Twin Cities see earliest 70-degree day on record
The unseasonable warmth enjoyed by Twin Cities residents on Sunday afternoon broke a pair of temperature records, officials say.
The mercury at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport reached 74 degrees, breaking the record high for this date of 65 set in 1905, according to the National Weather Service.
It also marked the earliest the metro has topped the 70-degree mark since record keeping began. The previous titleholder was March 5, 2000, when the high temperature reached 72 degrees.
Record highs were also recorded in Eau Claire and St. Cloud, the NWS said.
Record highs have been set again today in the Twin Cities, St. Cloud and Eau Claire. Eau Claire and St. Cloud reached 70 degrees today, and the Twin Cities rose to 74 degrees. In addition, this was the earliest 70 degree temperature on record for all 3 sites. #mnwx #wiwx
— NWS Twin Cities (@NWSTwinCities) March 3, 2024
The historically warm start to March follows the metro’s hottest meteorological winter on record, with an average temperature of 29.9 degrees. The previous record was 29.0 degrees, set in the winter that spanned 1877 and 1878.
Temperatures are expected to moderate for the rest of this week, with highs forecast in the upper 40s and low 50s, according to the NWS.
A little rain and snow are possible in the morning and early afternoon on Monday, with another chance of precipitation toward the end of the week.
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