document_title: List of SpongeBob SquarePants characters

question_text: is pearl from spongebob a whale or shark

root

text: Creation and conception[edit]

text: Stephen Hillenburg originally conceived early versions of the SpongeBob SquarePants characters in 1984, while he was teaching and studying marine biology at what is now the Orange County Marine Institute in Dana Point, California.[1] During this period, Hillenburg became fascinated with animation, and wrote a comic book titled The Intertidal Zone starring various anthropomorphic forms of sea creatures, many of which would evolve into SpongeBob SquarePants characters,[2] including "Bob the Sponge", who was the co-host of the comic and resembled an actual sea sponge as opposed to SpongeBob.[3] In 1987, Hillenburg left the institute to pursue his dream of becoming an animator.[2][3]

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text: Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Pearl, and Squidward were the first other characters Hillenburg created for the show.[4] Many of their characteristics were based on Hillenburg's experiences during his time at the Ocean Institute or inspired by the traits of their species. Patrick's personality embodies the nature of the starfish; according to Hillenburg, they look "dumb and slow" but are "very active and aggressive" in reality, like Patrick.[5] Hillenburg drew inspiration from his former manager at a seafood restaurant while creating Mr. Krabs.[6] According to him, this manager was redheaded, muscular, and a former army cook; these traits were all adapted into Krabs' character.[7] His decision to design Pearl was influenced by his regular supervision of whale watches at the Ocean Institute, as well as by a cetacean skeleton at the institute.[8] He drew Pearl with an oversized, almost geometric head as a reference to sperm whales having the largest brain size of any extant animal on Earth.[4] He designed Squidward as an octopus because of the species' bulbous mantle; the octopus, he said, has "such a large bulbous head and Squidward thinks he's an intellectual, so of course he's gonna have [one]."[5] Hillenburg drew Squidward with six tentacles because "it was really just simpler for animation to draw him with six legs instead of eight".[5]

text: Several additions were made to the series' main cast before and after Hillenburg pitched the series to Nickelodeon; in his series bible, he added Sandy Cheeks the squirrel as a "character that could be a friend to SpongeBob but not a love interest."[9] Plankton and Karen were included in his bible but were not meant to make regular appearances; Plankton's voice actor Mr. Lawrence said that he "was only supposed to be in one or two episodes, but I was a writer on the show and I really liked this character".[10] Following his first voice recording, Lawrence drafted some of his own ideas, hoping to "prove Plankton could survive as more than a one-note character."[11] From then on, Plankton and Karen's roles in the series grew as Lawrence wrote ideas to give them more personality; notably, he decided to write Karen as Plankton's wife, rather than just his computer as was originally intended.[12] They were both officially promoted to main cast members in the credits of the 2004 theatrical film, in which they play central roles.

text: Hillenburg added Mrs. Puff in response to a request by Nickelodeon that SpongeBob attend school. Nickelodeon executives initially wanted to make SpongeBob a child since their most successful cartoons at the time focused on young, school-age characters.[13] Hillenburg stated that the network wanted SpongeBob to be like "Arnold [from Hey Arnold!] under the sea," but he told them, "No, that's not the show."[13] As a compromise, he decided to put SpongeBob in a boat-driving school, allowing him to keep writing SpongeBob as an adult while also using the school as a main plot element.[13] Showrunner Vincent Waller suggested that if Nickelodeon had creative control over SpongeBob, almost every episode would take place at Mrs. Puff's school, rather than at a variety of locations.[14] The choice to make Mrs. Puff a pufferfish, who inflates into a ball when SpongeBob crashes, was made to evoke the appearance of car airbags.[15]

text: Main characters[edit]

text: SpongeBob SquarePants[edit]

text: SpongeBob SquarePants (voiced by Tom Kenny) is a yellow anthropomorphic sea sponge who physically resembles a rectangular cleaning sponge clad in brown short pants, a white collared shirt, and a red tie. He lives in a pineapple house and is employed as a fry cook at a fast food restaurant called the Krusty Krab.[16] He diligently attends Mrs. Puff's Boating School but has never passed; his lack of a driver's license is a running gag throughout the series. He is relentlessly optimistic and enthusiastic toward his job and his friends. SpongeBob's hobbies include catching jellyfish, blowing bubbles, playing with his best friend Patrick, and unintentionally irritating his neighbor Squidward. He first appears in "Help Wanted".[17]

text: Patrick Star[edit]

text: Patrick Star (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke) is a pink starfish who lives under a rock and wears flowered swim trunks. His most prominent character trait is his extremely low intelligence. He is best friends with SpongeBob and often unknowingly encourages activities that get the two into trouble.[16] While typically unemployed throughout the course of the series, Patrick holds various short-term jobs as the storyline of each episode requires. He is generally slow and easy-going but can sometimes get aggressive, much like real starfish.[18]

text: Squidward Tentacles[edit]

text: Squidward Tentacles (voiced by Rodger Bumpass) is an octopus with a large nose who works as a cashier at the Krusty Krab. He is SpongeBob's next-door neighbor with a dry, sarcastic sense of humor.[19] He believes himself to be a talented artist and musician, but nobody else recognizes his abilities. He plays the clarinet and often paints self-portraits in different styles, which he hangs up around his moai house. Although he does not like SpongeBob and Patrick, they are oblivious to his animosity and consider him a close friend.

text: Mr. Krabs[edit]

text: Eugene Harold Krabs (voiced by Clancy Brown) is a red crab who owns and operates the Krusty Krab restaurant where SpongeBob works. He is self-content, cunning, and obsessed with the value and essence of money.[16] He lives in an anchor with his teenage daughter Pearl, who is a whale. He dislikes spending money but will go to great lengths to make Pearl happy.[20] He tends to worry more about his riches than about the needs of his employees. Having served in the navy, he loves sailing, whales, sea shanties, and talking like a pirate.

text: Plankton and Karen[edit]

text: Sheldon Plankton (voiced by Mr. Lawrence) and Karen Plankton (voiced by Jill Talley) are the owners of the Chum Bucket, an unsuccessful restaurant located across the street from the Krusty Krab. Their business is a commercial failure because they sell mostly inedible foods made from chum. Plankton is a small planktonic copepod[21] and the self-proclaimed archenemy of Mr. Krabs. He is a skilled inventor and possesses a Napoleon complex due to his short stature.[22] Karen is Plankton's own invention, a talking supercomputer who supplies him with evil plans to steal Krabs' secret recipe for Krabby Patties.[23] She is married to Plankton and usually takes residence in the Chum Bucket laboratory.

text: Sandy Cheeks[edit]

text: Sandra "Sandy" Cheeks (voiced by Carolyn Lawrence) is a squirrel from Texas who lives in an air-filled glass dome and wears a diving suit to breathe underwater.[24] Whenever any aquatic creatures enter her home, they must wear helmets of water. Sandy works as a scientist, explorer, and inventor. She is a rodeo champion with a number of athletic interests, such as "sand-boarding" and karate.[25] She speaks with a Southern drawl and uses typical Southern slang words and phrases.

text: Mrs. Puff[edit]

text: Mrs. Puff (voiced by Mary Jo Catlett) is an elderly, paranoid pufferfish who is SpongeBob's teacher at boating school, an underwater driver's education facility where students drive boats like cars. She wears a sailor suit and her school is made from a submerged lighthouse. SpongeBob is Mrs. Puff's most dedicated student and knows the answer to every question on her written and oral exams, but always panics and crashes when he actually boards a vessel.[26] She puffs up into a ball when she is scared or injured.[27]

text: Pearl Krabs[edit]

text: Pearl Krabs (voiced by Lori Alan) is a teenage sperm whale and Mr. Krabs' daughter.[23] She wants to fit in with her fish peers, but finds this impossible to do because of the large size inherent to her species. She will inherit the Krusty Krab from her father when she grows older, but is still in high school and does not yet have a job at the family business. Pearl's favorite activities are working at the Bikini Bottom Mall, using her father's credit card to buy anything that is in style, and listening to pop music.[28]

text: Gary[edit]

text: Gary (voiced by Tom Kenny) is SpongeBob's pet sea snail who lives with him in their pineapple home and vocalizes like a cat.[29] Despite only communicating through meows, other characters can understand and talk to him. Depicted as a level-headed character, Gary often serves as a voice of reason for SpongeBob and solves problems that his owner cannot. He has a pink shell that is impractically spacious on the inside.

text: Recurring characters[edit]

text: Patchy the Pirate[edit]

text: Patchy the Pirate (portrayed by Tom Kenny) is the host of the series' special episodes. He is a live-action pirate and the president of the fictional SpongeBob fan club. He lives in an unnamed suburb of Encino, California, and segments hosted by him are often presented in a dual narrative with the animated stories. He made a special guest star appearance on Big Time Rush in the episode "Big Time Beach Party" with Carlos Pena Jr. and Logan Henderson.

text: Potty the Parrot[edit]

text: Potty the Parrot (voiced by Stephen Hillenburg, 2000–2004; Paul Tibbitt, 2005–2012; Mr. Lawrence, 2017–present) is Patchy's green pet parrot, depicted as a crudely-made puppet with googly eyes controlled by very obvious strings. The character's name is a reference to "Polly wants a cracker," a phrase often used for parrots to vocally mimic. Potty is obnoxious and often annoys or talks back to Patchy while the latter is trying to host an episode.

text: French Narrator[edit]

text: The French Narrator (voiced by Tom Kenny) is a scuba diver with a camera who often introduces episodes or narrates the intertitles as if the series was a nature documentary about the ocean. He has a thick French accent as a reference to the distinctive speaking style of oceanographer and filmmaker Jacques Cousteau. He is normally only heard, but physically appears twice: in "No Free Rides", in which SpongeBob and Mrs. Puff inadvertently hit him while driving, and in "Feral Friends", in which he is revealed to own a submarine.

text: Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy[edit]

text: Mermaid Man (voiced by Ernest Borgnine) and his sidekick Barnacle Boy (voiced by Tim Conway)[30] are two elderly and partially senile superheroes who live in a retirement home and are stars of SpongeBob and Patrick's favorite television show. Mermaid Man is known for completely forgetting things and yelling a prolonged "EVIL!" whenever he hears the word, while Barnacle Boy seems to be the smarter, more sensible, and more irritable of the two. "Mermaid Man Begins" confirms that their given first names are Ernie and Tim. Aquaman artist Ramona Fradon drew the characters' comic book adventures.[31] Since Borgnine's death, both characters have been retired and limited to cameo appearances.

text: Flying Dutchman[edit]

text: The Flying Dutchman (voiced by Brian Doyle-Murray) is an irritable pirate ghost who glows green.[32] He is named after the ghost ship of the same name. He haunts the seven seas because his unburied corpse was used as a window display. He collects souls as a Satan-like character and resides in a cavern containing Davy Jones' Locker, a literal locker stuffed with smelly socks, which within the series is analogous to Hell and occasionally mentioned as a curse word. In "SpongeBob SquarePants vs. The Big One," the musician Davy Jones makes a cameo appearance throwing socks from the locker at the Dutchman. He is first mentioned in "Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost" but does not have a speaking role until "Scaredy Pants".

text: King Neptune[edit]

text: King Neptune (voiced by John O'Hurley/Jeffrey Tambor) is a mighty, trident-wielding merman god who rules the sea, based on the mythological deity of the same name. In the series, Neptune lives in a palace in Atlantis with his wife Amphitrite and son Triton. He is usually portrayed as arrogant and selfish, showing little sympathy for the sea's fish populace. Neptune has a mostly blue-green color scheme with a long brown beard and hair. A different King Neptune is featured in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. In the film, he resides near Bikini Bottom with his daughter Mindy and resembles a green-skinned king with a robe, neatly-trimmed hair, a domed crown to cover his bald spot, and powers limited to what can be exercised through his trident.

text: Realistic Fish Head[edit]

text: The Realistic Fish Head (voiced by Mr. Lawrence) is an announcer and news anchor fish, resembling a cut-out of a live-action trout. He appears in the series' opening theme. His name has changed repeatedly throughout the series; it is Elaine in "The Great Patty Caper", Johnny in Battle for Bikini Bottom, and "T. McTrout" in commercials for Nicktoons UK.

