Minnesota WeatherTalk

Preliminary Climate Summary for September: As we near the end of the month it appears that most climate stations will report a mean monthly temperature that ranges from 3 to 5 degrees F above normal, only the 2nd significantly warmer than normal month of 2019. Extremes were 91°F at Marshall on the 18th, and 31°F at Celina (St Louis County) on the 14th. With respect to rainfall, September of 2019 will be among the six wettest in history on a statewide basis. Many areas received between 5 and 10 inches for the month. There were several new daily rainfall records set during the month, including 4.28" at Lake Wilson and 4.30" at Pipestone on the 12th. At least 70 new daily rainfall records were set within the state climate network during the month. A handful of climate stations reported over 10 inches of rainfall for the month. Severe Weather on September 24th: Many parts of Minnesota reported thunderstorms with heavy rain, strong winds, and hail on Tuesday, September

September Climate Update: Since last Saturday we have seen some of the warmest weather since early August prevail across much of the state. Over 100 climate stations have reported daytime highs above 80°F this week and in western Minnesota places like Windom, Marshall, Browns Valley, Milan, and Redwood Falls saw temperatures of 90° or higher. Of further note is that warm nights have prevailed as well, with seven climate stations reporting new record high minimum temperatures including 71°F at Canby, 69°F at Lamberton, and 66°F at Ada in the early morning of the 17th. Minnesota farmers were happy to see the return of warmer than normal weather this week as it was needed to speed up corn development towards maturity. Most of the state corn crop is in the dough or dent state (condition of the kernels) and needs some more time to mature and dry down before harvest. The warm temperatures also help soybeans turn color and drop leaves this week as they progress to maturity. It was go

Wet Start to September: This has been a very wet week in many places as much of Minnesota has shown rainfall totals over 2 inches since Monday (September 9th). For the first half of the month most Minnesota climate stations have seen double the normal amount of rainfall, and several have already reported 3 to 6 inches of rain. Pipestone has already received 8.50 inches for the month. There have also been many reports of new daily rainfall records set within the state climate station network. Too many to report here, but some of the more significant ones are: September 10th, 2.23” at Wheaton September 11th, 2.30” at Zumbrota and 2.63” at Red Wing September 12th, 4.40” at Pipestone; 4.28” at Lake Wilson; 3.15” at Luverne; 3.11” at Lamberton; 2.45” at Marshall; 2.19” at Canby; and 2.14” at Windom September 13th, 3.72” at Minnesota City; 3.66” at Grand Meadow; 3.00” at Spring Valley; 2.67” at Caledonia; and 2.52” at Preston We continue to witness many areas of the state recording o

Strong Thunderstorms on September 2nd: On Labor Day a strong line of thunderstorms moved southeast across west-central Minnesota and into west-central Wisconsin during the evening. There were two tornado reports, one near Howard Lake in Wright County and another near Mound in Hennepin County. Both were rated EF-1 (max winds near 90 mph), with the Wright County storm on the ground for 1.1 miles and the Hennepin County storm on the ground for 3.5 miles. There was some structural damage to farm buildings and some tree damage as well. Seventeen other Minnesota Counties reported some strong thunderstorm winds with gusts over 50 mph and some tree damage as well. Some climate stations reported 1-2 inches of rainfall. Sandstone in Pine County reported over 2 inches. In addition, Pope, Stearns, Kandiyohi, Le Sueur and Rice Counties reported large hail. More detail is available from the National WeatherService . Favorable Weather Leads to State Fair Attendance Record: The 12-day run of