Top Minnesota Weather Events of 2015

Minnesotans like warm weather. The Department of Natural Resources held a poll to rank the top weather events of 2015. The warmer than normal autumn topped the list.

There were plenty of opportunities to get in weekend yard work this fall with temperatures six degrees above average from September through November. The warm autumn topped the list of major weather events of 2015, according to a poll created by the Minnesota DNR.

A pleasant summer with a lack of 90+ degree days ranked second in the poll. The number of days of high dew points was a tolerable number in 2015 as well.

The slow start to the winter of 2015-16 was third on the DNR poll. A lack of snow seemed popular, unless you are a snowmobile enthusiast or enjoy cross country skiing. Ice fishing has gotten off to a slow start, at least in the southern part of the state.

One of the most severe storms of 2015 occurred in the Brainerd Lakes Area on July 12 with straight-line winds in excess of 100 mph creating a wide swath of damage. That event ranked fourth.

Also in July, smoky skies stretched across Minnesota from wildfires in Canada. A smoky smell filled the air as well. Participants in the poll ranked this as the fifth most significant weather event of 2015.

In Owatonna, chilly, rainy conditions during Steele County Free Fair week kept attendance numbers down at times. But crowds flocked to the fairgrounds when the sun came out to make for another successful fair. High school football fans enjoyed the mild fall after the earlier then usual start to the season came on a hot, stormy Saturday in August.