text: Perch Perkins[edit]

text: Perch Perkins (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) is a perch who works as a famous field news reporter. While the Realistic Fish Head only reports on television news programs, Perch makes physical appearances reporting about events that occur. He is normally purple with a dark purple coat with a black wig and headphones, although some episodes and Nicktoons MLB show him with an orange color scheme and a red coat.

text: Larry the Lobster[edit]

text: Larry the Lobster (voiced by Mr. Lawrence) is a lobster lifeguard at Goo Lagoon. Larry is a bodybuilder and workout fanatic who lifts weights.[32] He first appears in "Ripped Pants".

text: Harold and Margaret SquarePants[edit]

text: Mr. Harold SquarePants (voiced by Tom Kenny) and Mrs. Margaret SquarePants (voiced by Sirena Irwin) are SpongeBob's parents, who more closely resemble round sea sponges than SpongeBob. Harold is brown with glasses and a moustache, while Margaret is dark orange. They seem to live outside of Bikini Bottom, but still take the time to visit their son on occasion. They are proud of SpongeBob but embarrassed that he still does not have a driver's license.

text: Grandma SquarePants[edit]

text: Grandma SquarePants (voiced by Marion Ross) is SpongeBob's paternal grandmother. She has six children with her late husband, whose wisdom SpongeBob sometimes cites when he plans something. She spoils SpongeBob whenever he visits her house with cookies, milk, sweaters, and bedtime stories, even though SpongeBob can get embarrassed by it.[32]

text: Squilliam Fancyson[edit]

text: Squilliam Fancyson III (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) is Squidward Tentacles' arrogant and wealthy arch-rival who has been able to succeed in everything Squidward has only dreamed of doing. He owns a ridiculously large, almost castle-like four-story mansion with an expansive garden on the rooftop. He first appears in "Band Geeks".

text: Betsy Krabs[edit]

text: Mrs. Betsy "Mama" Krabs (voiced by Paul Tibbitt/Sirena Irwin) is Mr. Krabs' overbearing mother who still treats him slightly like a child. She is a friend of Old Man Jenkins. She first appears in "Sailor Mouth" and has been mostly retired from the show, aside from a cameo in "Lame and Fortune".

text: Man Ray and Dirty Bubble[edit]

text: Man Ray (voiced by John Rhys-Davies/Bob Joles) and the Dirty Bubble (voiced by Charles Nelson Reilly/Tom Kenny) are villains against Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. Man Ray has a man's body and a helmet shaped to look like a stingray's head, which hides the fact that he does not have a head. The Dirty Bubble is a giant brown bubble with a face. Man Ray retires as supervillain in his first appearance, but he sometimes plays antagonistic roles afterwards.

text: Bubble Bass[edit]

text: Bubble Bass (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) is an overweight green bass who was the antagonist of "Pickles" in season 1 and returned as a recurring townsperson in season 8. He is a nemesis of SpongeBob and is very picky about his food.

text: Scooter[edit]

text: Scooter (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui) is a fish who enjoys surfing and is often seen at Goo Lagoon. He speaks like a stereotypical southern Californian and often calls SpongeBob "dude." He dies and becomes an angel in the second-season episode "Bubble Buddy", but returns unharmed for future episodes.

text: Purple Doctorfish[edit]

text: The Purple Doctorfish (voiced by Rodger Bumpass) is a doctor who works as a physician at the Bikini Bottom Hospital and as a traveling veterinarian for pet snails. He has a calm demeanor and a deep, suave voice. SpongeBob was initially scared of visiting his office in "Suds" but later faces his fears and discovers he likes visiting the doctor's.

text: Old Man Jenkins[edit]

text: Old Man Jenkins (voiced by Tom Kenny/Mr. Lawrence/Dee Bradley Baker) is an elderly townsperson who lives at the Shady Shoals retirement home and is a common patron of the Krusty Krab. His appearance and job changes often. One of his critical appearances is in "The Sponge Who Could Fly" wherein he plays a farmer, a sailor, and finally, a human cannonball. He believes SpongeBob is a box of Bran Flakes.

text: Jellyfish[edit]

text: Jellyfish (voiced by Tom Kenny) are wild animals who reside in Jellyfish Fields, a meadow in Bikini Bottom, and have a strong affinity for music. Within the series, jellyfish behave like sentient insects, squirt jelly, buzz and swarm like bees, and can sting their enemies with electric shocks that leave painful welts.

text: Minor characters[edit]

text:
The Alaskan Bull Worm (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) is a giant worm that terrorizes Bikini Bottom in "Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Worm".
Angry Jack (voiced by Dee Snider) is the owner of a snail shell emporium in "Shell Shocked". He initially pretends to have an angry demeanor as a marketing stint for his store's commercials, but becomes truly infuriated when SpongeBob accidentally destroys every shell in his emporium.
Blackjack SquarePants (voiced by John DiMaggio) is SpongeBob's cousin who bullied him during their childhoods. In his lone appearance, Blackjack was imprisoned for littering but has since been released.
Bubble Buddy (voiced by Brad Abrell) is a humanoid bubble created by SpongeBob in "Bubble Buddy". His apparent inanimateness annoys other people of Bikini Bottom, but he is later revealed to be a sentient being before moving out of the town in a taxi-shaped bubble.
Bubbles (voiced by Matt Berry, Jeff Bennett in SpongeBob HeroPants) is a god-like dolphin who is the overseer of the universe, watching them from a triangular building in outer space. SpongeBob and Plankton accidentally end up in his audience while using Karen's time machine in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.
Burger-Beard the Pirate (portrayed by Antonio Banderas) is a pirate who, upon discovering a book capable of rewriting reality, steals the Krabby Patty formula to open up a fast food drive-in while also changing Bikini Bottom into a wasteland. He appears as the main antagonist of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.
Craig Mammalton (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) is a seal who is popular among Goo Lagoon beachgoers for his tanned skin and golden caramel brown bones. In "Sun Bleached", he holds parties during the night that only permits those with tanned skin to enter, the highest level of which is bleached skin. He is a parody of George Hamilton.
The Cyclops (voiced by Neil Ross and portrayed by Aaron Hendry) is a marine diver who is always seen wearing a diving suit and helmet, appearing only in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. He is actually a normal adult man; however, because humans tower virtually all sea life, Mindy describes him as "the worst of all hazards". He is the owner of "Shell City", which is really the name of a seaside gift and souvenir shop.
Dennis (voiced by Alec Baldwin) is a hitman hired by Plankton to assassinate SpongeBob and Patrick before they are able to retrieve King Neptune's Crown from Shell City. Before he manages to do that, however, he is first stomped by the Cyclops, then hit by a pier. He only appeared in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.
DoodleBob (voiced by Paul Tibbitt) is a hand drawing created by SpongeBob in his image using a human pencil, which is seemingly able to animate anything it draws. He speaks through unintelligible phrases. He appears in "Frankendoodle", serving as the antagonist until SpongeBob manages to trap him inside a book. He also featured as the main villain to defeat in the Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition video game.
Flats the Flounder (voiced by Thomas F. Wilson) is a green flounder who had several silent cameos in various SpongeBob SquarePants (season 1) episodes before appearing as the new student at Mrs. Puff's Boating School in "The Bully". He wants to kick SpongeBob's "butt" for no apparent reason and SpongeBob takes it as if Flats wants to murder him.
Fred[33] (voiced by Mr. Lawrence) is a brown fish townsperson who shouts "My leg!" as a running gag whenever there is havoc or destruction. He makes his first appearance in "Reef Blower", but his recurring line is not heard until "Boating School".
Gene Scallop (voiced by Gene Shalit) is a food critic who critiques the Krusty Krab in "The Krusty Sponge". He negatively reviews every aspect of the restaurant except for SpongeBob. In response to Scallop's review, Mr. Krabs exploits SpongeBob's newfound popularity by theming the Krusty Krab around SpongeBob. He is modeled after his voice actor, a real-life book and film critic.
Gordon (voiced by Ian McShane) is the leader of a band of Vikings who kidnap SpongeBob and Squidward in Dear Vikings". Except for himself, all of his crewmen are named "Olaf".
Grandpa Redbeard (voiced by Dennis Quaid) is Mr. Krabs' paternal grandfather who is a pirate. In "Grandpappy the Pirate", he visits his grandson, thinking that the latter is also a pirate instead of the owner of a restaurant. Mr. Krabs tries not to disappoint Redbeard by disguising the Krusty Krab as a pirate ship, pretending Pearl is a sea monster, and dressing his employees as sailors.
Granny (voiced by Amy Poehler) is an elderly fish who appears in "Have You Seen This Snail?" as the main antagonist. She finds snails and force-feeds them so that she can eat them and take their shells. She pretends to adopt Gary as her latest victim, but he manages to escape.
Harold (voiced by Mr. Lawrence/Dee Bradley Baker/Clancy Brown) is a blue fish with a shark-like fin and spiked teeth. His character model is often used as an angry or troublemaking townsperson. His name is revealed in both "Have You Seen This Snail?" and in "Roller Cowards". His first appearance is in "Ripped Pants".
The Hash Slinging Slasher is a fictional fry cook created by Squidward to scare SpongeBob in "Graveyard Shift". According to him, the Slasher was SpongeBob's predecessor in Krusty Krab who, after replacing his hand with a spatula after it was severed, was hit by a bus, and was fired on his funeral. Three signs are said to herald his coming: lights flickering on and off; unanswered phone ringing; and the bus that hit him arriving to deliver him.
Herb and Margie Star are Patrick's parents. Their identities are temporarily taken by another starfish couple, Marty and Janet, in "I'm with Stupid". In "Rule of Dumb", it is revealed that Herb is a brother of Gary's father, Sluggo, making Patrick and Gary first cousins.
Jack Kahuna Laguna (voiced by Johnny Depp) is a legendary human-like surfer who appears in "SpongeBob SquarePants vs. The Big One". He teaches SpongeBob and his friends how to surf so they can go back home and fend off from a legendary tidal wave known as the Big One.
Jim (voiced by Patton Oswalt) is the Krusty Krab's original fry cook, as revealed in "The Original Fry Cook". His cooking is legendary throughout Bikini Bottom, and he is shown to be an even better chef than SpongeBob. Jim left the Krusty Krab after Mr. Krabs declined to provide him with a higher salary.
Lord Royal Highness (voiced by David Bowie) is the king of Atlantis in "SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis". He invites SpongeBob and his friends for a visit to Atlantis after they find the lost piece of the coin, but eventually regrets it since they (especially Patrick) end up popping the longest living bubble accidentally with a camera flash.
Mrs. Tentacles (voiced by Rodger Bumpass) is Squidward's elderly mother. In earlier episodes, she only appears as hallucinations tormenting Squidward, but later appears in person in "Krusty Towers". She lives in a moai like Squidward, but with a curly hair-like structure on its roof and earring-like balls hanging from the sides.
Master Udon (voiced by Pat Morita) is an old karate master who appears in "Karate Island". He is actually a scammer who wants people to invest in his condominium project, disguising it as the "King of Karate" crowning that he presents to SpongeBob.
The Moth (voiced by Mark Hamill) is a supervillain moth and an enemy of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy who appears in "Night Light". Even though he is minuscule, he has the strength to carry both SpongeBob's house and a lighthouse.
Nat Peterson (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker/Tom Kenny) is a male yellow fish that is a common background character on the show, often seen as a bus driver. His last name is revealed in "Missing Identity" and his first name is revealed in "Plankton's Regular", in which Karen pays him to become the Chum Bucket's first regular customer.
Nicholas Withers (voiced by Alton Brown) is the presenter of the popular lifestyle television show, House Fancy. He is pending on an award for Best Architecture during the episode that features Squilliam's house; he eventually gives it to Squidward due to the "creative" design of his ruined house.
Officer Nancy (voiced by Sirena Irwin/Jill Talley) and Officer John (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker/Thomas F. Wilson/Mr. Lawrence) are a pair of police officer fish in Bikini Bottom. They are committed to their jobs but often arrest or punish characters for insignificant reasons like littering or having no front license plate.
Painty the Pirate (voiced by Patrick Pinney and Peter Shukoff) is the painting of a pirate that appears during the opening theme at the beginning of each episode.[32] His voice is normally provided by Patrick Pinney, although Peter Shukoff voices him for a scene involving a rap battle in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.
Princess Mindy (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) is King Neptune's daughter. She is Patrick's love interest. She is a motherly and friendly person and a very good friend of SpongeBob and Patrick. She appears in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.
Queen Amphitrite (voiced by Victoria Beckham/Lori Alan) is King Neptune's wife and Triton's mother. She is worried by her son's attitude of not wanting to inherit the throne.
Prince Triton (voiced by Sebastian Bach) is the teenage son of King Neptune who appears in "The Clash of Triton". He initially wants to be a normal fish like everyone else, but his father convinces him otherwise.
The Sea Bear (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) is a creature that appears in "The Camping Episode". SpongeBob and Patrick try to convince Squidward that the sea bear exists, but Squidward refuses to believe in the creature until it attacks him repeatedly.
Sea Monster (voiced by Gene Simmons) is a lizard-like sea monster who appears in "20,000 Patties Under the Sea". After having slept for 79 years, he demands for SpongeBob and Patrick to sell him food in exchange for giant dollar bills.
Sergeant Roderick (voiced by Robin Sachs) is a strict drill sergeant who temporarily replaces Mrs. Puff as the teacher at boating school in "Mrs. Puff, You're Fired". He is said to be the strictest driving instructor in the sea, but even he cannot teach SpongeBob to drive successfully.
SpongeBuck SquarePants, Pecos Patrick, Hopalong Tentacles, William Krabs, Polene Puff, and Dead Eye Plankton (voiced by Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Clancy Brown, Mary Jo Catlett, and Mr. Lawrence) are the main characters' wild west ancestors who appear in "Pest of the West". They lived in the town of Bikini Gulch and frequented an old-fashioned bar version of the Krusty Krab called the Krusty Kantina.
SpongeGar, Patar, and Squog (voiced by Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, and Rodger Bumpass) are SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward's neolithic ancestors who appear in "Ugh". While still not being able to speak intelligibly, they are more advanced than the primitive ancestors in "SB-129" as they are shown to use stone tools and fire. Also appearing in the episode are Primitive Gary (voiced by Tom Kenny), Gary's gigantic ancestor and SpongeGar's pet, and Primitive Krabs (voiced by Clancy Brown), Mr. Krabs' tiny ancestor who repeatedly chants "money".
SpongeTron and Patron (voiced by Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke) are SpongeBob and Patrick's robotic descendants who appear in "SB-129". SpongeTron has 486 clones, each one named after a letter of the English alphabet from 2,000 years in the future, while Patron has two heads.
Squidly Tentacles, King Krabs, Princess Pearl, Dark Knight, Planktonamor, and Karen the Crystal Ball (voiced by Rodger Bumpass, Clancy Brown, Lori Alan, Carolyn Lawrence, Mr. Lawrence, and Jill Talley) are the medieval counterparts of the main characters who appear in "Dunces and Dragons". The present-day SpongeBob and Patrick are magically transported to their times and help save Princess Pearl from Planktonamor. Planktonamor additionally keeps a pet, the Dragon Jellyfish, who is a giant jellyfish with a mane and a tail.
Stanley SquarePants (voiced by Christopher Guest) is SpongeBob's cousin who appears solely in the episode "Stanley S. SquarePants". SpongeBob receives Stanley in a package sent by one of his uncles, who is relieved to have sent Stanley, since he would destroy anything he touches. True to this, despite SpongeBob trying to teach him, Stanley constantly destroys everything and almost makes SpongeBob lose his job.
The Tattletale Strangler (voiced by Thomas F. Wilson) is a criminal fish who appears in "SpongeBob Meets the Strangler". He is detained for repeatedly strangling someone and promises to strangle SpongeBob when the latter has him arrested. He escapes from jail and pretends to be a bodyguard to get close to SpongeBob, but SpongeBob's behavior annoys him to the point where he would rather be back in prison.
Tom (voiced by Mr. Lawrence) is a green fish who wears a purple shirt and serves as another generic character model for the show. He plays a heightened role in the episode "Chocolate with Nuts", in which he chases SpongeBob and Patrick for the chocolate they are selling.
The Warden (voiced by R. Lee Ermey) is the head prison warden of the Inferno Island prison, appearing in "The Inmates of Summer". His demeanor is a stereotype of a drill sergeant: strict, demanding, and always speaking in a loud tone.
What Zit Tooya (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) is a middle-aged fish who appeared in "Good Ol' Whatshisname". He is the last customer whose name SpongeBob and Squidward need to learn as part of a contest held by Mr. Krabs. His name is a pun on "What's it to ya?", which causes confusion on Squidward's part.
The Yeti Crab is a crab who Mr. Krabs imagines for a story in "Yeti Krabs". The creature ends up being real and visits the Krusty Krab.

