| Temperatures | Precipitation | ||||||
| Month | High | Low | Average | Departure | Total | Departure | Snow |
| January | 21.4 | 7.2 | 14.3 | +2.5 | 1.17 | +0.23 | 13.9 |
| February | 31.2 | 18.0 | 24.6 | +6.2 | 1.19 | +0.44 | 9.1 |
| March | 38.2 | 21.1 | 29.6 | -1.0 | 1.98 | +0.10 | 23.0 |
| April | 60.5 | 39.5 | 50.0 | +5.3 | 1.77 | -1.24 | 0.1 |
| May | 64.2 | 45.8 | 55.0 | -1.9 | 3.54 | +0.01 | T |
| June | 81.6 | 62.1 | 71.9 | +5.8 | 3.72 | -0.28 | ... |
| July | 82.5 | 62.2 | 72.4 | +2.3 | 5.13 | +0.52 | ... |
| August | 77.8 | 57.6 | 67.7 | 0.0 | 4.04 | -0.29 | ... |
| September | 76.1 | 53.4 | 64.7 | +5.8 | 7.13 | +4.01 | ... |
| October | 61.8 | 41.4 | 51.6 | +4.6 | 0.88 | -1.32 | 0.0 |
| November | 44.0 | 27.7 | 35.8 | +4.6 | 2.26 | +0.25 | 5.5 |
| December | 22.8 | 11.6 | 17.2 | -0.1 | 0.59 | -0.43 | 12.1 |
| TOTALS: | 55.2 | 37.3 | 46.2 | +2.7 | 33.40 | +2.00 | *** |
Records
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January 2005 got off to a wet and icy start, with a wintry mix of precipitation falling. The bulk fell as freezing rain, with ½ inch of ice accumulation recorded in Rochester on the 1st. Temperatures quickly cooled by the 3rd though, so that as the next winter system moved through the area on 5th and 6th, the precipitation fell all as snow. Significant cold settled across Rochester by mid month, with temperatures below zero for much of the period from the evening of the 13th, through the morning hours of the 18th. Highs barely crept above zero on the 16th (5 F) and 17th (1 F). A snow storm would than bear down on the area for the 21st, bringing 8.5 inches of snow. Drier conditions would return for the rest of the month, with only a trace being recorded after the 22nd. Despite the one bout with cold air, temperatures were mild for January, averaging 2 ½ degrees above the normal.
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February was a mild month, and actually the mildest on average for all of 2005. Low temperatures never fell below zero, which usually occurs 8 times in a typical February, and only dropped into the single digits 6 times. Meanwhile, highs reached or exceeded 40 degrees 6 times, coming close to 50 on the 12th (48 F). Snowfall was generally light when it fell, mostly in the form of a trace to a few hundredths of an inch. However about one-half the month’s total came on the 20th, with 4.3 inches that day.
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March of 2005 will be remembered for one event, the major snow storm of the 18th and 19th. A low pressure system tracked across central Iowa and northern Illinois, bringing bands of heavy snow to the region. The highest totals were found across southeast Minnesota into western Wisconsin, with Rochester receiving an all-time, one-day record of 19.8 inches on the 18th. If it wasn’t for this significant storm, March would have been a dry month. Measurable precipitation only fell on 4 other days, with the 20th through the 29th not even receiving a trace. However, the record snow of the 18th helped March of 2005 become the 3rd snowiest March on record, and the 10th snowiest month on the whole. In addition, the first rumbles of thunder for the new year were heard on the 30th, which also brought some severe weather south of Rochester, over parts of northeast Iowa. Temperatures were varied throughout the month, with highs reaching 62 on the 6th, and then as warm as 69 on the 30th. Overall though, it was a cool March by its standards.
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Much of April was mild, with above normal temperatures for the first two-thirds of the month. Highs reached or exceeded 70 on 6 occasions, approaching 80 degrees on the 18th (79). The latter part of the month was much cooler though, with highs in the 40s and 50s, and lows falling below freezing on most days. It was dry month, with over 75% of the month’s total falling on the 11th, 16th, and 19th (1.35 inches). Aside from a tenth of an inch of snowfall on the 1st, the only other snowfall recorded was a few flurries at the end of the month.
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May started out quite cool, with high temperatures hovering near the 40 degree mark. Highs did reach into the upper 70s on the 8th and 31st, but 17 out of the 31 days recorded below normal temperatures. Most of the precipitation for May was confined to the middle part of the month, with 2.52 inches out of the 3.54 inch monthly total falling on the 12th and 18th.
