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December smashes temperature record by 5 degrees [1]
['Christopher Ingraham', 'More From Author', '- January']
Date: 2024-01
Minnesota notched its hottest December in the era of modern record keeping, beating the previous record, set in 2015, by a staggering 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
Data released on Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed that statewide average December temperature was 30 degrees — 17 degrees warmer than the 20th century average and more akin to typical December weather in states like Ohio and Indiana.
Overall, 2023 was the 8th hottest year on record in Minnesota, the 5th warmest for the country, and the hottest on record for the entire planet.
The December temperatures were driven primarily by a strong El Niño weather pattern that heated up the entirety of the lower 48. The strongest anomalies were centered like a bullseye on the state of Minnesota.
Some counties in the north central region, including Lake of the Woods and Koochiching, experienced temperatures more than 20 degrees warmer than usual, according to the NOAA data.
No county in the continental U.S. saw lower-than-usual temperatures in December.
The unprecedented warmth has created treacherous ice conditions and caused the cancellation of major winter events across the state, from the Minnesota Ice Festival in Eagan to the Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon in Duluth.
The unseasonable weather has also offered a preview of what Minnesota winters may look like in the decades to come, as the state’s climate transforms into something more closely resembling present-day Kansas.
Global data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service show 2023’s average surface temperature just a hair shy of the 1.5 degree Celsius limit beyond which climate-driven consequences may become irreversible.
“2023 marks the first time on record that every day within a year has exceeded 1°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial level,” Copernicus’ scientists write. “Close to 50% of days were more than 1.5°C warmer than the 1850-1900 level, and two days in November were, for the first time, more than 2°C warmer.”
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https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/december-smashes-temperature-record-by-5-degrees/
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