tag: ul

text: Reception[edit]

text: The characters of SpongeBob SquarePants have been well-received overall. The titular character SpongeBob has become very popular with children and adults. The character's popularity has spread from Nickelodeon's original demographic of two- to eleven-year-olds, to teenagers and adults.[34][35] The popularity of SpongeBob translated well into sales figures. In 2002, SpongeBob SquarePants dolls sold at a rate of 75,000 per week, which was faster than Tickle Me Elmo dolls were selling at the time.[35] SpongeBob has gained popularity in Japan, specifically with Japanese women. Nickelodeon's parent company Viacom purposefully targeted marketing at women in the country as a method of building the SpongeBob SquarePants brand. Skeptics initially doubted that SpongeBob could be popular in Japan as the character's design is very different from already popular designs for Hello Kitty and Pikachu.[36] However, the characters have also attracted some negative reception, including SpongeBob himself, who was listed as number four on AskMen's Top 10: Irritating '90s Cartoon Characters. Nevertheless, SpongeBob SquarePants was ranked ninth on TV Guide's top 50 cartoon characters.[37]

text: The show's characters have received recognition from celebrities and well-known figures in media. Barack Obama named SpongeBob his favorite television character in 2007 and admitted that SpongeBob SquarePants was "the show I watch with my daughters."[38][39][40] British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has also said he watches the show with his children.[41] Sigourney Weaver and Bruce Willis were reported to be fans of the SpongeBob character in 2008.[35] Film critic A. O. Scott named Squidward, Mrs. Puff, and Sandy his favorite characters on the show in 2004.[42] American singer Pharrell Williams, who says he is a fan of the show, said that "Squidward is my favorite, though. If he was a human, I would hang out with him."[43] Fashion designer Peter Jensen designed a line of sweatshirts inspired by SpongeBob and called Mrs. Puff his "absolute favorite" character in an interview with Women's Wear Daily.[44] Peter Keepnews of The New York Times commended Patrick, calling him "a popular character, and the new episodes illustrate why: He is unfailingly enthusiastic, touchingly loyal and absolutely undeterred by his intellectual limitations. Hilariously voiced by Bill Fagerbakke, he is not just an endearing comic creation but a role model for idiots everywhere."[45]

text: The show's voice actors have received attention from honorary organizations for the portrayals of their characters. Mary Jo Catlett and Tom Kenny were both nominated at the 29th Annie Awards ceremony in 2001 for their vocal performances as Mrs. Puff and SpongeBob.[46] Kenny received an additional two nominations at the 2008 and 2010 ceremonies, the latter of which he won for voicing SpongeBob in "Truth or Square".[47] In 2012, Rodger Bumpass' performance as Squidward was nominated for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program at the 39th Daytime Emmy Awards.[48][49] Additionally, Patrick as a character won in the category "Favorite Animated Animal Sidekick" at the 2014 Kids' Choice Awards.[50]

text: Appearances in other media[edit]

text: The characters of SpongeBob SquarePants appeared in the 2004 theatrical film The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie and its 2015 sequel. Both films feature the regular television cast and blend animated elements with live-action sequences. They have also been featured in a variety of associated merchandise, particularly video games; from 2001 to 2013, the SpongeBob franchise had multiple video games released each year, with the show's voice cast reprising their character roles for many titles.[51] Every main cast member with the exception of Clancy Brown has voiced their respective characters in each game that they appear; Brown's character Mr. Krabs is instead voiced by Joe Whyte in SuperSponge, Operation Krabby Patty, and Battle for Bikini Bottom and by Bob Joles in the Truth or Square game.

text: The SpongeBob characters have been featured at a variety of theme park attractions. In 2003, Kings Island announced plans to build the first SpongeBob-themed amusement park ride, a dark ride roller coaster titled "Mrs. Puff's Crash Course Boating School".[52] Plans were halted when Kings Island changed ownership, and the first ride featuring SpongeBob theming was instead "SpongeBob's Boatmobiles"—also based on Mrs. Puff's Boating School and opened in 2003—at California's Great America.[53] Amusement rides based on the characters have since been opened at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Dreamworld, Movie Park Germany, and Nickelodeon Universe. Two 4D films featuring 3-D models of the characters and a motion simulator experience, SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D and The Great Jelly Rescue, were sold to theme parks and aquariums worldwide in 2005 and 2013 respectively.[54]

text: Mascot costumes of the SpongeBob characters debuted at Nickelodeon Suites Resort in 2005 and have made regular appearances at Nickelodeon events since.[55] Plankton, Karen, and Gary are the only main characters who have never been realized as mascots;[56] at events, they are normally depicted as puppets or statues instead. In December 2011, a parade of SpongeBob mascots and floats titled "SpongeBob ParadePants" opened at Sea World Australia.[57] In November 2017, a Broadway musical based on the show began touring. Unlike previous shows, the characters were not represented with mascot costumes but by actors wearing clothing inspired by the characters' designs.

text: Popular culture[edit]

text: The characters of SpongeBob SquarePants have appeared throughout popular culture. In 2007, the Amsterdam-based company Boom Chicago created a SpongeBob parody called "SpongeBob SquarePants in China", in which a stereotypically Chinese Patrick refuses to go to work and advocates freedom of speech, rights of leisure, and income.[58] During the same year, production company Camp Chaos created a SpongeBob parody titled SpongeBong HempPants, which features five of the series' characters parodied in the form of various drugs. The show was seen on VH1 and Comedy Central, both owned by Nickelodeon's parent company Viacom.[59] Comedy Central's Drawn Together also features a parody of SpongeBob named "Wooldoor Sockbat" whose theme tune is inspired by SpongeBob's Hawaiian-style background music. Two animated series that former SpongeBob writer Dan Povenmire worked on have incorporated references to the characters; the Phineas and Ferb special "Summer Belongs to You" features a joke in which Phineas Flynn holds up inanimate representations of SpongeBob and Patrick, and the Family Guy episode "Road to Rupert" includes SpongeBob's "Campfire Song Song" from "The Camping Episode". SpongeBob, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Pearl, and Squidward all appear in "Major League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", an episode of the sketch comedy Robot Chicken. A segment of the episode, animated in stop motion with SpongeBob toy figures, features Mr. Krabs using crab legs as the secret ingredient for Krabby Patties.[60] SpongeBob has also made cameo appearances in The Simpsons, Mad, The Loud House, South Park, and Futurama.


document_title: 15th Lok Sabha

question_text: who is the only member of the 15th lok sabha to get elected to the house unopposed

text: 15th Lok Sabha

text: Important members[edit]

text:
Speaker: Meira Kumar, INC, Sasaram, Bihar
Deputy Speaker: Kariya Munda, BJP, Khunti, Jharkhand
Leader of the House: Sushil Kumar Shinde, INC, Solapur, Maharashtra
Leader of the Opposition: Sushma Swaraj, BJP, Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh
Secretary General:

P.D.T. Achary[3]
T. K. Viswanathan

text: Number of members by alliance in Lok Sabha[edit]

text: Members of the 15th Lok Sabha by political party and alliance:[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

text:
Alliances
Party
Seats

United Progressive Alliance
Seats: 247
Indian National Congress
206

All India Trinamool Congress
19

Nationalist Congress Party
9

Rashtriya Lok Dal
5

National Conference
3

Indian Union Muslim League
2

Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist)
1

Kerala Congress
1

Nagaland People's Front
1

National Democratic Alliance
Seats: 138
Bharatiya Janata Party
117

Shiv Sena
11

Shiromani Akali Dal
4

Telangana Rashtra Samithi
2

Asom Gana Parishad
1

Haryana Janhit Congress
1

Sikkim Democratic Front
1

Bodoland People's Front
1

Third Front
Seats: 75
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
15

Communist Party of India
4

Revolutionary Socialist Party
2

All India Forward Bloc
2

Bahujan Samaj Party
21

Biju Janata Dal
14

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
9

Telugu Desam Party
6

Janata Dal (Secular)
1

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
1

Fourth Front
Seats: 26
Samajwadi Party
22

Rashtriya Janata Dal
4

Other Parties and Independents
Seats: 75

Janata Dal (United)
20

All India Trinamool Congress
19

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
18

Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik)
2

YSR Congress Party (YSRP)
2

Swabhimani Paksha
1

Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi
1

All India United Democratic Front (AUDF)
1

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen
1

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi
1

Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist)
1

Independents
9

Nominated
2

Total
545

tag: table

text: List of members by political party[edit]

text: Members by political party in 15th Lok Sabha are given below[11]-

text:
S.No.
Party Name
Party flag
Number of MPs
Leader in Loksabha

1
Indian National Congress (INC)

222
Sushil Kumar Shinde/Sonia Gandhi

2
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

112
Sushma Swaraj

3
Samajwadi Party (SP)

21
Mulayam Singh Yadav

4
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)

21
Dara Singh Chauhan

5
Janata Dal (United) (JD(U))

19
Ram Sundar Das

6
All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)

18
Sudip Bandyopadhyay

7
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)

18
T R Balu

8
Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M))

16
Basudeb Acharia

9
Biju Janata Dal (BJD)

14
Arjun Charan Sethi

10
Shiv Sena (SS)

10
Anant Geete

11
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)

9
M. Thambidurai

12
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)

8
Sharad Pawar

13
Independent (Ind.)

7

14
Telugu Desam Party (TDP)

6
Nama Nageswara Rao

15
Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD)

5

16
Communist Party of India (CPI)

4
Gurudas Dasgupta

17
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)

4
Rattan Singh Ajnala

18
Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (J&KNC)

3

19
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)

3

20
All India Forward Bloc (AIFB)

2
Narahari Mahato

21
Muslim League Kerala State Committee (MLKSC)

2
E Ahamed

22
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)

2

23
Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) (JVM(P))

2
Babu Lal Marandi

24
Revolutionary Socialist Party (India) (RSP)

2

25
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS)

2
K. Chandrasekhar Rao

26
YSR Congress Party (YSRCP)

2
Jagan Mohan Reddy

27
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)

1
Asaduddin Owaisi

28
All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF)

1
Badruddin Ajmal

29
Asom Gana Parishad (AGP)

1
Joseph Toppo

30
Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi (BVA)

1
Baliram Sukur Jadhav

31
Bodoland People's Front (BPF)

1
Sansuma Khunggur Bwiswmuthiary

32
Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) (HJC(BL))

1
Kuldeep Bishnoi

33
Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S))

1

34
Kerala Congress (Mani) (KC(M))

1
Jose K Mani

35
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK)

1
A. Ganeshamurthi

36
Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF)

1
Prem Das Rai

37
Swabhimani Paksha (SWP)

1
Raju Shetti

38
Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) (SUCI(C))

1
Dr Tarun Mandal

39
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK)

1
Thol. Thirumavalavan

-
Vacant Constituencies

22[12]
-

text: Cabinet[edit]

text:
Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh
2009–2014

text:
Ministry
Minister
Term

Agriculture and Food processing industries
Sharad Pawar
2009–2014

Coal
Sriprakash Jaiswal
2009–2014

Civil Aviation
Ajit Singh
2009–2014

Chemicals and Fertilizers
M.K. Azhagiri
2009 - 2013 (resigned after DMK withdrew support)

Commerce and Industry
Anand Sharma
2009–2014

Communications and Information Technology
Kapil Sibal
2009–2014

Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Sharad Pawar
2009–2014

Defence
A.K. Antony
2009–2014

Earth Sciences
Jaipal Reddy
2012–2014
2011 - 2012
2011 - 2011(Due to his demise)
2009 - 2011

Environment and Forests
Veerappa Moily
Jayanthi Natarajan
Jairam Ramesh

2013-2014
2011–2013
2009 - 2011

External Affairs
Salman Khurshid
S.M. Krishna

2012–2014
2009 - 2012

Finance
P. Chidambaram
Pranab Mukherjee

2012–2014
2009 - 2012 (He was elected President of India in JULY 2012)

Food Processing industries
Sharad Pawar
2009–2014

Health and Family Welfare
Ghulam Nabi Azad
2009–2014

Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
Praful Patel
2011–2014

Home Affairs
Sushil Kumar Shinde
P. Chidambaram

2012–2014
2009 - 2012

Information and Broadcasting
Ambika Soni
2009–2014

Labour and Employment
Mallikarjun Kharge
2009–2014

Law and Justice
Kapil Sibal
Ashwani Kumar
Salman Khurshid

2013–2014
2012 - 2013 (resigned after allegations in Coalgate)
2009 - 2012

Mines
Dinsha Patel
B.K. Handique

2012–2014
2009 - 2012

New and Renewable Energy
S. Jagathrakshakan
Farooq Abdullah

2012–2014
2009 - 2012

Overseas Indian Affairs
Vayalar Ravi
2009–2014

Parliamentary Affairs
Kamal Nath
Pawan Kumar Bansal

2012–2014
2009 - 2012

Petroleum and Natural Gas
Veerappa Moily
Jaipal Reddy

2012–2014
2009 - 2012

Power
Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia
Veerappa Moily
Sushil Kumar Shinde

2012–2014
July 2012 - Oct. 2012
2009 - 2012

Railways
Mallikarjun Kharge
C.P. Joshi
Pawan Kumar Bansal
C.P. Joshi
Mukul Roy
Dinesh Trivedi
Manmohan Singh (Additional Charge)
Mamata Banerjee

17 June 2013 – 2014
2013-2013
2012 - 2013 (resigned after allegations of bribery)
Sept. 2012 - Oct. 2012
Mar. 2012 - Sept. 2012
2011 - 2012
May 2011 - July 2011
2009 - 2011

Road Transport and Highways
C.P. Joshi
G.K. Vasan

2012–2014
2009 - 2012

Rural Development
Jairam Ramesh
Vilasrao Deshmukh

2011–2014
2009 - 2011

Science and Technology
Jaipal Reddy
Vayalar Ravi
Vilasrao Deshmukh

2012–2014
2011 - 2012
2009 - 2011

Shipping
G.K. Vasan
2009–2014

Social Justice and Empowerment
Kumari Selja
Mukul Wasnik

2012–2014
2009 - 2012

Textiles
Anand Sharma
2009–2014

Tourism
Chiranjeevi
Kumari Selja

2012–2014
2009 - 2012

Tribal Affairs
V. Kishore Chandra Deo
Kantilal Bhuria

2012–2014
2009 - 2012

Water Resources
Harish Rawat
2012–2014

text: United Progressive Alliance Cabinet by party[edit]

text:
Source: Various news organisations[13][14][15][16]
The new United Progressive Alliance (UPA) included 79 members, 78 members in the cabinet plus Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The first 20 cabinet ministers including Manmohan Singh, swore in on 22 May 2009, while the other 59 cabinet members swore in on 27 May 2009. The 5 non-Congress cabinet ministers, include M.K. Azhagiri from the DMK. Mukul Roy from Trinamool Congress, Sharad Pawar from Nationalist Congress Party and Farooq Abdullah from National Conference represent the other non-Congress cabinet ministers.

text:
Party
Cabinet Ministers
Ministers of State
Total

Indian National Congress
27
32
59

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
1
4
7

Nationalist Congress Party
1
2
3

Jammu and Kashmir National Conference
1
0
1

Muslim League
0
1
1

Total
33
45
78

text: United Progressive Alliance cabinet by states[edit]

text: Source: The Hindu[17][18]

text:
State
Cabinet Ministers
Ministers of State (I)
Ministers of State
Total

Uttar pradesh
2

Maharashtra
5
2
2
9

Tamil Nadu
5
0
4
9

West Bengal
1
—
6
7

Kerala
2
0
4
6

Andhra Pradesh
3
0
4
7

Madhya Pradesh
—
—
—
4

Karnataka
3
0
1
4

Bihar
—
—
—
3

Himachal Pradesh
2
—
—
2

Meghalaya
—
—
—
2

Jharkhand
1
—
—
1

Uttarakhand
1
–
–
1

text: MoS (I) - Ministers of State with Independent charge

text: Related members[edit]

text: Members from same family elected in 15th Lok Sabha:

text:
Mother - Son

Sonia Gandhi - Rahul Gandhi
Maneka Gandhi - Varun Gandhi

Father - Son

Ajit Singh - Jayant Chaudhary
H. D. Deve Gowda - H. D. Kumaraswamy
Sisir Adhikari - Suvendu Adhikari

Father - Daughter

Sharad Pawar - Supriya Sule

Father-in-law - Son-in-law

Farooq Abdullah - Sachin Pilot

Father-in-law - Daughter-in-law

Mulayam Singh Yadav - Dimple Yadav

text: By-Elections[edit]

text:
On November 2009, Raj Babbar of Indian National Congress got elected from Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh. Seat was vacant as Akhilesh Yadav of Samajwadi Party resigned from this seat keeping the Kannauj Seat as he had contested from both and had to drop one seat.[19]
On 13 May 2011, Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy of YSR Congress got elected from Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh. He resigned his seat, when he resigned from Indian National Congress. He contested that seat again won by 545,000 votes.
Elections were held on 13 October 2011 for the Hissar Lok Sabha seat due to the death of Bhajan Lal. The HJC-BJP alliance, represented by Kuldeep Bishnoi s/o Bhajan Lal, won the election.
On 3 May 2012, Akhilesh Yadav resigned from the Kannauj seat, to serve as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, after Samajwadi Party won Assembly Elections.[20] His wife, Dimple Yadav was elected unopposed from the seat in the bye-elections.[21]
On 13 October 2012 results of by-elections to Tehri Garhwal (Lok Sabha constituency) in Uttarakhand and Jangipur (Lok Sabha constituency) in West Bengal were declared. The incumbent MP of Tehri Vijay Bahuguna had resigned upon being elected to the Uttarakhand Legislative assembly and becoming Chief Minister, while the MP from Jangipur, Pranab Mukherjee, had ceased to be an MP upon election as the President of India, thus necessitating the by-elections. In Tehri, Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah of BJP won the seat while Abhijit Mukherjee (son of Pranab Mukherjee) retained the Jangipur seat as Congress nominee.