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June brought a return to warmer, and relatively consistent temperatures. There were no huge swings in the daily highs or lows, with highs most days in the lower 80s and lows in the lower 60s. Despite not having a significant warm up throughout the month, the steady above normal conditions would help June average nearly 6 degrees above normal, and make it the 4th warmest June on record. Precipitation was about normal, and in stark contrast to the record setting June of 2004, where over 8 ½ inches of rain fell. Like May, most of this June’s total came on two days, with the 8th and 26th accounting for almost 70% of the monthly total.
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July continued the warm trend, although saw a bit more variance in its day to day temperatures, as opposed to the consistency of June. There was a stretch of 5 days, from the 13th through the 17th, where highs reached or exceeded 90 degrees. However, maximum temperatures in the 70s were also recorded 9 times, with a 69 degree high on the 26th. Precipitation was above the monthly normal, but is misleading as 68% of this total came on the 25th, when 3.48 inches fell (a new record for that day). Aside from that day, measurable rainfall occurred on only 7 days, with 4 of those recording less than one-tenth of an inch.
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August got started on a warm note, recording 80 degree or better days on 8 out of the first 10 days. However, by the second half of the month, temperatures would settle into more seasonable levels, and help the month finish as “average”, per a normal August. Still, August would help the summer months round out as the 9th warmest on record for Rochester, at 70.7 degrees. Rainfall was normal for a typical August, but like July, a bulk of this can be attributed to the contributions of only a few days. There were 2 days with over 1 inch of rainfall, with the 2.73 inches on the 9th and 26th accounting for 68% of the monthly total.
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The warmer than normal temperatures would return for September, with temperatures averaging almost 6 degrees above the normal. The 64.7 degree average temperature would also make it the 5th warmest September on record for Rochester. In addition, temperatures warmed to or above the 90 degree mark one more time (91 on the 21st), bringing the total for such occurrence to 9 for 2005. In a normal year, 90 degrees is reached or exceeded 7 times. Precipitation was well above normal in September, and also made it the wettest month of the year. A significant chunk of the monthly rainfall came on the 25th, with the 3.17 inches setting a new record for that day. Rainfall was spread throughout the month though, with at least 1/3 of an inch being recorded on 8 other days.
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October jumped out to a very warm start, with 80 degree or greater days on 3 out of the first 4 days. A cold front would bring a drastic change come the 6th though, with a morning high that day of only 43, and temperatures then falling throughout the rest of the day. On the whole, October would finish above normal. It was a very dry month, with measurable precipitation falling on only 7 days. Less the 0.05 inches fell on 5 of those days, with the majority of the 0.88 inch monthly total coming on the 30th (0.48 inches). Usually the first flurries of the season fall in late October, but nary a flake flew this year.
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November saw more mild conditions, and helped make the traditional fall months of September, October, and November finish as the 3rd warmest Fall on record for Rochester. Despite the overall mild weather, there were some cold days, with single digit lows on the 16th and 17th, and a high of only 18 on the 25th. November saw a return to more normal precipitation, and also brought the first measurable snowfall of the season on the 15th. There would be a total of 5.5 inches of snow by month’s end, which is the most snow in a November since 1996. November was also a very windy month, and on average, the windiest month of 2005. There were 5 days when the average wind speed exceeded 20 mph.
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December was a tale of two halves, with the start of month ushering in significant cold along with snowy conditions. At least a few flurries flew on 15 out of the first 16 days, with the 14th tallying the highest snowfall of the month with 7.1 inches. By the second half of the month, however, these cold and snowy conditions would come to a screeching halt, as a much warmer weather pattern came into play. Low temperatures from the 23rd through the 31st would hover close to freezing, which is about 10 degrees warmer the normal high for this time of year. The highs didn’t warm much over these lows though, with temperatures nearly steady in the lower 30s from the 24th through month’s end. There was only one day during the second half of the month with measurable snow, but several days where some light freezing precipitation occurred.
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Overall, 2005 will be remembered as a warm year. The 46.2 degree average made it the 5th warmest on record. Above normal temperatures were recorded on 9 out of the 12 months, with 4 of those months finishing at least 5 degrees above their normals . Precipitation was a bit above normal, although generally every month stayed within ½ inch of their monthly normal (April, September and October were the exceptions).
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| Highest temperature for 2005 | 93 on June 23rd |
| Lowest temperature for 2005 | -15 on January 14th |
| Highest one-day precipitation | 3.48 inches on July 25th |
| Highest one-day snowfall | 19.8" on March 18th |
| Number of days with highs at or above 90 degrees | 9 |
| Number of days with highs at or below 32 degrees | 80 |
| Number of days with zero or below temperatures | 19 |
| Peak wind gust | 55 mph from the west on May 26th |
| Number of days with measurable precipitation | 111 |
| Percentage of days with measurable precipitation | 30% |
| Number of days with above normal temperatures | 220 |
| Percentage of days with above normal temperatures | 60% |
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