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 outlook models continue to favor more than average rainfall for the remainder of the month with temperatures mostly near normal or below normal, until the last few days of the month when daily highs will climb back into the 80s F.

According to USDA crop condition reports from earlier this week, about 80 percent of the corn and soybean crops in Minnesota are judged to be in good to excellent condition and making good growth progress.

Weekly Weather Potpourri:

This week the NOAA National Hurricane Center was tracking Tropical Storm Arthur in the Gulf of Mexico. It was expected to pose a threat for flash flooding as it migrated onshore and move east. Areas under the threat of flash flooding extended from Lake Charles, LA all the way to Atlanta, GA.

A recent paper in the journal Climate and Atmospheric Science documents a study of over 3000 Alaskan glaciers and how sensitive they are to climate change. For each 1°C of warming the glacial melt season is extended by approximately 3 weeks. Even relatively short summer heat waves rapidly accelerate the loss of protective snow cover and expose more glacial ice to rapid melting.

MPR listener question:

You and Cathy have spoken about the strong winds this year and it made us wonder what is the distribution of wind turbines in Minnesota and how do we rank nationally with respect to the number of wind turbines used to generate clean energy?

Answer:

According to the U.S. Wind Turbine Database, Minnesota currently ranks 8th in the nation for the number of wind turbines deployed for power generation, with 2736 turbines installed, generating 4829 Megwatts (MW). Greatest concentration of wind turbines is in Nobles, Jackson, Murray, Lincoln, Pipestone, and Rock Counties (all SW MN). There are also significant numbers of wind turbines deployed in Faribault, Martin, and Blue Earth Counties (south-central MN), and a lesser number in Stevens, Pope, and Grant Counties.

I might further add that my mentor at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Donald Baker, was the first climatologist to analyze the potential for wind energy usage in the state in a study he did for Governor Al Quie back in the early 1980s. It was Dr. Baker’s study that served as a foundation for the geographic deployment of wind turbines in the state of Minnesota and he won a state award for doing that work.

Twin Cities Almanac for June 19th:

The average MSP high temperature for this date is 80 degrees F (plus or minus 8 degrees F standard deviation), while the average low is.62 degrees F (plus or minus 7 degrees F standard deviation).

MSP Local Records for June 19th:

MSP records for this date: highest daily maximum temperature of 100 degrees F in 1933; lowest daily maximum temperature of 56 degrees F in 1946; lowest daily minimum temperature of 41 degrees F in 1950; highest daily minimum temperature of 75 degrees F in 1933, and record precipitation of 4.13 inches in 2014. No snowfall has occurred on this date.

Average dew point for June 19th is 55°F; the maximum dew point on this date is 76°F in 1953 and the minimum dew point on this date is 31 degrees F in 1992.

All-time statewide records for June 19th:

The state record high temperature for this date is.109 degrees F at Beardsley (Big Stone County) in 1933. The state record low temperature for this date is 24 degrees F at Embarrass (St Louis County) in 2004. The statewide record for precipitation on this date is 8.20 inches at Duluth 4.1 NNE (St Louis County) in 2012. No snow has fallen on this date.

Past Weather:

Both 1933 and 1988 brought the hottest temperatures for June 19th historically. Dozens of communities reported afternoon high temperatures of 100°F or greater, with over 100 daily record high temperatures reported for the date. In 1933, Morris set a statewide record warm minimum temperature with an overnight low of 81°F.

Dozens of communities reported record low minimum temperatures on June 19 of 2004. Many parts of central Minnesota reported morning low temperatures in the 30s F, while a few places in the north, like Brimson, Embarrass, and Hibbing reported temperatures in the 20s F. In the north, the afternoon high temperature only reached 53°F at Babbitt and Isabella.

The worst ever flood for the Duluth area occurred over June 19-20 of 2012. Portions of Aitkin, Carlton, St Louis, and Lake Counties received 6 to 10 inches of rain (mostly overnight) from strong slow-moving thunderstorms in the area. Two Harbors reported an all-time 24 hour rainfall record on the morning of June 20 with 10.45 inches. The St Louis River reached an all-time record flood crest in the flooding. The DNR State Climatology Office provided a detailed synopsis of the impact of these storms.

Outlook:

Generally sunny, but cooler than normal on Saturday. Increasing cloudiness on Sunday with a chance for showers and thunderstorms, except for northern counties which should remain dry. Continued cooler than normal temperatures next week, with some chances for showers and thunderstorms Tuesday and into Wednesday. Temperatures will climb back closer to normal by next weekend.