document_title: Climate of Minnesota

question_text: when does it start getting cold in mn

question_tokens: when does it start getting cold in mn

text: Climate of Minnesota

text: General climatology[edit]

text: Because of its location in North America, Minnesota experiences temperature extremes characteristic of a continental climate, with cold winters and mild to hot summers in the south and frigid winters and generally cool summers in the north.[2] Each season has distinctive upper air patterns which bring different weather conditions with them. The state is nearly 500 miles (805 km) from any large body of water (with the exception of Lake Superior), and temperatures and precipitation vary widely. It is far enough north to experience −60 °F (−51 °C) temperatures and blizzards during the winter months, but far enough south to have 114 °F (46 °C) temperatures and tornado outbreaks in the summer.[3] The 174 degree Fahrenheit (97 °C) variation between Minnesota's highest and lowest temperature is the 11th largest variation of any U.S. state, and 3rd largest of any non-mountainous state (behind North Dakota and South Dakota).[4]

text: Minnesota is far from major sources of moisture and is in the transition zone between the moist East and the arid Great Plains. Annual average precipitation across the state ranges from around 35 inches (890 mm) in the southeast to 20 inches (510 mm) in the northwest.[5] Snow is the main form of precipitation from November through March, while rain is the most common the rest of the year. Annual snowfall extremes have ranged from over 170 inches (432 cm) in the rugged Superior Highlands of the North Shore to as little as 2.3 inches (5.8 cm) in southern Minnesota.[6][7] It has snowed in Minnesota during every month with the exception of July, and the state averages 110 days per year with snow cover of an inch (2.5 cm) or greater.[8]

text: Lake Superior[edit]

text: Lake Superior moderates the climate of those parts of Minnesota's Arrowhead Region near the shore. The lake acts as a heat sink, keeping the state's North Shore area relatively cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.[10] While this effect is marked near the lake, it does not reach very far inland. For example, Grand Marais on the lakeshore has an average July high temperature of 70 °F (21 °C), while Virginia, at about the same latitude but inland about 100 miles (161 km) to the west, has an average July high of 77 °F (25 °C). Virginia's average high temperature in January is 15 °F (−9 °C), while Grand Marais' is 23 °F (−5 °C).[11] Just a few miles inland from Lake Superior are the Sawtooth Mountains, which almost completely confine the marine air masses and associated precipitation to lower elevations near the lake.[12]

text: The prevailing northwest winter winds also limit the lake's influence. Places near the shoreline can receive lake-effect snow, but because the state lies north and west of the lake, snowfall amounts are not nearly as large as they are in locations like Wisconsin and Michigan that lie downwind to the south.[9] Even so, the single largest snowstorm in Minnesota history was a lake effect event. On January 6, 1994, Finland, Minnesota, received 36 inches (91 cm) of lake effect snow in 24 hours, and 47 inches (119 cm) over a three-day period. Both are Minnesota records. At 85 inches (216 cm) per year, the port city of Duluth has the highest average snowfall total of any city in Minnesota.[13] At 58.9 °F (14.9 °C), Grand Marais has the lowest average summer temperature of any city in the state.[14]

text: The climatological effects of Lake Superior tend to stifle convection, thus limiting the potential for tornadoes.[8] Although Cook and Lake counties are two of the largest counties in the state, they have experienced only seven tornadoes in the past 56 years.[15] One of those tornadoes was a large F3 that occurred in the 1969 Minnesota tornado outbreak.

text: Climate[edit]

text:
Alexandria

Brainerd

Duluth

Grand Marais

International Falls

Redwood Falls

Thief River Falls

Twin Cities

Winona

Worthington

text: Temperature[edit]

text:
Average Temperatures in Minnesota in °Fahrenheit (°Celsius), 1971–2000

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Annual

Alexandria[16]
8
(−13)
15
(−9)
27
(−3)
43
(6)
56
(13)
65
(18)
70
(21)
68
(20)
58
(14)
45
(7)
28
(−2)
14
(−10)
41
(5)

Brainerd[17]
6
(−14)
13
(−11)
26
(−3)
42
(6)
56
(13)
64
(18)
69
(21)
66
(19)
56
(13)
44
(7)
28
(−2)
13
(−11)
40
(4)

Duluth[18]
10
(−12)
17
(−8)
26
(−3)
39
(4)
48
(9)
58
(14)
66
(19)
65
(18)
56
(13)
45
(7)
31
(−1)
17
(−8)
40
(4)

Grand Marais[19]
14
(−10)
19
(−7)
28
(−2)
38
(3)
47
(8)
53
(12)
61
(16)
63
(17)
55
(13)
45
(7)
32
(0)
19
(−7)
39
(4)

International Falls[20]
3
(−16)
11
(−12)
24
(−4)
39
(4)
53
(12)
62
(17)
66
(19)
64
(18)
53
(12)
42
(6)
24
(−4)
9
(−13)
32
(0)

Redwood Falls[21]
13
(−11)
20
(−7)
32
(0)
47
(8)
60
(16)
70
(21)
74
(23)
71
(22)
62
(17)
49
(9)
32
(0)
18
(−8)
46
(8)

Thief River Falls[22]
3
(−16)
11
(−12)
24
(−4)
42
(6)
56
(13)
64
(18)
69
(21)
67
(19)
56
(13)
44
(7)
24
(−4)
9
(−13)
39
(4)

Twin Cities[23]
13
(−11)
20
(−7)
32
(0)
47
(8)
59
(15)
68
(20)
73
(23)
71
(22)
61
(16)
49
(9)
32
(0)
19
(−7)
45
(7)

Winona[24]
18
(−8)
24
(−4)
36
(2)
50
(10)
62
(17)
71
(22)
76
(24)
73
(23)
64
(18)
52
(11)
32
(0)
23
(−5)
49
(9)

Worthington[25]
11
(−12)
18
(−8)
29
(−2)
44
(7)
57
(14)
67
(19)
71
(22)
68
(20)
59
(15)
47
(8)
30
(−1)
17
(−8)
43
(6)

text: Precipitation[edit]

text:
Average Precipitation in Minnesota in inches (millimetres), 1971–2000

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Annual

Alexandria[16]
1.0 (25)
0.7 (18)
1.5 (38)
1.9 (48)
3.0 (76)
4.5 (110)
3.3 (84)
3.6 (91)
2.7 (69)
2.2 (56)
1.2 (30)
0.6 (15)
26.0 (660)

Brainerd[17]
0.8 (20)
0.6 (15)
1.5 (38)
2.0 (51)
3.3 (84)
4.2 (110)
4.1 (100)
3.6 (91)
2.8 (71)
2.5 (64)
1.6 (41)
0.7 (18)
27.7 (700)

Duluth[18]
1.0 (25)
0.5 (13)
1.4 (36)
1.6 (41)
2.3 (58)
3.7 (94)
3.7 (94)
3.7 (94)
3.7 (94)
1.9 (48)
1.4 (36)
0.8 (20)
25.6 (650)

Grand Marais[19]
0.7 (18)
0.6 (15)
1.1 (28)
1.3 (33)
2.5 (64)
3.4 (86)
3.4 (86)
3.1 (79)
3.4 (86)
2.6 (66)
1.8 (46)
0.8 (20)
24.6 (620)

International Falls[20]
0.8 (20)
0.6 (15)
1.0 (25)
1.4 (36)
2.6 (66)
4.0 (100)
3.4 (86)
3.1 (79)
3.0 (76)
2.0 (51)
1.4 (36)
0.7 (18)
23.9 (610)

Redwood Falls[21]
0.7 (18)
0.6 (15)
1.7 (43)
2.5 (64)
3.1 (79)
4.1 (100)
3.8 (97)
3.6 (91)
2.5 (64)
1.9 (48)
1.6 (41)
0.6 (15)
26.6 (680)

Thief River Falls[22]
0.2 (5.1)
0.3 (7.6)
0.4 (10)
1.0 (25)
2.6 (66)
3.4 (86)
3.4 (86)
3.1 (79)
2.4 (61)
1.7 (43)
0.9 (23)
0.3 (7.6)
19.7 (500)

Twin Cities[23]
1.0 (25)
0.8 (20)
1.9 (48)
2.3 (58)
3.2 (81)
4.3 (110)
4.1 (100)
4.1 (100)
2.7 (69)
2.1 (53)
1.9 (48)
1.0 (25)
29.4 (750)

Winona[24]
1.4 (36)
0.7 (18)
1.8 (46)
3.5 (89)
3.9 (99)
4.2 (110)
4.4 (110)
4.7 (120)
3.9 (99)
2.2 (56)
2.2 (56)
1.3 (33)
34.2 (870)

Worthington[25]
0.7 (18)
0.6 (15)
1.9 (48)
2.7 (69)
3.4 (86)
4.6 (120)
3.6 (91)
3.5 (89)
2.6 (66)
2.0 (51)
1.7 (43)
0.7 (18)
27.8 (710)

text: Full statistics for selected cities 1981–2010[edit]

text:
[show]Climate data for Duluth Int'l, Minnesota (1981–2010 normals,[a] extremes 1871–present[b])

Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year

Record high °F (°C)
55
(13)
58
(14)
81
(27)
88
(31)
95
(35)
97
(36)
106
(41)
97
(36)
95
(35)
86
(30)
73
(23)
56
(13)
106
(41)

Mean maximum °F (°C)
38.8
(3.8)
43.3
(6.3)
55.0
(12.8)
71.9
(22.2)
80.9
(27.2)
85.4
(29.7)
88.7
(31.5)
86.7
(30.4)
81.7
(27.6)
72.4
(22.4)
54.7
(12.6)
39.5
(4.2)
90.2
(32.3)

Average high °F (°C)
18.9
(−7.3)
24.0
(−4.4)
34.4
(1.3)
49.2
(9.6)
62.2
(16.8)
70.8
(21.6)
76.3
(24.6)
74.3
(23.5)
65.0
(18.3)
51.5
(10.8)
35.6
(2)
22.3
(−5.4)
48.71
(9.28)

Average low °F (°C)
1.5
(−16.9)
6.1
(−14.4)
17.5
(−8.1)
30.0
(−1.1)
40.6
(4.8)
49.3
(9.6)
55.4
(13)
54.4
(12.4)
46.1
(7.8)
34.8
(1.6)
21.9
(−5.6)
7.3
(−13.7)
30.41
(−0.88)

Mean minimum °F (°C)
−23.2
(−30.7)
−19.4
(−28.6)
−8
(−22)
13.9
(−10.1)
27.8
(−2.3)
36.6
(2.6)
43.2
(6.2)
42.1
(5.6)
30.9
(−0.6)
20.6
(−6.3)
2.1
(−16.6)
−16.7
(−27.1)
−26.1
(−32.3)

Record low °F (°C)
−41
(−41)
−39
(−39)
−29
(−34)
−5
(−21)
16
(−9)
27
(−3)
35
(2)
32
(0)
23
(−5)
6
(−14)
−29
(−34)
−35
(−37)
−41
(−41)

Average precipitation inches (mm)
0.96
(24.4)
0.81
(20.6)
1.49
(37.8)
2.43
(61.7)
3.23
(82)
4.23
(107.4)
3.85
(97.8)
3.70
(94)
4.11
(104.4)
2.85
(72.4)
2.09
(53.1)
1.21
(30.7)
30.96
(786.4)

Average snowfall inches (cm)
19.4
(49.3)
12.4
(31.5)
13.2
(33.5)
6.9
(17.5)
0.4
(1)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0.1
(0.3)
2.3
(5.8)
13.7
(34.8)
17.7
(45)
86.1
(218.7)

Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)
10.3
8.5
9.7
10.6
12.3
12.6
11.8
10.8
12.3
11.3
10.7
10.5
131.4

Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)
12.9
10.1
8.7
4.6
0.5
0
0
0
0.1
2.0
8.9
12.8
60.6

Average relative humidity (%)
72.0
69.8
69.3
63.6
62.7
69.5
70.9
74.5
75.7
71.4
74.9
76.3
70.9

Mean monthly sunshine hours
132.7
149.7
190.7
229.5
263.5
272.8
307.5
261.8
194.0
150.4
98.5
102.3
2,353.4

Percent possible sunshine
47
52
52
56
57
58
64
60
51
44
35
38
53

Source: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961–1990)[26][27][28]

text:
[hide]Climate data for Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (1981–2010 normals,[c] extremes 1871–present)[d]

Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year

Record high °F (°C)
58
(14)
64
(18)
83
(28)
95
(35)
106
(41)
104
(40)
108
(42)
103
(39)
104
(40)
90
(32)
77
(25)
68
(20)
108
(42)

Mean maximum °F (°C)
43.1
(6.2)
47.3
(8.5)
65.9
(18.8)
80.1
(26.7)
87.9
(31.1)
93.3
(34.1)
94.8
(34.9)
92.4
(33.6)
87.9
(31.1)
79.1
(26.2)
61.6
(16.4)
45.5
(7.5)
96.6
(35.9)

Average high °F (°C)
23.7
(−4.6)
28.9
(−1.7)
41.3
(5.2)
57.8
(14.3)
69.4
(20.8)
78.8
(26)
83.4
(28.6)
80.5
(26.9)
71.7
(22.1)
58.0
(14.4)
41.2
(5.1)
27.1
(−2.7)
55.2
(12.9)

