Minnesota · 257 m elevation

Barometric Pressure in Minneapolis, MN

• 30.01Average pressure (inHg, sea level)
• 249.9Swing days a year · 4th of 50
• 150.6Big-swing days a year (≥10 hPa)
• 146.3Significant 24h drop days a year

Overview

Minneapolis averages 30.01 inHg (1016.4 hPa) and logs 249.9 significant pressure swing days a year — the 4th most volatile of 50 US cities.

On January 7, 2015, the barometer in Minneapolis hit 31.04 inHg (1051 hPa), the highest reading in the ten-year record. About twenty-six hours later, at 1 p.m. on January 8, the city closed out its largest 24-hour fall on record: 1.28 inHg (43.5 hPa). The all-time high and the all-time collapse came from the same weather system. That is Minneapolis pressure in one episode — the biggest numbers and the biggest changes arrive together, in winter.

Across 2015–2024, mean sea-level pressure averaged 30.01 inHg (1016.4 hPa), with a median of 30.00 inHg (1015.9 hPa). The middle 90% of hours fell between 29.63 inHg (1003.4 hPa) and 30.45 inHg (1031 hPa). The standard deviation of 0.25 inHg (8.37 hPa) ranks 4th highest of the 50 cities studied, against a national median of 6.87 hPa. At 257 meters elevation, station pressure runs about 0.92 inHg (31.2 hPa) below the sea-level figures: an uncorrected home barometer will sit near 29.09 inHg (985.2 hPa) on an average day, not 30.01. If your instrument reads low, check its altitude correction setting before assuming it is broken.

Minneapolis records 249.9 significant swing days per year — days with a 24-hour change of at least 0.18 inHg (6 hPa) — ranking 4th of 50 against a national median of 180.7. Big-swing days of 0.30 inHg (10 hPa) or more come 150.6 times a year, also 4th nationally and 1.75 times the median of 86.1. Only Denver, Colorado Springs, and Boston move more often. The Colorado cities get there through terrain and altitude; Minneapolis does it on open plain, sitting under the winter storm track where Arctic and Pacific air masses collide. Chicago logs 233.7 swing days and 133.1 big-swing days; Minneapolis exceeds both. Against Miami, the calmest city in the set, Minneapolis has 12.6 times the swing days and roughly 47 times the big-swing days.

Migraine & pressure-sensitivity outlook

• Low — under 6 hPa (0.18 inHg)
• Elevated — 6 to 10 hPa
• High — 10 hPa (0.30 inHg) or more
• Dashed outline = forecast (after today)

Association only. This calendar shows days when pressure changed — or is forecast to change — sharply over 24 hours, conditions associated with pressure sensitivity in some people. It is not a prediction of symptoms, not a diagnosis, and not medical advice. The 30 days of history are there so you can compare the days you actually felt something against what the barometer did. Talk to a clinician about headache or migraine management.

For people who track barometric pressure, Minneapolis is one of the most demanding cities in the country. A typical day brings a 24-hour change of 0.14 inHg (4.6 hPa), and one day in twenty exceeds 0.50 inHg (16.8 hPa). Significant swings occur on 249.9 days a year, and significant 24-hour falls — the direction many pressure-sensitive people report as their trigger — on 146.3 days, about 40% of the calendar. Swings are the default state here, not an event.

The load is concentrated in the cold half of the year. November, December, and January each average between 16.4 and 16.6 drop days, and December and January each carry 27.3 swing days in total. July is the quietest month by a wide margin, with 4.8 drop days and 10.1 swing days — roughly a third of January's swing-day count. August is close behind at 6.3 and 11.5. If you keep a symptom log here, the calendar matters more than in most cities. Six-hour changes reach about 0.14 inHg at the tails — a 4.9 hPa fall at the 5th percentile and a 4.8 hPa rise at the 95th — so drops often arrive fast enough to be noticed within a single afternoon.

In national terms, Minneapolis ranks 4th of 50 for both swing days and big-swing days. Chicago sees 133.1 big-swing days a year and Milwaukee 146.5; Minneapolis sees 150.6. Denver, the most volatile city in the set, logs 281.6 swing days to Minneapolis's 249.9 — but Minneapolis's single largest 24-hour drop, 1.28 inHg (43.5 hPa), is the larger of the two. At the other end, Los Angeles averages 45.6 swing days a year with a standard deviation of 0.12 inHg (3.91 hPa): under a fifth of the swing frequency and roughly half the day-to-day variability. Moving here from the Southwest or the Gulf Coast means conditions many pressure-sensitive people report as triggers occur several times more often, and mostly between November and March.

Seasonal patterns

The seasonal split here is unusually sharp. December and January each average 27.3 significant swing days — nearly nine days in ten with a 24-hour change of 0.18 inHg (6 hPa) or more. November follows at 25.5, March at 25.2, February at 24.8. July is the floor at 10.1 swing days, with August at 11.5. Month-to-month variability tells the same story: February's standard deviation is 0.32 inHg (10.79 hPa) and January's is 0.31 inHg (10.34 hPa), while July's is 0.13 inHg (4.37 hPa) — about 40% of February's.

The driver is straightforward. In winter the polar jet sits over the Upper Midwest, and strong contrasts between Arctic and Pacific-modified air produce deep, fast-moving lows separated by cold, dense highs. Monthly mean pressure follows: January averages 30.14 inHg (1020.7 hPa) and February 30.13 inHg (1020.3 hPa), against a June low of 29.88 inHg (1012 hPa). In summer the jet retreats north into Canada, gradients slacken, and pressure drifts rather than lurches.

Every one of the five largest 24-hour drops on record fell between mid-December and late February: -1.28 inHg (43.5 hPa) ending January 8, 2015; -1.17 inHg (39.5 hPa) ending February 24, 2015; -1.00 inHg (33.9 hPa) ending February 20, 2022; -0.95 inHg (32.1 hPa) ending December 13, 2017; and -0.94 inHg (31.9 hPa) ending January 31, 2018. The lowest pressure of the decade, 28.96 inHg (980.8 hPa), came on December 16, 2021. Rises can be just as abrupt — the largest 24-hour gain was 1.23 inHg (41.7 hPa) — and the sharpest six-hour fall was 0.52 inHg (17.7 hPa).

Month by month

Swing days: 24-hour change of at least 6 hPa (0.18 inHg). Drop days: 24-hour fall of at least 6 hPa. Averages per year, 2015–2024.

Records and extremes

Sharpest 24-hour drops, 2015–2024

Nearby cities

• Omaha, NE
• Milwaukee, WI
• Chicago, IL
• Kansas City, MO
• St. Louis, MO
• Indianapolis, IN

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