they are not all adopted they will help sharpen and improve the article. The comparison with Alaska has been around for awhile-- I rewrote it to shorten it, but it predated my edit. It's an interesting factoid but hardly essential. On other changes-- the link to continental climate, if followed, may adress some of the points you made, but full exposition may be too much for this more general entry. Kablammo 03:49, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

Here's the Climate Section by User:Gopher backer:

Climate

A train stuck in snow in southern Minnesota, March 29, 1881

Minnesota has temperature extremes characteristic of its continental climate, with cold winters and mild to hot summers in the south and frigid winters and general cool summers in the north. As Minnesota is located far inland, its climate is unmoderated by large bodies of water except for highly localized effects near Lake Superior.

During the winter months Minnesota is subject to frequent shots of Polar air masses with occassioncal Arctic air outbreaks. Temperatures during these outbreaks can drop to -20 °Fahrenheit (-29 °C) state-wide, with -50 °Fahrenheit (-46 °C) temps not uncommon in northern parts of the state. [1]The record low temperature for the state is -60 °Fahrenheit (-51 °C), measured at Tower on February 2, 1996[2]. The cold fronts that usher this air in often bring with them strong northerly winds, which result in dangerous wind chill factors as low as -70 °Fahrenheit (-57 °C). January is Minnesota's coldest month, followed by February and then December.

In the summer months, hot and humid air surges northward from the southwestern United States and the Gulf of Mexico. These air masses can affect the entire state but are most common in the south and west. Temperatures often rise above 90 °Fahrenheit (32 °C)and sometimes even over 100 °Fahrenheit (38 °C). The record high for the state is 114 °F (45.5 °C), reached in both 1917 and 1936 in the western part of the state.[3] July is Minnesota's warmest month, followed by August and then June. Minnesotan's often expereince relief from the summer heat and humidity in the form of cold fronts dropping south from Canada.

Precipitation occurs throughout the year, with snow comprising the majority of the winter preciptiation and rain during the rest of the year. Blizzards are common during Minnesota winters, especially in the western portions of the state where the terrain is flatter there stronger wind. Snowfall extremes range from 150 inches inches in the rugged Superior Highlands of the North Shore to as little as 10 inches inches in the far reaches of southern Minnesota. The highest snowfall average in Minnesota is in Duluth with about 85 inches inches per year, with the lowest average being about 40 inches inches in southwestern portions of the state.

During the spring, summer and fall Minnesota is subject to numerous thunderstorms, with the state averaging 30-40 days of thunderstorm activity per year. [4] The state is located on the northern edge of Tornado Alley, and peak tornado activity is in June and July with May and August being somewhat active as well. On average, the state has 24 tornadoes per year.[5] Heavy rainfall commonly occurs during thunderstorms, which frequently casuing localized flash flooding. Precipitation averages range from 20  - 35 inches across the state, with the Southeastern Minnesota seeing the most and Northwest Minnesota receving the least. [6]


Appraiser 20:41, 2 November 2006 (UTC)

Cool. Lets get these two merged. Is there enough material to form Climate of Minnesota? Gopherbacker would you want to do enough research to fill a whole page? -Ravedave (help name my baby) 03:36, 3 November 2006 (UTC)
Hrm it appears that some of the sentances in that version are directly from the 1st referenced PDF. [1] nevermind they just contained some of the same wording. I have fixed the sentences below. -Ravedave (help name my baby) 04:01, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

New climate section

A train stuck in snow in southern Minnesota, March 29, 1881

Minnesota has temperature extremes characteristic of its continental climate, with cold winters and mild to hot summers in the south and frigid winters and general cool summers in the north. <<NOTE: doesnt that sound subjective? (It does, but then it's backed up by facts in the body of the section (Appraiser).>> As Minnesota is located far inland, its climate is unmoderated by large bodies of water except for highly localized effects near Lake Superior.

In the summer months, hot and humid air surges northward from the the Gulf of Mexico and southwestern United States. These air masses can affect the entire state but are most common in the south and west.{{Fact}} Temperatures often rise above 90 °Fahrenheit (32 °C)and sometimes even over 100 °Fahrenheit (38 °C). The record high is 114 °F (45.5 °C), reached in both 1917 and 1936 in the western part of the state.[7] July is Minnesota's warmest month, followed by August and then June. Relief from the summer heat and humidity sometimes comes in the form of cold fronts dropping south from Canada.

During the winter months Minnesota is subject to Polar fronts and Arctic air outbreaks. << NOTE does outbreaks sound like a sickness outbreak? >> Temperatures during these outbreaks can drop to -20 °Fahrenheit (-29 °C) state-wide, with -50 °Fahrenheit (-46 °C) temps not uncommon in northern parts of the state.[8] The record low temperature for the state is -60 °Fahrenheit (-51 °C), measured at Tower on February 2, 1996[9]. The cold fronts that usher this air in often bring with them strong northerly winds, which result in dangerous wind chill factors as low as -70 °Fahrenheit (-57 °C). January is Minnesota's coldest month, followed by February and then December.