Average low °F (°C)
7.5
(−13.6)
12.8
(−10.7)
24.3
(−4.3)
37.2
(2.9)
48.9
(9.4)
58.8
(14.9)
64.1
(17.8)
61.8
(16.6)
52.4
(11.3)
39.7
(4.3)
26.2
(−3.2)
12.3
(−10.9)
37.2
(2.9)

Mean minimum °F (°C)
−15
(−26)
−9.4
(−23)
3.6
(−15.8)
21.6
(−5.8)
34.9
(1.6)
45.0
(7.2)
53.2
(11.8)
50.7
(10.4)
36.4
(2.4)
25.3
(−3.7)
7.6
(−13.6)
−10
(−23)
−18.9
(−28.3)

Record low °F (°C)
−41
(−41)
−33
(−36)
−32
(−36)
2
(−17)
18
(−8)
34
(1)
43
(6)
39
(4)
26
(−3)
10
(−12)
−25
(−32)
−39
(−39)
−41
(−41)

Average precipitation inches (mm)
0.90
(22.9)
0.77
(19.6)
1.89
(48)
2.66
(67.6)
3.36
(85.3)
4.25
(108)
4.04
(102.6)
4.30
(109.2)
3.08
(78.2)
2.43
(61.7)
1.77
(45)
1.16
(29.5)
30.61
(777.6)

Average snowfall inches (cm)
12.2
(31)
7.7
(19.6)
10.3
(26.2)
2.4
(6.1)
trace
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
trace
0.6
(1.5)
9.3
(23.6)
11.9
(30.2)
54.4
(138.2)

Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)
8.9
7.4
9.3
10.7
11.5
11.3
10.2
9.7
9.8
9.2
8.7
9.8
116.5

Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)
8.4
6.8
5.4
2.0
0.1
0
0
0
0
0.6
5.2
9.3
37.8

Average relative humidity (%)
69.9
69.5
67.4
60.3
60.4
63.8
64.8
67.9
70.7
68.3
72.6
74.1
67.5

Mean monthly sunshine hours
156.7
178.3
217.5
242.1
295.2
321.9
350.5
307.2
233.2
181.0
112.8
114.3
2,710.7

Percent possible sunshine
55
61
59
60
64
69
74
71
62
53
39
42
59

Source #1: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961−1990)[30][31][32]

Source #2: The Weather Channel[33]

text: Winter[edit]

text: Even though winter does not officially start until late December, Minnesota usually begins experiencing winter-like conditions in November, sometimes as early as October. As with many other Midwestern states, winter in Minnesota is characterized by cold (below freezing) temperatures and snowfall. Weather systems can move in from the north, west, or south, with the majority of the weather being driven in from the north. A vigorous jet stream brings high and low-pressure systems through in quick succession, which can cause large temperature variations over a short period of time.

text: Winter temperature[edit]

text: As the last remnants of summertime air in the southern U.S. start to lose their grip, cold polar air building up in northern Canada starts to push farther south, eventually spreading into Minnesota. By the time December and January arrive, Minnesota is fully engulfed in the polar air and is then subjected to outbreaks of arctic air masses. Because there are no natural barriers north or northwest of Minnesota to block arctic air from pouring south, Minnesota gets regular shots of the arctic air through the winter.[34] High pressure systems which descend south from the Canadian plains behind the fronts bring light winds, clear skies, and bitterly cold temperatures. The northern part of Minnesota gets the brunt of the cold air. International Falls, sometimes called the "Icebox of the nation", has the coldest average annual temperature of any National Weather Service first-order station in the contiguous United States at 37.4 °F (3.0 °C).[35] Tower, Minnesota, sinks below 0 °F (−18 °C) on an average of seventy-one days per year, while the ten coldest counties in the contiguous US, based on January minimums, are all located in Minnesota.[36] The air mass then slowly moderates as it moves south into the rest of the state. Alberta clippers alternate with these high-pressure systems, bringing high winds and some snowfall with them.

text: Minnesota occasionally gets breaks from the polar and arctic air when a zonal flow takes hold. This means that the jet stream will move in a west to east motion—rather than north to south—and warmer air from the western United States is pushed into the region. In Minnesota this pattern commonly leads to a prolonged period of above freezing high temperatures that gives Minnesotans a break from the winter freeze. Storms that move into Minnesota from a more westerly direction generally do not bring significant amounts of precipitation with them.[37]

text: Winter precipitation[edit]

text: Winter precipitation comes in a few different forms. Snow is the main form of precipitation, but freezing rain, ice, sleet and sometimes even rain are all possible during the winter months. Larger storm systems, often Panhandle hooks or other storms that occur with a meridional flow, can bring large amounts of snow and even blizzard conditions.[38]

text: Alberta clippers[edit]

text: Alberta clippers are fast-moving areas of low pressure that move through Minnesota during the winter months.[39] Clippers get their name from Alberta, Canada, the province from which they begin their southward track. (Other variations of the same type of storm systems are "Saskatchewan Screamers" or "Manitoba Maulers".[40]) Although clippers often originate over the northern Pacific Ocean, they lose most of their moisture through orographic lift when they collide with the Canadian Rockies. Because of the limited moisture content and quick movement of the systems, clippers rarely produce more than 6 in (15 cm) of snow as they pass through Minnesota.[41] The biggest effects of an Alberta Clipper are what follows them, and that is arctic air, high wind speed, and dangerous wind chills. This often results in severe blowing and drifting snow, and sometimes even blizzard conditions.[42] Alberta Clippers often proceed to become copious lake-effect snow producers on the southern and eastern shores of the Great Lakes.[43]

text: Panhandle hooks[edit]

text: In terms of their characteristics, Panhandle hooks are nearly the opposite of Alberta clippers. Instead of forming in the north and dropping south, these low pressure systems form in the southwestern United States and then move northeast. They get their name from the location where they usually make their turn to the north; near the panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas. Unlike clippers, these storms usually have a great deal of moisture to work with. As the storms make their turn to the north, they pull in moist air from the nearby Gulf of Mexico and pull it northward toward Minnesota and other parts of the Midwest.[44] As these systems move to the northeast, there will usually be a heavy band of snow to the northwest of the low pressure center if there is enough cold air present. A wintery mix of precipitation, rain, or sometimes even thunderstorms will then often occur to the south of it.[45] Snowfall over a foot (30 cm) is not uncommon with a panhandle hook, and because of the high moisture content in these systems the snow is usually wet and heavy. Large panhandle hooks can become powerful enough to draw in arctic air after they pass by the state, leaving bitter cold temperatures and wind chills in their wake. Panhandle Hooks are responsible for some of the most famous blizzards that have occurred in the Midwest, including the Great Storm of 1975.[42]

text: Spring[edit]

text: Spring is a time of major transition in Minnesota. As winter nears its end, the sun rises higher in the sky and temperatures begin to moderate. As this happens much of the Midwest starts to experience severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.[46] Storm systems that move inland from the Pacific begin to collide with the increasingly warm and moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. In the early part of the spring, Minnesota is usually not in a geographically favorable position to experience severe weather since the warm air needed for it has not yet pushed that far to the north.[47] Early spring tornado outbreaks do occur occasionally in Minnesota though, as evidenced by the 1998 Comfrey – St. Peter tornado outbreak on March 29, 1998. More often, Minnesota is on the northern (cooler) side of major storm systems in the early spring, which instead results in only rain and possibly snow. Even though the winter snow pack typically starts to melt in southern Minnesota in early March, there is usually still enough cold air present over Canada to allow for major snow storms in Minnesota until late April.[48]

text: As spring progresses, the jet stream starts to push storm systems farther to the north, and southern Minnesota becomes more prone to severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.[47] As spring moves into the later stages, the chances for snow continue to drop and eventually disappear, south to north. By the time it gets warm enough for severe weather in northern Minnesota, the strength of storm systems have usually started to decrease, which results in fewer severe storms in northern Minnesota compared to the southern part of the state.

text: Wind[edit]

text: With the exception of areas along the shores of Lake Superior, winds in Minnesota generally prevail from the north and northwest in the winter, and south and southeast in the summer.[8] On average, autumn and spring are the windiest times of the year in Minnesota. October is the windiest month in northwest Minnesota, while April is the windiest over the rest of the state.[49] Winds generally average between 9 and 11 mph (14 and 18 km/h) across the state, with one major exception. The heaviest winds in the state are found on the Buffalo Ridge, or Coteau des Prairies, a flatiron-shaped area extending from Watertown, South Dakota, diagonally across southwestern Minnesota and into Iowa. Created by two lobes of a glacier parting around a pre-existing plateau during the (Pleistocene) Ice Age, the Buffalo Ridge is ideal for wind power generation, with average wind speeds of 16.1 mph (26.8 km/h).[50]

text: Floods[edit]

text: Minnesota is prone to flooding in its major rivers by spring snowmelt runoff and ice jams. Spring flooding to some degree occurs almost annually on some Minnesota rivers, but major floods have occurred in 1965, 1969, 1997, 2001, and 2009.[51][52] The flooding in 1965 was the worst flood in Minnesota history on the Mississippi River, while the flooding in 1997 was the worst in history on the Red River.[53] The Red River flood of 1997 was aided heavily by the 11 blizzards that struck Minnesota that winter.[8][54] Besides heavy winter and spring snowfall, cold winter temperatures and heavy autumn and spring rains causing sudden run-off surges are also common causes of spring river flooding in Minnesota.[55]

text: Minnesota is also prone to both river flooding and localized flash flooding by extended periods of heavy late-spring and summer rainfall. The Great Flood of 1993 on the Mississippi River was caused by copious amounts of rain that fell after the spring snow melt.[56]

text: The 2007 Midwest flooding, which affected the hilly Driftless area of southeast Minnesota was the result of a training pattern of storms mixing warm moist air from Tropical Storm Erin with cooler Canadian air, resulting in record 24-hour rainfall totals of up to 17 inches (432 mm),[57] with a similar flooding event in 2010 as a result of the remnants of tropical storm Georgette in the eastern Pacific and Hurricane Karl in the Gulf of Mexico.[58]

text: Summer[edit]

text: During a Minnesota summer, heat and humidity predominate in the south, while warm and less humid conditions are generally present in the north. A main feature of summer weather in Minnesota and the Midwestern United States as a whole is the weakening of the jet stream, leading to slower movement of air masses, a general increase in the stability of temperatures, and less wind.[59] The strong wind that does blow almost always comes from the south, bringing in warm temperatures and humidity. These humid conditions and a jet stream that has pushed into the northern parts of the U.S. initiate thunderstorm activity 30–40 days per year.[60]

text: Temperature[edit]

text: Daily average summer temperatures in Minnesota range from the low 70s (22 °C) in the south to the mid 60s °F (19 °C) in the north.[14] Because summer time air masses are not as volatile as in the winter, daily high and low temperatures rarely vary more than 15 degrees (7 °C) either side of normal. While summertime around much of the country means long stretches of hot and humid weather, Minnesota is located far enough north where periods of cooler, drier polar air frequently move in behind polar fronts dropping south from Canada.[7] The polar air typically does not linger very long however and is quickly replaced by the warmer and more humid air from the Gulf of Mexico again. The cool, dry polar air colliding with hot and humid summertime air keep the threat of thunderstorms and tornadoes in Minnesota through July and August.[47] Northern Minnesota is considerably cooler and less humid than southern Minnesota during the summer months. For example, Duluth's annual average temperature and dew point are 6 degrees (3.4 °C) cooler than Minneapolis'.[61]

text: July is the hottest month in Minnesota statewide and is usually the month when the peak heat waves occur. In July 1936, Minnesota and the rest of the Midwest suffered through its most severe heat wave on record. Most of the state was engulfed in 100 °F (38 °C) temperatures for several days in a row, and Minnesota's all-time record high temperature of 114 °F (46 °C) was equaled during this stretch. This heat wave was also responsible for the Twin Cities' all-time record high of 108 °F (42 °C), as well as the all-time record high of several other cities across the state.[62]

text: The western region of Minnesota experiences the hottest summer temperatures. Coteau des Prairies can heat cities to the north of it similar to how places in the Rocky Mountains are warmed by Chinook winds. As southwest winds blow down the slope of Coteau des Prairies, the air compresses and warms. This heats the hot air even further and often brings locations such as Beardsley and Moorhead the warmest temperatures in the state, despite their higher latitudes.[7]

text: Precipitation[edit]

text: The summer months of June, July, August, and September account for nearly half of the annual precipitation total across the state of Minnesota.[63] Most of this rain falls from thunderstorms, a frequent summer occurrence. Even though summer is the primary season for Minnesota to experience thunderstorms, they can occur from March to November. These storms can become severe, producing large hail, strong tornadoes, and large bow echos that result in damaging straight-line winds. Minnesota has experienced several major derecho events, most recently the Boundary Waters-Canadian Derecho which blew down millions of trees in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on July 4, 1999.[64]

text: Summertime thunderstorms are fueled by dew points that often reach into the 70s °F (21 °C) and sometimes even 80 °F (27 °C).[65] In addition to severe conditions, thunderstorms produce heavy rain and cloud to ground lightning. Heavy rain brings flash floods to Minnesota an average of three days per year.[34] With the exception of hail, summer precipitation in Minnesota is almost always in the form of rain. The lone exception is in far northern Minnesota, where in mid-September, small amounts of snow become a possibility.[8]

text: Droughts[edit]

text: Droughts are an annual summer concern in Minnesota, especially for farmers. The growing season (which varies from 90 days per year in the Iron Range to 160 days in southeast Minnesota) is when Minnesota averages its highest percentage of annual precipitation, so a lack of rainfall during this time period can be devastating to crops.[34] The last major drought in Minnesota was in 1988. During that year, the period of April–July was the 2nd driest in the previous century, and the period of May–August was the hottest on record. The combination of dry skies and heat caused a severe drought which cost the state approximately 1.2 billion dollars in crop losses.[66]

text: Other memorable drought years were 1976 and the Dust Bowl years of the 1930s. During the dust bowl, inappropriate farming techniques enhanced by years of drought conditions led to dust storms in Southern Minnesota and the other parts of the Midwest.[67] Drought conditions also have helped spawn forest fires. In 1894 the Great Hinckley Fire destroyed Hinckley killing an estimated 459 people, and in 1918 a forest fire killed 453 people in the vicinity of Cloquet.[68] More recently, in 2006, the Cavity Lake Fire burned 31,830 acres (129 km²) in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.[69]

text: Tornadoes[edit]

text: Tornadoes are possible in Minnesota from March–November, but the peak tornado month is June, followed by July, May, and August. Tornadoes are most common in the southern half of the state, which is located on the northern edge of Tornado Alley. Just over a third of tornadoes in Minnesota strike between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm.[8] The state averages 27 tornadoes per year,[1] 99% of which have ratings of F2 or weaker. On average Minnesota has an F5 tornado once every 25 years. Some of the notable Minnesota tornadoes and outbreaks are:

text:
August 21, 1883: An F5 tornado struck Rochester, killing 37. This tornado led to the construction of a new hospital, which eventually evolved into the Mayo Clinic.
April 14, 1886: A large tornado struck Sauk Rapids, killing 72. This was Minnesota's deadliest tornado on record.[70]
June 22, 1919: The second-deadliest tornado in Minnesota history tore through Fergus Falls, killing 59.
May 6, 1965: Four F4 tornadoes ripped through the Twin Cities metro area (two of them in Fridley), killing 13.
June 16, 1992: Minnesota experienced its second-largest tornado outbreak with 27 recorded twisters. The largest tornado in this family was an F5 that struck Chandler, Minnesota, killing one. This is the most recent F5 tornado to strike the state.
March 29, 1998: An F4 and an F3 tornado that were part of a larger outbreak tore through the towns of Comfrey and St. Peter. They killed two and caused damage in the millions of dollars in Minnesota's earliest recorded tornado outbreak.
June 17, 2010: Three EF4 and six EF3 tornadoes were part of 48 twisters that touched down in Minnesota's largest tornado outbreak on record.[47]

text: Autumn[edit]

text: Autumn weather in Minnesota is marked by the rapid decrease of severe thunderstorms, dramatic cooling, and eventually the possibility of blizzards. With summer-time heat still prevalent in the southern U.S. and colder air quickly taking hold in Canada, Minnesota can be affected by wide temperature swings in short periods of time. Because of this, the jet stream, which tends to weaken during the summer months, begins to re-strengthen. This leads to quicker changes in weather patterns and increasingly strong storm systems.[71][72] As autumn moves on, these storm systems bring with them progressively colder air, eventually changing the rain over snow, generally starting in October in the northern part of the state and November in the south.[73] From September to December the average temperature in the state falls by approximately 43 °F (23 °C), the largest such temperature swing within any Minnesota season.[14]

text: By late October and November atmospheric dynamics are generally in place to allow storm systems to become very intense. In fact, Minnesota's all-time record low pressure was recorded during autumn on October 26, 2010.[74] If these powerful storm systems are able to draw enough cold air southward from Canada, they can evolve into powerful blizzards. Some of Minnesota's most memorable winter storm events have occurred during the middle part of the autumn season. On November 11, 1940, the southeast half of Minnesota was surprised by the Armistice Day Blizzard. Temperatures in the 60s °F (16 °C) on the morning of November 11 dropped into the single digits (below –12 °C) by the morning of November 12, bringing with them 27 inches (69 cm) of snow and 60 mph (100 km/h) winds. Known deaths in this blizzard reached 154, 49 of them in Minnesota.[75][76] On October 31, 1991, much of Minnesota was hit by the Halloween Blizzard. A band of snowfall of 24+ in (60+ cm) fell from the Twin Cities north to Duluth. It was the single largest snowfall ever recorded in many communities across eastern Minnesota.[77]

text: Image and popular culture[edit]

text: Minnesota's climate has done much to shape the image of the state. Minnesota has a late but intense spring, a summer of water sports, an autumn of brilliantly colored leaves, and a long winter with outdoor sports and activities.

text: "Summer at the lake" is a Minnesota tradition. Water skiing was invented in Minnesota by Ralph Samuelson, and the Minneapolis Aquatennial features a milk carton boat race. Contestants build boats from milk cartons and float them on Minneapolis area lakes, with recognition based more on colorful and imaginative designs than on actual racing performance.[78]

text: But while Minnesota's warm summers provide its natives and tourists with a variety of outdoor activities, the state is known for its winters. The state has produced curlers, skiers, and lugers who have competed in the Winter Olympics, pioneers who invented the snowmobile, and legions of ice fishing enthusiasts.[79]

text: The state is also known for enthusiastic ice hockey players, both at the amateur and professional levels. Eveleth, Minnesota, home to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, boasts of the number of quality players and the contributions of the city (and the rest of the Mesabi Range) to the growth and development of hockey in the United States.[80]

text: To many outsiders, Minnesota's winters appear to be cold and inhospitable. A World War II newscaster, in describing the brutally cold conditions of the Russian front, stated that at least Minnesotans could understand it.[79] A New York journalist visited St. Paul and declared that the city was "another Siberia, unfit for human habitation." In response, the city decided to build a huge ice palace in 1886, similar to one that Montreal had built in 1885. They hired the architects of the Canadian ice palace to design one for St. Paul and built a palace 106 ft (32.3 m) high with ice blocks cut from a nearby lake.[78] This began the tradition of the Saint Paul Winter Carnival, a ten-day festival which celebrates Minnesota's winter season.[81]

text: Minnesota's winters are the setting of several television programs and Hollywood films, including the 1996 film Fargo which features the backdrop of a Minnesota winter, but like most of the characters in the movie, the climate is portrayed as bleak and inhospitable.[82]


document_title: United Spirits

question_text: who is the owner of united spirits limited

text: United Spirits

text: History[edit]

text: The company originated as a trading company called McDowell and Company (also known as McDowell & Co, McDowell or McDowell's), founded in India in 1826 by Angus McDowell, a Scot.[4] He set up a warehouse near Fort St. George, Madras (now Chennai).[5] The company imported liquor, tobacco products, and other consumer goods into India to serve the needs of British people stationed there.[5] McDowell & Company Limited was incorporated as a company in 1898, with an initial capital of ₹8 lakh (US$12,000) as 4,000 preferred shares and 4,000 common shares of ₹100 (US$1.50) each. The company's principal shareholders were A.M. Hooper, G.D. Coleman, and G.A. Ruppell.[5]

text: The Vittal Mallya-run United Breweries Group bought McDowell and Company in 1951.[4] In 1959, Mallya established the company's first distillery at Cherthala, Kerala on the banks of the Vembanad lake. McDowell's began bottling Bisquit Brandy and Dorville French Brandy, from imported concentrates, becoming the first company to manufacture Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL). The company opened India's first distillation plant to manufacture extra neutral alcohol (ENA) at Cherthala in 1961. The plant began bottling products for Herbertsons Limited of the Anglo Thai Group that same year. The company launched Golden Grape Brandy, its first original product, in 1962. The company launched McDowell's No.1 Brandy in 1963–64 when their contract with Herbertsons expired. In the early 1960s, the company acquired Carew & Co and Phipson & Co, manufacturers of rum, gin, and other hard liquors. in 1963–64.[5]

text: The company launched McDowell's No.1 whisky in 1968, and commissioned new distilleries in Hyderabad, Ponda (Goa), and Hathidah (Bihar) over the next few years. In the late 1970s, distilleries were acquired in Udaipur, Alwar, Mirganj, and Serampore, and a plant was built in Pondicherry. The company bought out Herbertsons in 1973. Mallya's son, Vijay Mallya, took over as director of McDowell's the same year, and assumed chairmanship of UB Group and McDowell's after Vittal Mallya died in 1983. McDowell's moved its headquarters from Madras to Bangalore in 1987. The company established a technical centre for product and process development research in Bangalore in 1989. McDowell's No.1 Rum was launched in 1990. McDowell's acquired the spirits business and manufacturing facility of Forbes Campbell & Company Limited. McDowell's formed United Distillers India Limited, India's first joint venture in the alcoholic beverages industry, with United Distillers of the United Kingdom in 1991–92. McDowell's Signature whisky was launched in 1994. In 1995, Carew Phipson Limited, Consolidated Distilleries Ltd and several other companies were merged into McDowell's.[5] The company was incorporated as McDowell Sprits Ltd in 1999. The name was changed to McDowell & Company Ltd on 1 April 2000. McDowell Alcobev became a wholly owned subsidiary of McDowell & Company in 2002. In the same year, the company acquired Phipson Distilley, McDowell International Brands Ltd, and most of Triumph Distilleries & Vinters Pvt Ltd. McDowell launched Derby Special Whisky in 2003 and Old Cask rum in 2004.[6]

text: On 21 March 2005, McDowell & Company entered into an agreement with Jumbo World Holdings Limited (JWHL) in Dubai to acquire Shaw Wallace.[7][8] The board of Shaw Wallace approved the merger of the company with USL and fixed the appointed date of the merger as 1 April 2008 subject to approvals.[9] In 2006, McDowell & Co Limited, Herbertsons Limited, Triumph Distillers and Vintners Private Limited, Baramati Grape Industries India Limited, Shaw Wallace Distilleries Limited and four other companies are merged to form United Spirits Limited. Bouvet Ladubay, subsidiary of France-based Taittinger was acquired, the same year.[5] The UB Group purchased Whyte & Mackay in May 2007 for £595 million.[10] USL also acquired Liquidity Inc., makers of Pinky Vodka, in 2007. USL launched Black Dog 18 YO and Four Seasons Barrique Reserve in 2009–10, and McDowell's No 1 Platinum, 100% grain based whisky, in 2011.[5]

text: On 27 May 2013, Diageo acquired a 10% stake in United Spirits at a cost of ₹20,927,196,000 (US$310 million). It also separately acquired an additional 58,668 shares for ₹ 85,778,082.[11] On 4 July 2013, Diageo bought an additional 14.98% of the company for ₹31.35 billion (US$470 million). Diageo acquired an additional 21.77 million shares at a cost of ₹1,440 (US$21) per share in an off-market-deal from United Spirits' promoters, raising its holdings to 25.02 per cent of the company.[12][13] Following that purchase, Diageo held 36.3 million shares in USL, acquired at a cost of ₹52,358.5 million (US$780 million),[14] making it the largest shareholder.[15] Under pressure from Diageo, some substantial changes to the management structure of the firm began to take place in 2013.[16]

text: In 2014, Diageo's share holdings rose to 54.8% of USL.[1]

text: In early 2014, Whyte & Mackay, which had been purchased by UB Group in 2007, was sold to Philippines-based Emperador for £430 million.[17]

text: In 5 November 2017, the Paradise Papers, a set of confidential electronic documents relating to offshore investment, revealed that United Spirits with three other subsidiaries based in the UK were allegedly involved with diverting funds amounting to $1.5 billion.[18]

text: Technical centre[edit]

text: The USL technical centre was opened in 1989 in Bangalore, and is recognised by the Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR) as an in-house Research & Development laboratory.[19]

text: Brands[edit]

text: USL manufactures Scotch whisky, Indian whisky, brandy, rum, vodka, gin and wine.[20]

text:
Indian whisky

Antiquity
Bagpiper
McDowell's No.1
McDowell's No.1 Platinum
McDowell's Single Malt[21]
Royal Challenge
Signature

