Minnesota WeatherTalk

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A Flush of September Warmth and High Dew Points: The trend toward above normal temperatures this month, which began on the 10th, continues in a big way through this weekend. Most observers now report September mean temperatures that are 2 to 4 degrees F warmer than normal, but have yet to see real extremes. This will change for Friday through Sunday as several areas of the state will see daytime highs soar into the 80s and 90s F, with nighttime lows in the 60s and 70s F. As a result, it is likely that some new daily temperature records will be set in terms of both warm daytime highs and warm nighttime lows. So far the highest temperature measured this month was 93 degrees F on the 14th at Browns Valley (Traverse County). This is likely to be surpassed. According to the Minnesota State Climatology Office it is especially unusual to see a series of nighttime low temperatures in the 70s F so late in the month of September. In fact for the Twin Cities climate record consecutive ni

Warm-up boosts crop maturation: With the cold start to the month of September many farmers were concerned about corn and soybeans not reaching maturity before the first frost. The dramatic warm-up in temperatures this week (5 consecutive days with temperatures running from 6-12 degrees F warmer than normal) this concern has been mostly alleviated. Corn has matured rapidly this week, as have soybeans. In fact the degree of warm temperatures has been so persistent statewide that it has offset the cold start to the month, and now most climate stations are reporting mean September temperatures that are warmer than normal at mid-month. In addition warmer than normal temperatures are expected to prevail across Minnesota until near the end of the month. This may not only help with crop maturation, but accelerated dry-down before harvest season begins. Rainfall has certainly been lacking this month, but I don't think this has had much effect on crop yields. The second half of Sep

September starts cool and dry: The month of September has begun cooler and drier than normal across the state. This helped to boost attendance over the final days of the State Fair. Temperatures for the month so far are running from 2 to 6 degrees F cooler than normal, and over 20 northern Minnesota climate stations have already reported morning lows in the 30s F. The coldest spots so far are Fosston (Polk County) with a reading of just 30 degrees F on the 6th and Crane Lake (St Louis County) with a reading of 30 degrees F on September 8th. On Labor Day, September 4th a strong cold front crossed Minnesota during the afternoon bringing some showers and rapid temperature change. In St Cloud the temperature dropped over 21 degrees F in less than an hour during mid-afternoon, while in the Twin Cities the temperature dropped 10 degrees F in just 10 minutes during the late afternoon. Winds gusted to between 40 and 50 mph with the cold front passage. Many people at the State Fair s