Precipitation occurs throughout the year, with snow comprising the majority of the winter precipitation and rain during the rest of the year. Blizzards are common <<NOTE: common?? isn't is usually 3-5 a year in the cities?>> during Minnesota winters, especially in the western portions of the state where the terrain is flatter there is stronger wind.‹The template Talkfact is being considered for merging.› [citation needed] The most notable of these is the 1991 Halloween Blizzard which dumped 21.0 Inches of snow in 24 hours and broke several local records. Snowfall extremes range from 150 inches inches in the rugged Superior Highlands of the North Shore to as little as 10 inches inches in the far reaches of southern Minnesota. The highest snowfall average in Minnesota is in Duluth with about 85 inches inches per year, with the lowest average being about 40 inches inches in southwestern portions of the state.

During the spring, summer and fall Minnesota is subject to numerous thunderstorms, with the state averaging 30-40 days of thunderstorm activity per year.[4] Heavy rainfall commonly occurs during thunderstorms, which can cause localized flash flooding. The state is located on the northern edge of Tornado Alley, and peak tornado activity is in June and July, with May and August being somewhat active as well. On average, the state has 24 tornadoes per year.[10] Precipitation averages range from 20  - 35 inches across the state, with the Southeastern Minnesota seeing the most and Northwest Minnesota receiving the least. [11]

New Climate Section

Sorry for jumping the gun in the main article. I'll put my version here and incorporate some of User:Ravedave's changes. Appraiser 19:19, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

A train stuck in snow in southern Minnesota, March 29, 1881

Minnesota endures temperature extremes characteristic of its continental climate, with cold winters and mild to hot summers in the south and frigid winters and generally cool summers in the north. Without the climate-moderating benefits of large bodies of water, except for highly localized effects near Lake Superior, temperatures in Minnesota vary widely, especially with variations in the short-term jet stream patterns and polar fronts.

<<Note: Minnesota isn't particularly humid compared to other parts of the country. I removed that concept entirely.>> Temperature extremes range from a low of -60 °Fahrenheit (-51 °C) measured at Tower in the north on February 2, 1996,[12] to highs of 114 °F (45.5 °C) reached in both 1917 and 1936 in the western part of the state.[13] The average temperature in the coldest month, January, is 11.2 °F (-11.5 °C), and the average in the warmest month, July, is 73.1 °F (22.8 °C). Averages are cooler in the north and warmer in the south. <<Note: I think noting temperature records as well as January and July averages is sufficient to describe temperature. The other figures seem like fluff to me. Also the -70 F wind chill figure seems wrong. e.g. What was the wind speed when the mercury read -60?>>

Snowfall averages 49.6 inches (126 cm) statewide; averages range from about 85 inches at Duluth to 40 inches in southwestern portions of the state.[14] Snowfall extremes have ranged from 150 inches in the rugged Superior Highlands of the North Shore to as little as 10 inches in southern Minnesota.

<< I took out the "blizzards are common" because I'm not sure how to define a blizzard. (Isn't that something yummy from DQ?)>> Minnesota experiences dangerous wind chills and blizzards during its long winters; the most notable of these is the 1991 Halloween Blizzard which dumped 21.0 Inches of snow in 24 hours and broke several local records. Occasional thunderstorms hit the state the rest of the year, averaging 30–40 days of thunderstorm activity per year.[4] <<Again, I don't think flash flooding is particularly common, compared to other parts of the country.>> Minnesota is located on the northern edge of Tornado Alley, and peak tornado activity is from June through August. On average, the state has 24 tornadoes hits per year.[15] Total precipitation averages range from 20–35 inches across the state, with the most in the southeast and the least in the northwest.[16]

The heaviest winds in the state are found along the Buffalo Ridge, an elongated area extending from Watertown, South Dakota, diagonally across southwestern Minnesota and into Iowa. Created by a glacial drift from the last ice age, the Buffalo Ridge is ideal for wind power generation, with average wind speeds of 16.1 miles per hour (26.8 kph).[17] <<Heaviest winds are in the southwest, but not because it's flat.>>

Appraiser 19:19, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

  1. ^ Minnesota's Climate Retrieved October 31, 2006
  2. ^ February in the Northern Plains Retrieved October 1, 2006.
  3. ^ Minnesota and United States Climate Extremes Retrieved June 22, 2006.
  4. ^ a b c [2] srh.noaa.gov. Retrieved on October 25, 2006. Cite error: The named reference "Thunderstorm hazards" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ Minnesota Tornado History and Statistics Retrieved October 19,2006
  6. ^ Precipitation Map Retrieved October 31, 2006
  7. ^ Minnesota and United States Climate Extremes Retrieved June 22, 2006.
  8. ^ Minnesota's Climate Retrieved October 31, 2006
  9. ^ February in the Northern Plains Retrieved October 1, 2006.
  10. ^ Minnesota Tornado History and Statistics Retrieved October 19,2006
  11. ^ Precipitation Map Retrieved October 31, 2006
  12. ^ February in the Northern Plains Retrieved October 1, 2006.
  13. ^ Minnesota and United States Climate Extremes Retrieved June 22, 2006.
  14. ^ Historical Climate Summaries Online Data | Historical Climate Summaries Retrieved October 18, 2006
  15. ^ Minnesota Tornado History and Statistics Retrieved October 19,2006
  16. ^ Precipitation Map Retrieved October 31, 2006
  17. ^ "Buffalo Ridge Wind Power Plant". Xcel Energy.
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