Scotch whisky

Brandy

McDowell's VSOP
McDowell's VSOP

Rum

McDowell's No.1 Celebration

Vodka

Pinky
Romanov
Vladivar
White Mischief

Gin

Blue Riband

Wine

Four Seasons

text: Distillery locations[edit]

text: USL owns several distilleries throughout India, and also owns one unit in Nepal. Besides these, USL also has several contract and associate distilleries in India, and one in Nepal.[22]

text:
USL units

Malkajgiri, Hyderabad, Telangana
Nacharam, Hyderabad, Telangana
Hathidah, Bihar
Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh
Bethora-Ponda, Goa
Palwal, Haryana
Baddi, Himachal Pradesh
Nandoor K, Gulbarga
Hospet, Karnataka
Kumbalgodu, Bangalore, Karnataka
Cherthala, Kerala
Palakkad, Kerala
Pondicherry
Aurangabad, Maharashtra
Baramati, Maharashtra
Nasik, Maharashtra
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Khurda, Odisha
Pathankot, Punjab
Alwar, Rajasthan
Udaipur, Rajasthan
Meerut, Uttar Pradesh
Rosa, Shahjahanpur district, Uttar Pradesh
Asansol, West Bengal
Bhadrakali, West Bengal
Serampore, West Bengal
Biratnagar, Nepal (as McDowell Nepal Ltd)

Contract and associate units

Rhizome Distilleries Pvt. Ltd (Hyderabad, Telangana)
Esveear Dist (Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh)
Continental Distillery (Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh)
North East Distilleries Pvt Ltd (Guwahati, Assam)
Surma Distillery Pvt Ltd (Silchar, Assam)
M T M Wines & Bottlers Pvt Limited (Naharlagun, Arunachal Pradesh)
Chitwan Blenders & Bottlers Pvt Ltd (Bihar)
Salson Liquors Pvt Ltd (Bihar)
Aegis Beverages (P) Ltd (Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh)
Khemani Distilleries Pvt Ltd (Daman)
Saraya Industries Ltd (New Delhi)
Mandovi Distilleries & Breweries Pvt Ltd (Goa)
A B Sugars Ltd (Haryana)
Sir Shadilal Distillery & Chemical Works (Haryana)
Trishul Bottlers (Jammu and Kashmir)
Ajantha Bottlers & Blenders Pvt Ltd (Ranchi, Jharkhand)
Ambient Liquors Pvt Ltd (Jharkhand)
Karnataka Breweries & Distilleries Ltd (Bangalore, Karnataka)
Seven Seas Distillery Pvt Ltd (Mannuthy, Thrissur, Kerala)
Ajantha Distilleries (Nagpur, Maharashtra)
Rainbow Distilleries Pvt Ltd (Nagpur, Maharashtra)
Jubilant Organosys Limited (Pune, Maharashtra)
Ravi-Kumar Distillery (Pondicherry)
Vinbros Dist (Pondicherry)
Mount Distillery (Sikkim)
Golden Midas Dist (Chennai, Tamil Nadu)
Shiva Distillery (Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu)
Gemini Distilleries (Tripura) Pvt Ltd (Tripura)
United Brothers Distilleries Private Limited (Arunachal Pradesh)k
Himalayan Distillery Pvt Ltd (Nepal)


document_title: Jnanpith Award

question_text: who was the first punjabi novelist to get jnanpith award

text: Jnanpith Award

text: Background[edit]

text: The Bharatiya Jnanpith, a research and cultural institute founded in 1944 by industrialist Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain of the Sahu Jain family, conceived an idea in May 1961 to start a scheme "commanding national prestige and of international standard" to "select the best book out of the publications in Indian languages".[3][7] Later in November, Rama Jain, the Founder President of the Bharatiya Jnanpith, invited a few literary experts to discuss various aspects of the scheme. Jain along with Kaka Kalelkar, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, Jainendra Kumar, Jagdish Chandra Mathur, Prabhakar Machwe, Akshaya Kumar Jain, and Lakshmi Chandra Jain presented the initial draft to the then President of India Rajendra Prasad who had shown interest in the scheme's implementation. The idea was also discussed at the 1962 annual sessions of the All India Gujarati Sahitya Parishad and the Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad.[3]

text: On 2 April 1962, around 300 writers of various Indian languages were invited to Delhi for the two sessions conducted by Dharamvir Bharati in which the draft was finalised and later presented to Prasad. The first award selection committee meeting was scheduled on 16 March 1963 and Prasad was appointed as its president.[3] However, Prasad died on 28 February 1963 and thus the scheduled meeting was chaired by Kalelkar and Sampurnanand acted as president of the committee.[3][9]

text: The first Selection Board consisted of Kalelkar, Niharranjan Ray, Karan Singh, R. R. Diwakar, V. Raghavan, B. Gopal Reddy, Harekrushna Mahatab, Rama Jain, and Lakshmi Chandra Jain and was headed by Sampurnanand. Works that were published between 1921 and 1951 were considered for the first award. The nine language committees that were formed were to submit to the board nominations along with translations of the work into Hindi or English. The final round had four authors; Kazi Nazrul Islam (Bengali), D. V. Gundappa (Kannada), Viswanatha Satyanarayana (Telugu), and G. Sankara Kurup (Malayalam). On 19 November 1966, Kurup was presented with the citation, statue of Saraswati, and a cheque for prize of ₹1 lakh (equivalent to ₹43 lakh or US$64,000 in 2017) at a ceremony held at Vigyan Bhavan, Delhi.[c] In his acceptance speech, Kurup appreciated the concept of the new award and thanked it for bringing "integration of the diverse people of this land on a spiritual plane".[10]

text: Rules and selection process[edit]

text: The nominations for the award are received from various literary experts, teachers, critics, universities, and numerous literary and language associations. Every three years, an advisory committee is constituted for each of the languages.[3] The language of the most recent recipient's work is not eligible for consideration for the next two years.[2] Each committee consists of three literary critics and scholars of their respective languages. All the nominations are scrutinised by the committee and their recommendations are submitted to the Jnanpith Award Selection Board (Pravara Parishad).[2][3]

text: The Selection Board consists of between seven and eleven members of "high repute and integrity". Each member is part of the committee for a term of three years which can also be extended further for two more terms.[3] The recommendations of all language advisory committees are evaluated by the board based on complete or partial translations of the selected writings of the proposed writers into Hindi or English. The recipient for a particular year is announced by the Selection Board, which has final authority in selection.[2]

text: List of recipients[edit]

text:
Key

†

Indicates a joint award for the given year

text:
List of award recipients, showing the year, and language(s)[11]

Year

Recipient(s)

Language(s)

Refs./Notes

1965(1st)

G. Sankara Kurup

Malayalam

[d][12]

1966(2nd)

Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay

Bengali

[e][12]

1967(3rd) †

Umashankar Joshi

Gujarati

[f][12]

1967(3rd) †

Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa 'Kuvempu'

Kannada

[g][12]

1968(4th)

Sumitranandan Pant

Hindi

[h][12]

1969(5th)

Firaq Gorakhpuri

Urdu

[i][12]

1970(6th)

Viswanatha Satyanarayana

Telugu

[j][12]

1971(7th)

Bishnu Dey

Bengali

[k][12]

1972(8th)

Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar'

Hindi

[l][12]

1973(9th) †

D. R. Bendre

Kannada

[m][12]

1973(9th) †

Gopinath Mohanty

Odia

[n][12]

1974(10th)

Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar

Marathi

[o][12]

1975(11th)

Akilan

Tamil

[p][12]

1976(12th)

Ashapoorna Devi

Bengali

[q][12]

1977(13th)

K. Shivaram Karanth

Kannada

[r][12]

1978(14th)

Sachchidananda Vatsyayan

Hindi

[s][12]

1979(15th)

Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya

Assamese

[t][12]

1980(16th)

S. K. Pottekkatt

Malayalam

[u][12]

1981(17th)

Amrita Pritam

Punjabi

[v][12]

1982(18th)

Mahadevi Varma

Hindi

[13]

1983(19th)

Masti Venkatesha Iyengar

Kannada

[14]

1984(20th)

Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai

Malayalam

[15]

1985(21st)

Pannalal Patel

Gujarati

[16]

1986(22nd)

Sachidananda Routray

Odia

[17]

1987(23rd)

Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar 'Kusumagraj'

Marathi

[18]

1988(24th)

C. Narayana Reddy

Telugu

[19]

1989(25th)

Qurratulain Hyder

Urdu

[20]

1990(26th)

Vinayaka Krishna Gokak

Kannada

[21]

1991(27th)

Subhash Mukhopadhyay

Bengali

[22]

1992(28th)

Naresh Mehta

Hindi

[23]

1993(29th)

Sitakant Mahapatra

Odia

[24]

1994(30th)

U. R. Ananthamurthy

Kannada

[25]

1995(31st)

M. T. Vasudevan Nair

Malayalam

[26]

1996(32nd)

Mahasweta Devi

Bengali

[27]

1997(33rd)

Ali Sardar Jafri

Urdu

[28]

1998(34th)

Girish Karnad

Kannada

[29]

1999(35th) †

Nirmal Verma

Hindi

[30]

1999(35th) †

Gurdial Singh

Punjabi

[30]

2000(36th)

Mamoni Raisom Goswami

Assamese

[31]

2001(37th)

Rajendra Shah

Gujarati

[32]

2002(38th)

 Jayakanthan

Tamil

[33]

2003(39th)

Vinda Karandikar

Marathi

[34]

2004(40th)

Rehman Rahi

Kashmiri

[35]

2005(41st)

Kunwar Narayan

Hindi

[36]

2006(42nd) †

Ravindra Kelekar

Konkani

[36]

2006(42nd) †

Satya Vrat Shastri

Sanskrit

[36]

2007(43rd)

O. N. V. Kurup

Malayalam

[37]

2008(44th)

Akhlaq Mohammed Khan 'Shahryar'

Urdu

[38]

2009(45th) †

 Amarkant

Hindi

[39]

2009(45th) †

Sri Lal Sukla

Hindi

[39]

2010(46th)

Chandrashekhara Kambara

Kannada

[40]

2011(47th)

Pratibha Ray

Odia

[41]

2012(48th)

Ravuri Bharadhwaja

Telugu

[42]

2013(49th)

Kedarnath Singh

Hindi

[43]

2014(50th)

Bhalchandra Nemade

Marathi

[44]

2015(51st)

Raghuveer Chaudhari

Gujarati

[45]

2016(52nd)

Shankha Ghosh

Bengali

[46]

2017(53rd)

 Krishna  Sobti

Hindi

[47]