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July Heat Wave coupled with worst air quality

July Heat Wave coupled with worst air quality: Since last Friday, many Minnesota climate stations have been reporting daily temperatures that are from 8°F to 14°F above normal for this time of year, with many reporting continuous days with maximum temperatures of 90°F or greater. In addition, many stations have reported several consecutive nights of overnight minimum temperatures ranging from 70°F to 76°F. More than a dozen long-term climate stations have reported some record-setting daily high temperatures, including International Falls with 98°F on the 12th, Duluth with 91°F on the 12th, and Cass Lake with 95°F on the 13th. In addition, there have been over 30 reports of record-setting warm nights, including a minimum temperature of 75°F at Detroit Lakes on the 12th. Higher dew points this week have pushed daily Heat Index Values into the triple digits for many locations around the state, especially over Monday through Wednesday when many areas reported Heat Index Values from 101...
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Warm and Wet Start to July

Warm and Wet Start to July: Through the first 9 days of July temperatures around the state are averaging 2°F to 4°F warmer than normal, mostly due to warm nights. In fact, Preston (Fillmore County) reported a record warm night on July 1st with a minimum temperature of 77°F. At least 16 counties have reported daytime high temperatures of 90°F or greater this month, but no daily record high temperatures have been reported. Many parts of the state have measured rainfall on 5 or 6 days, and in some cases the rain has come in record amounts. Over 20 long term climate stations have reported record daily rainfalls this month, including: 1.47 inches at Rochester on the 1st 7.30 inches at Grand Meadow on the 2nd 2.50 inches at Hokah on the 3rd 1.64 inches at Cass Lake on the 4th 4.00 inches at New York Mills on the 5th 3.15 inches at Onamia on the 8th 5.95 inches at Austion on the 9th For the July 1-9 period many observers have reported from 2 to 5 inches of rainfall, while in southeastern c...
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Record dew points for June 29 combined with severe weather

Record dew points for June 29 combined with severe weather: Monday, June 29th was by far the warmest day of the summer so far. Afternoon Heat Index Values widely ranged from 100°F to 108°F. There were even some values as high as 110°F to 112°F reported at some western and southern locations. The Heat Index Values were driven by record high dew points. Daily record high dew points of 78°F occurred at MSP and St Cloud, as well as at Rochester with a dew point of 79°F. There were widespread reports of record dew points between 80°F and 84°F within the state climate station network, especially from western and southern counties. Some stations reporting dew points of 80°F or higher included: Preston Austin Albert Lea Dodge Center St James New Ulm Slayton Worthington Pipestone Benson, Appleton Morris Sauk Center Willmar Glenwood Fergus Falls Princeton In my 48 years of reporting on Minnesota weather I have never seen such widespread reports of dew points this high in the month of June....
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Preliminary Climate Summary for June of 2026

Preliminary Climate Summary for June of 2026: The beginning and the end of June were dominated by warmer than normal temperatures, while during the middle of the month cooler than normal temperatures prevailed. Over 30 daily high warm minimum temperature records were set within the state climate network early in the month, including 72°F at Albert Lea (Freeborn County) on June 10th. High dew points also brought Heat Index Values between 95°F and 102°F to parts of the state over June 9-10. During the middle part of the month a handful of cold temperature records were set within the state climate network, including a record low minimum temperature of 37°F and a record cold maximum temperature of 53°F at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center (Lake County). Overall, most climate stations will report a mean monthly temperature for June of 2026 that is near normal, or 1°F to 3°F above normal. Extremes for the month were 97°F at Benson (Swift County) on the 10th and 32°F at Celina (St L...
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Heat dissipates, but welcome rain continues

Heat dissipates, but welcome rain continues: After a very warm start to the month, temperatures have significantly cooled off. Since last Friday, most climate stations have seen average temperatures that are 4.0°F to 7.0°F cooler than normal. In fact, Brimson, Embarrass, Grand Marais, Hibbing, Big Fork, Hibbing, Cook, and Wolf Ridge all reported morning low temperatures in the 30s F this week. Grand Marais reported a daily high temperature of only 53°F on June 16th. In addition, since last Friday, most areas of the state have seen at least 4 days bring more rain. In almost all cases the rain has been welcomed, with total amounts for this last week ranging from three-quarters of an inch to 2.00 inches. About 25 percent of the climate observers in the state now report over 3 inches of rain for the month so far. Drought status is still precarious for some north-central and southwestern counties (Moderate to Severe Drought), as rain continues to miss those areas. But at least the ou...
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