Warm streak extended

  Our warm streak is safe. Despite some chilly September days, including last Saturday and Sunday, our average temperature this month is running a bit above normal in the Twin Cities. We started September very warm, with highs of 86, 88, 92 and then another 92. Add in the 95 degree high on September 11th, and the die was cast for a warmer than normal September. We’ll end this month with high temperatures several degrees above normal on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. In case you’re wondering, our average high is 67 degrees this time of year.

  This is our 16th consecutive month of above average temperatures. Our warm streak included the warmest March and the second-warmest July in Twin Cities history. Looking ahead, some indicators point to a warmer than normal October. That’s OK with me, I have a lot of unfinished outdoor projects.

  Update: On September 30th, the Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service revised their October temperature outlook for Minnesota. It now shows a tendency for below normal temperatures.

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

A very dry stretch

 The latest info from the U.S. Drought Monitor  http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu shows much of Minnesota experiencing drought conditions right now: 

  It shows 64.11% of Minnesota in drought conditions, and that includes roughly the northern half of the Twin Cities metro area. An additional 32.09% of Minnesota, including the southern half of the metro area, is abnormally dry right now.  One year ago, only 16.63% of Minnesota was experiencing drought. The Minnesota State Climatology Office has detailed weekly updates on drought conditions at http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/drought_2012.htm.

  During dry spells like this, I often think of my grandparents. They were Minnesota farmers who didn’t have irrigation systems for their fields. I remember visiting the farm one day and being disappointed that it was cloudy and rainy. My grandfather was looking out at the rain and smiling…it was just what the corn crop needed!

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

  

 

A return to Minnehaha Falls

  I checked out Minnehaha Falls yesterday. I’m not sure that it qualifies as a “falls” right now...it’s more of a “trickle”. Here’s how it looks:

                                         (Left-click on pic for detailed view)

  It looked a lot different on May 6th:

 

  In May, the water gushing over the falls and splashing down below was pleasantly loud. Now, it’s strangely quiet.

  Why no falls? We’ve seen very little rain the past six weeks, so water flow in Minnehaha Creek is extremely low, almost non-existent. Our dry spell has also dropped water levels on Lake Minnetonka, so Gray’s Bay Dam was closed around August 20th (Dam), and water is no longer being released into Minnehaha Creek.

  Generous rains will return eventually, and our familiar Minnehaha Creek and Minnehaha Falls will also return. In the meantime, bring a camera if you visit Minnehaha Falls…it doesn’t look like this very often!

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

The heat is gone

 
 

  We topped out at 92 degrees in the Twin Cities on Tuesday. Our Labor Day high was also 92. We’ve hit 90 degrees or warmer on 30 days this year. Here’s the breakdown, month by month:

  Month    Days 90 or warmer

    May                 2

    June                8

     July              14

     Aug.               4

     Sep.               2

  On average, we see a high temperature of 90 or warmer on 13 days per year in the Twin Cities. Our 30 days of 90 or warmer this year is impressive, but it’s nowhere near a record. The Twin Cities record is a whopping 44 days, set back in 1988. I remember that summer well, since I had no air-conditioning in my house!

  Cooler temps have arrived, and I don’t see us returning to 90 anytime soon. You can impress your friends with this weather nugget: our latest 90 degree reading in the Twin Cities was on October 10th, in 1928.

 

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