June Starts Historically Warm:
Several people have written or commented to me about how June has started so warm. Indeed, it has, both daytime high temperatures and nighttime low temperatures have been well above normal, the low temperatures more so than the highs. It has been exceptionally dry as well. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor this week about 1/8 of the Minnesota landscape is now in Moderate Drought, including portions of 25 counties. Rainfall deficits since May 1st now range from 3 to 5 inches below normal in many areas of the state.
But, back to temperature. Let’s take a statistical look at the first week of June (1-7). A majority of climate stations reported at least one day with 90°F or greater, and several have reported nighttime minimum temperatures that did not dip below 70°F. The highest temperature so far in June has been 98°F at Artichoke Lake (Big Stone County) on June 4th.
Within the statewide climate station network, the first week of June brought record-setting or record-tying maximum temperatures to 31 places, and record setting or record-tying warm minimum temperatures to 67 places around the state. A historical ranking of the statewide average temperature for June 1-7 back to 1895 shows that the top three warmest are:
June 2021 73.5°F
June 2023 73.2°F
June 1933 71.6°F (June of 1933 was also the warmest month of June in state history)
Similarly, a historical ranking of the warmest June 1-7 period for the Twin Cities back to 1872 shows the top three warmest are:
June 2021 80.3°F
June 2023 78.6°F
June 1933 77.7°F (June of 1933 was also the warmest month of June in Twin Cities history)
One distinct difference among these ranked warm June weeks for the Twin Cities is the variation in dew points. In the Dust Bowl Era dew points of 60°F or greater were rare and in June of 1933 hourly dew points were not measured. For June 1-7 of 2021 there were 32 hours when the dew point in the Twin Cities was 60°F or greater, while for June 1-7 of this year there were 86 such hours. Many citizens are more prone to feel the heat when the dew point is above 60°F, so perceptions of this June’s heat, though correct from purely a temperature standpoint, are also justified further by the more frequent higher dew points.
One further note of interest for readers and listeners of MPR: Checking the other two ranked historical starts to June, both 1933 and 2021 were precursors to very warm summers (June-August). Summer of 2021 was the 2nd warmest in state history, while summer of 1933 was the 3rd warmest in state history on a statewide basis. Summer of 1988 was the warmest.
Next Webinar Sponsored by the Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership (MCAP):
The next presentation for the Adaptation in Action Webinar Series sponsored by MCAP will be on June 20, 2023 from noon to 1pm. It is entitled “The Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Potential of Solar and will be presented by Pat Hamilton, Director of Climate Change, Energy, and the Environment at the Science Museum of Minnesota. To register for this zoon-based presentation, please use the MCAP web site.
Weekly Weather Potpourri:
This week’s AGU-EOS Bulletin features an interesting study by Anna Boque’ Ciurana, a climatologist at Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain. She also happens to be a surfer. She did a study of climate related to sea recreational activities along Spain’s Mediterranean coastline. She used historical daily climate data to tally “calm days” good for swimming, snorkeling, and stand-up paddleboarding; “brave days” with the high wind speeds ideal for sports such as parasailing, kitesurfing, and sailing; and “surf days” with tall waves. She tracked how the frequency and timing of each type of day have changed over 6 decades, and discovered that climate change may be reducing the number of calm days in the area.
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center was tracking two significant and powerful tropical systems this week: Tropical Cyclone Biparjoy was in the Arabian Sea south of Karachi; and Typhoon Guchol was in the Western Pacific Ocean south of Japan. Both storm systems were expected to stay out to sea through the weekend.
A good briefing on the very poor air quality affecting the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states this week is provided by the Weather Underground. Many areas have seen poor air quality in the “very unhealthy” and “hazardous” categories this week. A changing weather pattern should bring some relief this weekend.
MPR listener question:
We sure felt the dew point earlier this week while walking the dog around Lake Gervais in the Twin Cities. We heard it was the first week with dew points in the 60s F. What is the record high dew point for the month of June?
Answer:
The all-time record high dew point for the month of June in the Twin Cities is 80°F which occurred on June 22, 1983. With an afternoon air temperature of 87°F the Heat Index reached 102°F that day.
Twin Cities Almanac for June 9th:
The average MSP high temperature for this date is 77 degrees F (plus or minus 8 degrees F standard deviation), while the average low is 59 degrees F (plus or minus 6 degrees F standard deviation).
MSP Local Records for June 9th:
MSP records for this date: highest daily maximum temperature of 95 degrees F in 1976; lowest daily maximum temperature of 56 degrees F in 1998; lowest daily minimum temperature of 39 degrees F in 1915; highest daily minimum temperature of 73 degrees F in 1959; record precipitation of 2.33 inches in 1927. No snowfall on this date.
Average dew point for June 9th is 52°F; the maximum dew point on this date is 74°F in 1947; and the minimum dew point on this date is 23 degrees F in 1972.
All-time state records for June 9th:
The state record high temperature for this date is 102 degrees F at New Ulm and Montevideo in 1911, and at Albert Lea, Waseca, Mankato, Zumbrota, Owatonna, and Faribault in 1986. The state record low temperature for this date is 23 degrees F at Fort Ripley (Crow Wing County) in 1877. The state record precipitation for this date is 7.20 inches at Willmar (Kandiyohi County) in 1895. No snowfall has been reported on this date.
Past Weather:
Slow-moving and strong thunderstorms brought very heavy rains to portions of southern and central Minnesota on June 9, 1895. Many areas reported 2 to 4 inches of rainfall and near Willmar over 7 inches occurred. The heavy rains washed out crop fields and turned trails and roads into much. Many crop fields had to be replanted.
A frosty morning greeted Minnesota campers across the state’s northern counties on June 9, 1966. Many areas saw frost, and some portions of St Louis County reported morning low temperatures in the 20s F. Overall, eleven climate stations reported record low temperatures that morning that still stand today.
The hottest June 9th in state history was in 1985 when most of the state baked with afternoon high temperatures in the 90s F. Twelve southern Minnesota counties saw afternoon temperatures break 100°F.
Outlook:
A chance for showers and thunderstorms on Saturday and Saturday night in many areas. Cooler and drier on Sunday. Warming to above normal temperatures again for Monday through Thursday of next week, with chances for showers and thunderstorms by Thursday.
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