Comments on weather to start June:
The month of June is off to a warm and wet start in most parts of Minnesota, especially the southern half of the state. Over 25 counties reported afternoon high temperatures in the 90s on Monday June 2nd, with Lamberton in Redwood County reporting 95°F. Mean while on that same day Grand Marais and Two Harbors were reporting highs of 54°F and 55°F, respectively. Though temperatures are expected to be cooler than normal for the coming weekend, by the middle of next week they will be several degrees above normal again, and that warm pattern is expected to hold up across Minnesota for the balance of June.
The rains over June 2-4 brought anywhere from a half inch to an inch and a half of moisture to many parts of the state. A line of strong thunderstorms on June 2nd brought some 1.25 inches diameter hail to parts of Renville County, as well as wind gusts from 59 to 78 mph in western areas of the state like Stevens, Swift, Pope, Grant, Douglas, Otter Tail, Kandiyohi, and Meeker Counties. Much more rain is expected in the coming days for much of the state and this should not be surprising as June often brings the most rain of the year in Minnesota. However, northern parts of Minnesota are expected to continue mostly warm and dry.
Weekly Weather Potpourri:
CTV news web site this week featured stories about the wildfires affecting provinces of Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec where air quality alerts were in effect through Friday. In addition, very warm and windy conditions in the western province of Alberta were elevating wildfire danger in that area of the country as well. According to Environment Canada portions of northern Manitoba and northern Ontario are expected to see above normal risk of wildfires prevail throughout June.
A recent study published in Nature Communications documents that the mysterious seismic signals detected worldwide in mid-September of 2023 were caused by tsunamis in Greenland that became trapped standing waves, oscillating back and forth for 9 days. The tsunamis were generated by two landslides created by rapid melting in the interior of the continent. This study showed that in the absence of observed dramatic natural climate-induced anomalies, the use of satellite altimetry data can be used to detect and study such occurrence.
MPR listener question:
Why are national weather service offices so often located at airports? Was this always the case?
Answer:
The U.S. Army Signal Corps formed in 1863 was given weather observation and forecasting responsibility by the Congress in 1870. In 1890 the Congress established the "Weather Bureau" within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and they took over the responsibility for weather observations and forecasting, primarily to provide information to farmers. As commercial aviation began to develop following World War I, more and more attention was given to servicing the weather information needs of pilots. The Air Commerce Act passed by Congress in 1926 actually modified the mission statement of the Weather Bureau stating…."it shall be the duty of the ......Weather Bureau to furnish such weather reports, forecasts, warnings, and advices as may be required to promote the safety and efficiency of air navigation in the United States and above the high seas...and to establish (additional) meteorological offices and stations to do so..." There were no airport weather stations reporting weather in the U.S. in 1926, but by 1930 there were 50. Today there are hundreds, at both large and small airports.
In recognition of the high priority given to servicing aviation weather needs, the Weather Bureau was transferred to the Department of Commerce in 1940 and became the National Weather Service. Today, a majority of the hourly weather reports available from the National Weather Service are representative of airport locations, but as many data users know, these stations are not particularly representative of the surrounding urban, agricultural or forested landscapes. The volunteer climate stations are primarily used to represent the environments of these other important landscapes, and the University of Minnesota Research and Outreach Centers are primary providers of weather and climate data for agriculture, including not only routine weather observations, but soil temperatures, soil moisture measurements, evaporation measurements, and frost depth measurements during the winter season.
Twin Cities Almanac for June 6th:
The average MSP high temperature for this date is 76 degrees F (plus or minus 10 degrees F standard deviation), while the average low is 58 degrees F (plus or minus 8 degrees F standard deviation).
MSP Local Records for June 6th:
MSP records for this date: highest daily maximum temperature of 97 degrees F in 2011; lowest daily maximum temperature of 52 degrees F in 2009; lowest daily minimum temperature of 36 degrees F in 1897; highest daily minimum temperature of 76 degrees F in 2021; and record precipitation of 1.59 inches in 1974. There has not been any snowfall on this date.
Average dew point for June 6th is 53°F; the maximum dew point on this date is 73°F in 1925 and the minimum dew point on this date is 26 degrees F in 1926.
All-time state records for June 6th:
The state record high temperature for this date is 103 degrees F at Fairmont (Martin County) in 1933 and at Benson and Browns Valley in 2021. The state record low temperature for this date is 20 degrees F at Remer (Cass County) in 1985. The state record precipitation for this date is 6.51 inches at Luverne (Rock County) in 1896. No snowfall has occurred on this date.
Past Weather:
Strong thunderstorms brought heavy rains and hail to southwestern Minnesota on June 6 of 1896. Many observers reported 2 to 4 inches of rain, while Luverne in Rock County reported over 6 inches. Farm fields were not as well drained back then and it took nearly two weeks for some fields to dry out.
On June 6 of 1897, there was widespread killing frost in many parts of the state. More low temperatures were in the mid to upper 20s F in 15 counties, and frost was observed in farm fields as far south as Wabasha County. Many farm fields had to be replanted.
Early June of 2021 brought a Heat Wave to Minnesota. On June 6th, many climate stations reported new daily record high temperatures. Fifteen counties reported high temperatures of 100°F or greater. The morning low temperature at Sabin was a very warm 79°F.
Outlook:
The weather will be cooler and unsettled over the weekend with chances for showers and thunderstorms. This pattern will carry on through Monday, then the balance of next week will see more partly cloudy to sunny skies with temperatures warming to above normal values again. Towards the end of next week there will be an increased chance for showers.
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