BRAINERD — It looks like the first week of the new year is a little closer to normal in terms of winter weather.
Residents, who did not have to take out their snowblowers this year, were outside clearing away fallen snow on the afternoon of Sunday, December 31. Snowfall since Saturday has averaged about an inch, with much of the seven-county area receiving less than an inch of snow. It is also how deep the snow is. In recent days, officials have issued warnings about deteriorating ice conditions on the lake.
With just hours left in 2023, the average precipitation recorded in the Brainerd Lakes area's weather records for December was 2.37 inches, but most of that was in the form of rain.
The high temperature in December reached 50 degrees on December 14, and the coldest day of the month was 23 degrees recorded on December 10. Otherwise, the high temperatures of the month are readily apparent with high temperatures in the 40s on just 11 days and five days. With highs not rising from the 20s. Overnight lows were above freezing on seven nights. Temperatures were above normal nearly every day of the month and the last 10 days of the month were routinely 20 degrees or more above normal.
The normal high at this time of year is 22 degrees with 2 degrees as the minimum temperature. The average normal temperature, when looking at daytime highs and nighttime lows, is 12 degrees.
New Year's Eve recordings
- 43 degrees, which is the highest record level recorded on December 31, 1901.
- 14 below the coldest daytime high recorded on December 31, 1898.
- 29 degrees to the record overnight temperature of 29 degrees in 1929.
- 39 below the lowest record temperature recorded in the miserable winter of 1946.
- 33 degrees is the highest record temperature recorded in 2006.
- 25 below the lowest average temperature recorded in the equally miserable year 1898.
2023 looks poised to surpass records for warmest December on record, but a new year will need to be registered before those records are complete.
- 41 degrees to a record high recorded on January 1, 1998.
- 11 below the lowest record daily temperature recorded in 1899.
- 30 degrees for the highest minimum temperature recorded in 1992.
- 38 below the lowest record temperature recorded on January 1, 1979.
- 31 degrees is the highest temperature recorded in 1992.
- 18 below the lowest average temperature recorded in 1974.
New Year's Day The weather is expected to be moderate with clouds gradually clearing, with a high of 33 degrees on a breezy day with southwesterly winds of 5 to 15 mph and gusts of up to 20 mph. We expect an overnight low of 23 degrees.
The sky is cloudy most of the time The maximum temperature on Tuesday is expected to reach 32 degrees, and the minimum temperature at night is about 18 degrees. The winds are expected to remain active but shift to the northwest.
Partly sunny skies The weather is expected to be on Wednesday with stormy northerly winds, the maximum temperature approaching 24 degrees, and the minimum during the night about 10 degrees.
Partly sunny skies Temperatures are expected to continue on Thursday with a high of 24 degrees. Breezy weather with southwesterly winds turning to southerly winds turning to westerly winds at night with a low temperature of around 16 degrees.
Friday temperatures may The temperature will rise to 26 degrees with mostly cloudy skies and a westerly wind of about 10 mph becoming northerly in the afternoon. Look for an overnight low of around 18 degrees.
Saturday is the first day New Year with possible snow in the forecast. It's a slight chance with a high possibly around 27 degrees under mostly cloudy skies, with east winds at 10 mph becoming west winds after midnight. The overnight low may be around 19 degrees.
Sunday also has a slim chance Of snow with mostly cloudy skies in the forecast, a high of 26 degrees, and a northwest wind around 10 mph with gusts up to 15 mph.
