Hennepin West Mesonet Extremes of 2019

Jan 13, 2020

As we sit back and reflect on the weather of 2019, we will likely think about the Twin Cities breaking the annual precipitation record at 43.17 inches, but it also makes you wonder what other extremes we experienced last year in Hennepin County. In 2019, we added three more mesonet stations to our Hennepin West Mesonet network, but even more impressive are the extremes some of our sites captured. In the first 6 months of 2019, we experienced a 133° F temperature change, from -37° F at the end of January, all the way up to 96° F by mid-July. Our highest wind speed, 56 mph, in Dayton was recorded just hours before an EF-1 tornado hit the Minnetrista area. The hottest and most dangerous heat day of the summer occurred only two weeks after large hail hit the northern half of Hennepin County. In case you forgot this was Minnesota, we also saw more days below freezing than were above 90° F in Hennepin County.

Map of the extreme weather conditions measured by Hennepin West Mesonet stations in 2019.

We can’t wait to see what extremes 2020 has in store for us. Happy New Year!