Historic July warmth

  We made weather history today. Our temperature topped 80 degrees, making this the first July in Twin Cities history with a high temperature of 80 degrees or warmer on all 31 days!

  Our air conditioners and fans have been working overtime. Only one July (in records going back to 1873) had a higher average monthly temperature, which is the average of all the daily high temperatures and low temperatures. Our Twin Cities July 2012 average temperature of 80.2 degrees is second only to the 81.4 degrees posted in 1936. Here are the four warmest Julys in Twin Cities history, courtesy of the Minnesota State Climatology Office:

 Rank   Avg.temp.   Year

    1.       81.4 ... 1936

     2.       80.2 ... 2012

     3.       79.9 ... 1935

     4.       79.6 ... 2006

  The Minnesota State Climatology Office has posted (Hot July) a list of our ten warmest Julys. Another impressive stat: we’ve hit 90 degrees or warmer at MSP airport on 24 days this year. On average, we reach 90 degrees or warmer on only 13 days per year. The record was 44 days of 90 degrees or warmer, set back in 1988. I remember that summer!

 

  I’m on Twitter: @RonTrenda and LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rontrenda  

Rain at last

  I was beginning to wonder if the rain would ever come. Late June was very dry, and the few significant rains that developed this July had an annoying habit of missing my Minnetonka house. It was getting almost comical…a drenching rain hit downtown Minneapolis at the start of the Basilica Block Party in early July, but only a few drops fell at my house that day. Over eight-tenths of an inch fell at MSP airport last Wednesday, while I saw only a few light showers at my place. My localized dry spell ended last night. The rainfall total overnight into early this morning was almost two inches! That’s by far the biggest rain at my house in the past five weeks. The parts of my lawn that I haven’t been watering are coming back to life. It’s great to see green again!

  Sometimes it comes in handy to be a meteorologist. After looking at the forecast models yesterday, I decided not to do any lawn watering, saving myself some time and money. My forecasting experience also came into play last Sunday, when my girlfriend and I joined another couple for boating on White Bear Lake. It was sprinkling when we arrived at their house, and they wondered if we should change our plans. I promised them that the sprinkles would end by the time we got to the lake, and that we’d have some sunshine by afternoon. It worked out great…they said that they’d be calling me for forecasts in the future!

   I’m on Twitter: @RonTrenda and LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rontrenda 

Streak ends, and a look at August

  The high temperature at MSP on Wednesday was only 83 degrees. Why is that important? Well, it was the first time since June 26 that we didn’t have a MSP high temperature of 85 degrees or warmer. Our streak of 85 or warmer ended at 21 days, falling short of the Twin Cities record of 23 days set back in 1941. Based on data posted by the Twin Cities NWS (Summer heat), here’s a listing of the top streaks of 85 degrees or warmer in the Twin Cities:

 
  Rank  Number of days    End date

     1.         23             8/11/1941  

     2.         21             7/17/2012  

     3.         20             8/04/1935

     4.         17             7/08/1949     

     

  Looking ahead, we could see a warm August. The latest 30 day outlook from the Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service shows a tendency for above-normal temperatures over Minnesota and Wisconsin:

  We’re no strangers to warm temperatures around here…May of 2011 was the last month that was cooler than normal in the Twin Cities!

 
  I’m on Twitter: @RonTrenda and LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rontrenda 

Hottest July

  We’ve seen several hot and steamy days this July. The Twin Cities average high of 98.2 degrees from July 1 through July 6 was the warmest ever recorded for those dates. As I mentioned last week, we hit 100 degrees or warmer twice in early July. …that's notable because the last time that we reached 100 degrees or greater more than once in the same year was 1988.

  It’s been hotter. According to the Minnesota State Climatology Office, the record for most days with 100 degrees or greater is nine, in 1936 (100 degrees). There was a stretch from July 6 through July 14 of 1936 when we topped 100 degrees on eight of nine days. Here are those official Twin Cities highs from 1936:

                 High (1936)

July   6    104

July   7    101 

July   8    101

July   9      96

July 10    106

July 11    106

July 12    106

July 13    105

July 14    108

  Keep in mind, home air conditioning was virtually non-existent in 1936. Some Twin Citians sought relief from the heat by sleeping along the shores of city lakes. Others sought relief in movie theaters, which had primitive air conditioning systems.

  Warm temperatures are expected through this weekend, but we aren’t likely to hit 100 in the Twin Cities. And I should mention rain…we need some rain for our lawns and farm fields. We have “rain opportunities” later this afternoon, tonight and Friday, and we could see some thunderstorms. A passing shower or storm is also possible on Saturday. Have a great weekend!

   I’m on Twitter: @RonTrenda and LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rontrenda

Hot start

  It’s been a hot and humid start to July for much of Minnesota. In the Twin Cities, we officially hit 100 degrees or warmer twice in the first 6 days of July. That's only happened once before, in 1949. Here’s how our high temperatures for July 1 through July 6 compare to the same period in 1949:  

           2012  1949

July 1     94      94

July 2     99      95

July 3     97    100

July 4   101    100

July 5     96      98

July 6   102      90

  The average high for July 1 through July 6 was 96.2 degrees in 1949. We topped that this year, with an average high of 98.2 degrees, making this the warmest 6 day start to July in Twin Cities history. By the way, daily low temperatures from July 1 through July 6 were warmer this year than they were during the same period in 1949.

  High and low temperatures will be cooler and closer to normal this weekend. We’ve earned a break from the heat.

July warmth

  It’s steamy today across Minnesota, and some temperature records have fallen. In the Twin Cities, we just set a new record high temperature for July 2nd. Several more days of hot weather are in the forecast, but there are some signs that temperatures will retreat a bit this coming weekend.

  With such a hot start to July, it seems likely that this month will end up being warmer than normal. The latest 30 day outlook from the Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service agrees with that idea…it shows a tendency for above normal temperatures over Minnesota and Wisconsin:

  If you sense that above-normal temperatures have become a trend, you’re right. May of 2011 was the last month that was cooler than normal in the Twin Cities!

  I’m on Twitter: @RonTrenda and LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rontrenda