This final week of the year will go down as one of the coldest ever in the Twin Cities, says Assistant State Climatologist Pete Boulay: “The coldest week being 1886, which is probably pretty safe. International Falls of course will be colder, and that’ll be one of the coldest last weeks on their record too.” It comes after a September, October and November that were warmer and drier than normal across much of Minnesota.
And what about the long-term outlook going into 2018? Boulay says you might not want to hear it, but “Climate Prediction Center’s outlook for January, February and March… has a tendency for a more below-normal temperatures across all of Minnesota, especially as you go farther north, and… above-normal precipitation for much of the state.” Above-normal precipitation does bode well, however, for winter tourism — particularly in northern Minnesota.