Good Question: What Are The New Weather Normals?

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- When it comes to the weather we pay a lot of attention to the averages. The average high, low, rainfall and snow totals.

But for the first time in a decade, the definition of average or normal is changing. So what is the normal weather in Minnesota?

"The biggest headline is it's warmer here," according to WCCO-TV Meteorologist Mike Augustyniak.

The old average covered the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. But the new average covers the 2000s.

"The 70s are gone, which was a very cold decade which accounts for some of the changes in these numbers," said Augustyniak.

According to Augstyniak's analysis of the data, the biggest changes are happening overnight. Our lows aren't as low.

"The coldest normal low happens in mid January, that was 3 degrees (under the old average.) Now the coldest is 7 degrees, much warmer," Augustyniak said.

And while a 3.2 degree swing may not seem like much, it definitely is.

"Meteorologically when you look at every day over three decades, you have to have a lot more heat available for that kind of movement," said Augustyniak.

There's less change in the average daytime highs, although nine months saw slight increases. Three did not.

"May, June and October are all colder on average when you just consider the highs," he said.

Plus, it's wetter. The normal average precipitation in a year is now 30.6 inches.  That's 1.2 more inches than the old normal.

"That is tied to warmer temps, to get warmer you need the storm track closer to you. So you'll bring up more moisture from the south, theGulf of Mexico," Augustyniak said.

Average snowfall is also up slightly overall, although really what happened is that snowfall in December is up significantly (about two inches), and the other months are all down.

"This is a symbol that says what we've been experiencing is happening. It's warmer here than it used to be. On average, it's warmer across the globe. If nothing else, regardless of your politics, because this is just science, it's a red flag," said Augustyniak.

"This much change over this span of time, is a lot," he said.