Winter! Little to write home about

As we are about to close out the meteorological winter of 2007/2008 it can be summarized as having a fast start and a slow finish. Encapsulating the months of December, January and February we see the overall temperature averaging below normal for the season. For a large area of central and northwest Minnesota snow was hard to come by after Christmas.

Since December 1st there have been only two days when the mercury reached 40 or higher in the Twin Cities. The warmest reading was 43 on January 28th. December and February failed to deliver a temperature that reached 40.

Compare that to last winter when December of 2006 had 11 days of 40 degrees or warmer, topping out at 50 on December 14th. Three days in January and February of 2007 saw the thermometer register a high of 40 degrees or warmer.

Following a half-hearted promise of snow for Thursday, it looks like seasonal temperatures to close out the extended month of February. Bank on the high of 38 degrees on the 24th being the mildest temperature for the month at the Twin Cities International Airport.

CE