ST. PAUL — Minnesota state climatologists say 2012 will tie 1931 as the warmest year on record in the Twin Cities.

It had long appeared that 2012 would be the warmest year on record in the Twin Cities. But wintry weather since Dec. 21 has meant that temperatures have been mostly below normal.

On Monday, the state climatology office said that as a result, the average 2012 temperature in the Twin Cities will be 50.8 degrees — the same as the 50.8 degrees recorded in 1931 during the Dust Bowl era.

The average annual temperature during the most recent 30-year period from 1981-2010 is 46.3 degrees, so 2012 will finish 4.5 degrees above that normal.

St. Cloud saw its second warmest year on record, and Eau Claire, Wis., experienced its third warmest year in recorded history.

The National Weather Service stated: “It was a dry year as a whole across much of the Midwest, but parts of Minnesota ended the year with near to slightly above normal precipitation amounts, primarily due to a very wet period from late spring into early summer.”