For many years, state and federal agencies have teamed with the University of Minnesota to provide climate information services to the citizens of Minnesota. The Climatology Working Group is made up of three primary units and numerous collaborators. The primary units of the Working Group are located at the University of Minnesota - Department of Soil, Water, and Climate. The primary units are the State Climatology Office, University of Minnesota Extension Climatology, and the University of Minnesota Climatological Observatory.

Minnesota State Climatology Office

contact: office staff
phone: 651-296-4214
e-mail:

The Minnesota State Climatology Office (MN_SCO) exists to manage, analyze, and disseminate climate information in service to the citizens of Minnesota. The MN_SCO is funded by the State of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources - Division of Waters, and housed at the University of Minnesota - Department of Soil, Water, and Climate.

The MN_SCO assists its customers in their investigations of the climate's impact on various components of the natural environment, and on socioeconomic activities. The MN_SCO uses its climate monitoring resources to quantify weather conditions and to place these conditions within historical and geographical context. The MN_SCO also provides quantitative summaries of historical climate conditions, allowing users to make informed decisions about future activities. The State Climatologist is Jim Zandlo. Assistant State Climatologists are Greg Spoden and Pete Boulay. The Office and Administrative Specialist is Karen Erickson.

The Minnesota State Climatology Office is a Recognized State Climate Office of the American Association of State Climatologists (ARSCO).

University of Minnesota Extension Climatology

contact: Dr. Mark Seeley
phone: 612-625-4724
e-mail:

Extension Climatologist/Meteorologist, Dr. Mark Seeley provides educational programs to Extension clientele related to issues of weather and climate. Dr. Seeley's outreach efforts include numerous speaking engagements for trade groups and civic organizations, teaching adult evening classes, and teaching atmospheric science for school science teachers through the AMS DataStreme Atmosphere program. Dr. Seeley is well known for his Friday morning weather commentaries on Minnesota Public Radio.

University of Minnesota St. Paul Campus Climatological Observatory

contact: Dave Ruschy
phone: 612-625-5227
e-mail:

The University of Minnesota's Department of Soil, Water, and Climate maintains a climatological observatory on the grounds of the University's St. Paul campus. Principal data sets include solar radiation, air and soil temperatures, dew point temperatures, pan evaporation, and wind. Updated each hour, data for the previous three days are available on-line.

Other Partners

The Minnesota Climatology Working Group maintains strong collaborative relationships with a number of academic units and agencies involved in atmospheric science. Some of these partners include:

Minnesota's atmospheric science community is indebted to the many federal, state, and local agencies that sponsor climate monitoring efforts. The community is especially beholden to the many, many, volunteer weather observers across Minnesota who provide the lion's share of Minnesota's climate data resource. In addition to the National Weather Service climate monitoring program, the following entities provide weather and climate information to the Minnesota Climatology Working group: