September outlook

  August was warmer than normal in the Twin Cities. Toasty temperatures during the final six days of the month offset the cool stretch that we saw in the middle of August. Cool months are becoming rare around here…May of 2011 was the last month that was cooler than normal in the Twin Cities!

  Looking ahead a bit, the September outlook from the Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service shows a tendency for above-normal temperatures over Minnesota and Wisconsin:

  The outlook doesn’t mean that you should expect above-normal temperatures every day, but there is a good chance that the 30 days of September will average out above normal. I hope that you have a great Labor Day weekend!

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

Rally continues

  Summer has made a nice comeback. Twin Cities temperatures were below normal almost every day from August 9th through August 22nd, but they’ve been above normal since last Thursday. We’ll have toasty high temperatures and unusually warm low temperatures the rest of August, so we’ll end up warmer than normal for the month. We’re getting used to warmth…every month since June of 2011 has been warmer than normal in the Twin Cities!

  I’ve noticed some isolated splashes of fall color on my travels around the metro. Here are a couple of pics taken Sunday along Minnehaha Parkway in Minneapolis:

                             (You can left-click on the photo for a detailed view)

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

Return to August

  It’s felt like September lately. Even though our Twin Cities temperature has been below average on 11 of the past 12 days, I’m not hearing many complaints. We’ve had lots of sunshine, and you don’t have to run your air-conditioner or your furnace when high temperatures are in the 70s.

  I’m expecting highs in the 80s the rest of this week. That’ll help our average monthly temperature rebound a bit. So far this August, we’re running 1.8 degrees below normal in the Twin Cities.

  Do you like fall colors? Some early signs of autumn have already been spotted. Here’s a photo taken Sunday near Park Rapids:

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

Really cool

  Our average high in the Twin Cities this August has been 81.8 degrees. That’s close to average, and a nice break from the sweltering heat of July. Today (Wednesday) is very summery, with dewpoints in the 60s and an afternoon high in the 80s. If you like summery weather, get out in it this afternoon…a big change is coming. An impressive cold front will move through tonight, and much cooler highs are expected on Thursday. You can expect Twin Cities high temperatures in the cool 70s Friday through Sunday. 

  Looking ahead a bit, the 6-10 day outlook from the Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service shows a tendency for below-normal temperatures over Minnesota and Wisconsin next week:

  If cool temperatures do linger through next week, we’ll be well on our way to a cooler than normal August. That would end an impressive warm streak. We haven’t had a month that was cooler than normal in the Twin Cities since May of 2011!.

  

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

New radar is here

  We have a new radar. Parts of the old radar system are still here, but the Chanhassen office of the National Weather Service (NWS) just finished its upgrade to Dual-Polarization radar. I spoke with Craig Edwards today. He is the former Meteorologist in Charge of the Chanhassen NWS office, and is semi-retired…currently working as game-day onsite meteorologist for the Minnesota Twins. He mentioned that this is the first major upgrade to NWS radar since the move to Doppler radar capabilities in 1994.

  What will the new radar do? Here are some benefits of Dual-Polarization radar, from the NWS web site (Twin Cities NWS).

            Better estimation of total precipitation amounts

       Better estimation of the size distribution of hydrometeors (raindrops, snowflakes, hailstones, drizzle)

       Much improved ability to identify areas of extremely heavy rainfall that are closely linked with flash floods

       Improved detection and mitigation of non-weather related radar echoes (chaff, smoke plumes, ground clutter)

       Easier identification of the melting layer (helpful for identifying snow levels in higher terrain)

       Improved ability to classify precipitation type

Many new radar products will now be available to meteorologists and the public. I’m glad that the radar upgrade is here!

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

Record-tying streak

   Refreshingly cool air washed over us this past weekend. It was great weather for playing outdoors, with highs in the upper 70s, low humidity and plenty of sunshine. It had been quite a while since we’d seen high temperatures in the 70s.  In fact, Friday marked the 39th consecutive day with a high temperature of 80 degrees or warmer in the Twin Cities. That tied a record. Here are the longest streaks of 80 degrees or warmer in the Twin Cities, courtesy of the Twin Cities office of the National Weather Service:

     Rank           Days          End date

      1. (tie)      39 .....  8/03/2012

       1. (tie)      39 .....  8/10/1916

       3.             32 .....  7/28/1936

       4.             31 .....  7/15/1921

  After high temperatures in the 80s on Monday and Tuesday, cooler max temps in the 70s are expected for Thursday and Friday. In case you’ve lost track, 82 degrees is our average high temperature this time of the year in the Twin Cities.

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

Warm August outlook

  Have you lost track of “normal”? Our average high temperature this time of year in the Twin Cities is 83 degrees. We topped that this afternoon, and Friday will be another warm day. If you’d like to give your air-conditioner a break, hang in there….cooler temperatures are on tap for the weekend.

  Looking ahead a bit, the updated August outlook from the Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service still shows a tendency for above-normal temperatures over Minnesota and Wisconsin:  

  The outlook doesn’t mean that you should expect above-normal temperatures every day, but there is a good chance that the 31 days of August will average out above normal. July in the Twin Cities ended up 6.4 degrees above normal, and our average high temperature was a whopping 89.9 degrees. In case you’re wondering, our Twin Cities average monthly high temperature has been over 90 degrees only two times:  92.5 degrees in July 1936 and 90.2 degrees in July 1988. Hope you have a great August!

  

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