Weird Weather: March Sees Record-Setting Heat

Over the last week, the last remnants of winter disappeared from Burnsville as the Twin Cities region was swept by an almost inconceivable heat wave, with temperatures in the 60s, 70s and 80s. The last time Minnesota saw such warm weather was March of 1910, the year Mark Twin died and the Fitzgerald Theater was built in Saint Paul.

Locally, baffled Burnsville residents have been watching their trees and shrubs burst into bloom weeks early. Others are hitting the lakes or the links at Birnamwood Golf Course, which opened on March 14, the earliest opening date in the history of the course. It's pleasant, no doubt, but Minnesotans can be forgiven if they find this premature onset of summer a little creepy. What is going on? How could  be so wrong?

According to the Minnesota State Climatology Office, Minnesota is in the thrall of an unusual pattern: The arctic jet stream has stayed to our north, in Canada, almost all winter. In its place, a jet stream from the Gulf of Mexico has been sending blasts of heat our way, said State Climatologist Pete Boulay.

"It's been very persistent," Boulay said. "The warmest March on record is 1910 — that's the one to beat. We have a very good chance of doing that."

Could this be related to global warming? After all, this heat wave is not confined to Minnesota, or even the continental U.S. In February, the National Weather Service reported that global temperatures had exceeded the long-term average for 324 consecutive months — 27 years. Levels of arctic sea ice for February were the fifth lowest on record, at 6.9 percent below average. 

Boulay, like many in his field, said it's hard to say. In any case, Boulay said that it is unlikely that winter will make one last stand in the next few weeks, or reassert itself late in the game in April. A recent rain has somewhat mitigated a regional drought brought on by a dry fall and lack of snow cover, though the danger has not passed. 

"We're just staying where we're at," Boulay said. "We started in the hole and it's going to take a lot to make it up."