Location:
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| Retrieved from: https://www.meded.umn.edu/minority/community_TwinCities.php |
Average Monthly Precipitation:
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| Retrieved from: http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USMN0503
Minneapolis
does not suffer from a lack of precipitation, with an average of over an inch
every month with the exception of January and February, which are still close.
June, July, and August are the wettest months of the year, with August being
the month of the most abundance. As temperatures begin to stay above freezing,
the precipitation levels begin to be affected by the snow melt. Minneapolis has
had a record low of 14.5 inches of snow, and a record high of over 98 inches of
snow in a year (http://www.crh.noaa.gov/mpx/?n=mspsnowfall). The amount of water trapped in this snow is bound to affect the
precipitation levels as the year progresses into Spring and Summer.
Average Monthly Temperature: |
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| Retrieved from: http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USMN0503
To an Average Coloradan, the average temperature in Minneapolis can be summed up as cold.
July is typically the warmest month of the year, and holds the record high of 108°F.
December, January, and February tend to be the coldest months of the year, with January holding the record low of -41°F in 1888.
Geographic Setting:
Retrieved from: https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9715564,-93.2152401,11z
Located at 44 degrees North and 93 degrees West with an elevation of 950 ft., Minneapolis is a flat-land, and houses part of the Mississippi river, as well as 22 lakes. Over 7% of the land is occupied by bodies of water (http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us).
Bowen Ratio:
The Bowen Ratio describes how the net radiation heating is partitioned between the sensible heat flux and the latent heat flux. Moist regions have have lower ratios compared to arid regions. Despite being part of the continental landmass, Minneapolis is a moist region with an average relative humidity of 75% annually. Given the average relative humidity, the amount of snow, and the large bodies of water that surround Minneapolis, I would suspect that the Bowen Ration would be lower than other continental areas, with a ratio of 1.3:1 sensible/latent heat flux.
Resources:
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/www/groups/public/@cped/documents/webcontent/convert_262711.pdf
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USMN0503
http://www.wunderground.com/weather-forecast/US/MN/Minneapolis-Saint_Paul_International.html
https://www.meded.umn.edu/minority/community_TwinCities.php
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/mpx/?n=mspsnowfall
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