Introduction
This website began as a personal project to analyze climate trends in Denver, Colorado, where I live. I wanted to understand how global warming was affecting my local area.
After creating the initial Denver climate analysis, I became interested in expanding the project to other regions of the country to compare how different areas are experiencing climate change. This led to the creation of the Minneapolis climate analysis section, which uses data from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport weather station.
The data for this analysis comes from two primary sources: the National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). We use data from 1939 to the present, with the 30 year windows making up the "normal" climate baseline. This is why our plots and statistics begin in 1969, allowing us to compare current conditions against this established baseline.
I found that many climate websites focus on either current weather or future projections, but there were fewer resources showing clear, easy-to-understand visualizations of historical climate trends. By creating these visualizations, I hope to make climate data more accessible and help people understand how their local climate is changing over time.
Temperature Trends in Minneapolis
Average yearly temperatures in Minneapolis over the past several decades:
The data shows a clear warming trend in Minneapolis's humid continental climate. While the city is known for its cold winters and warm summers, the overall trajectory shows a significant increase in average temperatures. The plot includes a linear fit for all years from 1939 to present and also includes a linear fit for the last 60 years, showing the temperature trend in degrees per year. These rising temperatures have important implications for Minneapolis's urban heat island effect, winter sports and recreation, and energy demands, potentially leading to changes in winter precipitation patterns and impacts on the region's lakes and natural resources.
Precipitation Trends in Minneapolis
Total yearly precipitation in Minneapolis over the past several decades:
Minneapolis's precipitation patterns show interesting variations over time. The city's location in the Upper Midwest means it experiences a full range of precipitation types, from heavy snow in winter to thunderstorms in summer. The yearly totals can vary significantly, with some years experiencing drought conditions while others see above-average rainfall. This variability is particularly important for the Mississippi River watershed and the region's numerous lakes and wetlands. The data helps us understand how climate change might be affecting the region's characteristic precipitation patterns and what that means for the future of water resources in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.