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Warm Start to July

Warm Start to July: Through the first 10 days of July, temperatures are averaging 2°F to 4°F warmer than normal. Though very few record high temperatures have been reported this month, observers in over 40 counties have reported daytime highs in the 90s, and a number of observers reported Head Index Value of 100°F over July 4th and July 5th. Except for parts of north-central and south-central Minnesota which had strong thunderstorm over July 4th and 5th, most areas of the state are reporting below normal rainfall so far. Wells (Faribault County) reported a record daily rainfall of 2,82 inches on July 5th, while Waskish (Beltrami County) reported a record rainfall of 2.67 inches on the same date. The U.S. Drought Monitor this week shows only portions of Kittson, Roseau, Lake of the Woods, and Marshall Counties (far northwestern MN) to be in Moderate or Severe Drought. According to USDA reports topsoil moisture in the state is mostly rated to be adequate at this time and surplus in 2...
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Hot start to July

Hot start to July: The first few days of July have averaged 4°F to 7°F above normal in most places around the state. Observers in 9 counties have reported afternoon highs of 90°F or higher so far. In addition, dew points have climbed into the 70s F, producing stressful Heat Index Values over 100°F. The National Weather Service has already had to issue some Heat Advisories for portions of Minnesota. NOAA outlook models continue to favor warmer than normal temperatures across Minnesota for much of the month of July, so I suspect that there will be more Heat Advisories and Excessive Heat Warnings issued during the month.  July 4th Climatology: The 4th of July holiday in Minnesota is usually hot with a chance for showers and thunderstorms. There have even been significant derechos (straight-line thunderstorm winds) that have caused damage in the state, most notably in 1977, 1983, and 1995. Speaking of thunderstorms, an intense one brought nearly 10 inches of rain of Milan (Chippe...
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Preliminary Climate Summary for June of 2025

Preliminary Climate Summary for June of 2025: Even with the above normal temperatures forecasted for the final weekend in June, the average monthly temperature around the state will range from a modest 1°F to 2°F above normal because about half of the days brought cooler than normal temperatures to most places. Within the state climate station network there were 56 daily record high maximum temperatures reported, including 100°F at Theilman (Wabasha County) and 101°F at Marshall (Lyon County) last weekend. In fact, last weekend brought Heat Index Values ranging from 100°F to 110°F to many parts of the state. Extremes for the month ranged from 29°F at Seagull Lake (Cook County) on the 14th to 101°F at Marshall (Lyon County) on the 22nd. Except for some parts of northwestern and north-central Minnesota, the vast majority of Minnesota climate stations reported above normal rainfall for the month. Rains were both persistent, occurring on half or more of the days in June, and heavy, wi...
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Variable amounts of June rain continue

Variable amounts of June rain continue: This last week brought highly variable rainfall to Minnesota. Many areas received over 1 inch of rain, and there were several reports of 2 to 3 inches. Generally, northern-central and northwestern areas, along with some southwestern counties received less than 1 inch of rain for the week. On the other hand, portions of Faribault, St Louis, and Chippewa Counties reported over 4 inches of rain. Severe weather reports were numerous around the state on Monday, June 16th. Awaiting confirmation from National Weather Service storm surveys, there were reports that day of tornadoes in Otter Tail, Wadena, Todd, Cass, Aitkin, St Louis, and Nicollet Counties. There were also reports of large hail from Otter Tail, Cass, Meeker, Wright, Carver, and Blue Earth counties, with some reports of 2” and 3” diameter hailstones in Carver County. In addition, there were reports of trees down or damaged from thunderstorm winds in Stearns, Hennepin, Crow Wing, and St Loui...
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Update on weather for the first half of June

Update on weather for the first half of June: Through the first two weeks of June the weather has brought a number of air quality alerts to most of the state due to smoke from Canadian wildfires. Despite this pattern, near normal to above normal rainfall has been reported from many areas of the state. Dozens of observers have reported over 2 inches, and several reported over 3 inches so far. USDA reports for Minnesota show that the topsoil moisture content is currently rated 85 percent adequate or surplus, a good sign for continued stress-free crop development. Outlooks continue to favor wetter than normal conditions across the state through the 4th week of the month. A more comprehensive update on June weather can be found at the Minnesota State Climatology Office web site . Despite the rains, Moderate Drought remains over about 17 percent of the Minnesota landscape, mostly in the north and southwest. In the drier areas of the state, afternoon temperatures spiked in the 90s F i...
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