The cold is definitely not what it used to be

We finally saw a real winter cold snap but it’s warmer than even modern averages and much warmer than winter cold snaps of five decades ago.

How cold is it really? 

No doubt subzero temperatures are cold no matter what way you look at it but our coldest temperatures are some of our fastest warming aspects of our Minnesota climate.

Winter average temperatures are some of the fastest warming in the lower 48 of the United States.

Winter average temperatures have warmed on average about five degrees in just the last five decades in The Twin Cities.

Specifically, Jan. 16-20, the coldest statistical period of winter, has warmed almost six degrees since 1970.

Those are all averages, when we look at the extremes, it’s even more apparent. Fifty years ago we could count on the coldest temperature of winter being in the twenties below zero for the Twin Cities on average. That minimum temperature of winter has warmed a startling 13 degrees since 1970.

In Duluth, it’s a similar story. The coldest temperature of winter used to average about 31 below zero fifty years ago and now it’s about 21 below zero.

While humans may not like the extreme cold, our ecosystems are adapted to bitter cold winters. Extreme temperatures in the 30s below zero wipe out invasive species like emerald ash borer which are now spreading thanks in part to warmer winters.

Here’s a look at the recent coldest temperatures across Minnesota with the modern average coldest temperature of winter and the 1961-1990 average:

You can see that this cold snap, if it is our coldest of this winter, is on average 10 degrees warmer than even the modern averages and 15 degrees warmer than the average of 50 years ago.