Climate is never constant, but our climate is changing more rapidly than it ever has in our measurement history.
The general character of Minnesota’s climate, including in Itasca County, is experiencing rising temperatures and more precipitation.
Precipitation is more often created during thunderstorms. This creates larger geographic disparities (areas where rain falls and where it doesn’t), leading to a higher frequency of drought. For example, a county can be in drought and a declared flood zone at the same time.
Grand Rapids has seen a 22% increase in precipitation since the 1920-1951 average. Precipitation has especially increased in the last 3-4 decades.
We are seeing more extreme weather events (heat waves and flash floods) in the last two decades than in the previous period of climate measurements, dating back to the 1840s.
The mean values of nighttime minimum temperatures are increasing at twice the rate of the mean values of daytime maximums
Tropical and more severe weather is becoming more common further north, leading to increasing heat indices rather than just higher air temperatures.
The change in weather and climate affects the livelihood of residents of Itasca County in many ways. These changes influence not just our economic livelihood, but health, energy use, infrastructure, and many other aspects of our life.
Go back to the Itasca Climate Dialogue project page to learn more!