Why is Bemidji so warm during February and March?

[MageDragon]

This is one of Bemidji, Minnesota's biggest issues with being a so called cold city is how warm they can get during those two months. It is not wintry enough during those months to be considered a real "winter city" in my opinion. It is very un winter like and is very much so AMERICAN in how warm the town gets during February and March, in fact it is one of the most AMERICAN things about Bemidji. It is embarrassing that they get so so warm during those months. Now before I get called a liar I will share FACTS!


Here are the mean maximums of various cities in February from 2004 to 2023.

Bemidji, MN AP: 46F/8C
Minneapolis MSP: 46F/8C
Winnipeg AP: 34F/1C
Edmonton AP: 45F/7C
Ottawa CDA (yes the warm station): 43F/6C
Toronto Pearson: 49F/9C
Grand Forks: 38F/3C
Fargo: 40F/4C
Mont Tremblant Quebec (St. Jovite): 44F/7C
Calgary: 52F/11C


So Bemidji gets hotter during February than Winnipeg (duh), Edmonton, Ottawa, Grand Forks, Fargo, and Mont Tremblant (a sort of sister climate especially in terms of yearly extremes).

March is even more embarrassing

Bemidji, MN AP: 60F/16C
Minneapolis MSP: 64F/18C
Winnipeg AP: 49F/9C
Edmonton AP: 53F/12C
Ottawa CDA (yes the warm station): 56F/13.3C
Toronto Pearson: 62F/17C
Grand Forks: 54F/12C
Fargo: 58F/14C
Mont Tremblant Quebec (St. Jovite): 55F/13C
Calgary: 60F/16C

This is simply unacceptable for a climate that can get as cold as Bemidji, absolutely unacceptable to have a mean maximum in the 60S FARHENEHIT IN MARCH! That is absolutely insane.

Though looking at the March average highs for these places (2004-2023) and only gonna put it in F as the point is just higher is warmer and people can easily see that.

Bemidji, MN AP: 37.9F
Minneapolis MSP: 42.5F
Winnipeg AP: 30.8F
Edmonton AP: 33.8F
Ottawa CDA (yes the warm station): 37.4F
Toronto Pearson: 41.3F
Grand Forks: 34.2F
Fargo: 37.0F
Mont Tremblant Quebec (St. Jovite): 37.0F
Calgary: 39.4F

Absolute PATHETIC showing for a city that gets as cold as they do mid winter. This March is nearly Subtropical and certain an AMERICAN March. This might be the most AMERICAN month that Bemidji has to offer. Sad

[wamer27]

Basing a city on one anomaly record breaking warmest ever winter?

[MageDragon]

Originally Posted by wamer27

Basing a city on one anomaly record breaking warmest ever winter?

This is data from 2004 to 2023. Bemidji gets as warm as MINNEAPOLIS in an average February from 2004 to 2023. Plenty of these cities have had their warm abnormalities, ask a Ottawa during Feb 2018 or Toronto during Dec 2015 or how about nearly everywhere during Jan 2006 or March 2012?

The point is from 2004 to 2023 Bemidji has CONSISTENTLY been warmer on the warmest day of the month in Feb/March than many cities in their category. Bemidji being way behind Winnipeg and Grand Forks I can buy that, but being a little behind Fargo and somehow EQUAL to the Twin Cities during February is absolutely unacceptable for them. If they want to be considered REAL TOUGH, they need to stop getting these February and March heat waves. Even Toronto the laughing stock of Canada for their winters only BARELY gets warmer during Feb and March. That's honestly pathetic. Pathetic for a place with a mean minimum of -33F, yes that's equal to WINNIPEG (the airport station too so I'm not cherry picking that trash Forks downtown station which might honestly be as warm as Bemidji year round due to Winnipeg downtown having Houston Texas Esque summer nights), Mount Washington NH, Stanley, Idaho, and Mont Tremblant Quebec (ski mount place a little north of Montreal). I wore a T-shirt comfortably (without my arms getting numb) more than a few times when I was in Bemidji in February. For one February heat wave I was wearing the exact same outfit basically as I did during Houston when my local weather station reached a scorching 111F last summer. Would that happen in a place with a FULL HEMIBOREAL CLIMATE? Probably not