Very cool maximum temperatures - Friday, May 7, 2010

Many locations across South Dakota, southwest Minnesota, and northwest Iowa saw unusually cool temperatures on the afternoon of May 7th. Strong northwest winds, mostly cloudy skies, and light rainfall all contributed to the unseasonable temperatures on Friday, which were around 20 degrees below average. The following map displays high temperatures for Friday, May 7th.

Several sites throughout southeastern South Dakota, northwest Iowa, and southwest Minnesota were within the top three coldest maximum temperatures on record. The following table lists high temperatures on May 7th, 2010, as well as the record low maximum for May 7th, the year in which the record was set, and where 2010 falls in the rankings.

Location	2010	Record	Year	Rank
Mitchell, SD	51	52	2002*	1
Spencer, IA	51	58	2002*	1
Chamberlain, SD	48	46	2002*	2
Pipestone, MN	46	44	1996	2
Sioux Falls, SD	48	46	1950	3
Marshall, MN	46	44	1972	3
Sioux City, IA	51	44	1924	4
Huron, SD	48	35	1907	6

* = Period of record is from 2001-2010

Continued cold temperatures are on the way with forecast lows tonight in the upper 20's and low 30's across the region. Record low temperatures for May 9th, 2010 range from the mid 20's to low 30's, so additional broken records are possible. In addition, freeze warnings have been issued for Sunday morning throughout the region.