From summer to autumn; much cooler on Labor Day
Rain chances highest to the south
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It’s great to have some summery weather during the Labor Day weekend! Our Sunday high temperature was 83 degrees at Minneapols-St. Paul International Airport. That’s well above our average Sept. 6 high of 76. Many spots in the southern half of Minnesota enjoyed Sunday highs in the 80s, with summery dew points in the 60s.
It’s been windy today, and a wind advisory continues until 8 p.m. this Sunday evening in northwestern Minnesota. A gale warning on Lake Superior begins at 9 p.m. this Sunday and runs until 7 a.m. Monday:
Cooler on Labor Day, with rain chances in some areas
Labor Day highs will be much cooler, with 50s across most of Minnesota and some lower 60s from the Twin Cities metro area southward and eastward:
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Computer models show rain moving into southwestern Minnesota Monday morning then spreading eastward and a bit northward during the afternoon. The Twin Cities metro area may see some showers by mid to late afternoon on Monday, with the shower chance lingering into the evening. The metro area is expected to be near the northern edge of the rain, so any shift southward would reduce our metro area rain chances.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential rain pattern Monday and Monday evening:
NOAA’s High Resolution Rapid-Refresh model shows this rain pattern Monday and Monday evening:
The HRRR model shows steadier rains in more areas than the NAM model, but the models have similar timing on the rain. Both models show little or no rain in most of northern Minnesota on Labor Day.
You can hear updated weather information on the MPR network, and you’ll see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.
Temperature trends
Most spots will have highs in the 50s on Tuesday:
Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to be in the mid 50s Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by lower 60s Thursday and upper 60s on Friday. We could top out around 70 degrees next weekend, which would still be a bit below average.
There aren’t any big warmups in sight. The NWS Climate Prediction Center shows a tendency for below-normal temperatures from September 12 through September 16:
Denver goes from 101 degrees to snow
Denver had a new all-time September record high on Saturday, when they hit 101:
Denver hit at least 97 degrees on Sunday:
Denver will have a high in the 90s on Labor Day, then temperatures fall sharply Monday night into Tuesday, with a winter storm watch for snow:
This would be an early first snow. According to the NWS, October 18 is the average first date of measureable snow in Denver:
The NWS forecast shows the Denver temperature dropping from 93 degrees at 4 p.m. Monday to 42 degrees at 1 a.m. Tuesday:
That’s a drop of 51 degrees in 9 hours! Denver’s forecast shows temps in the 30s during the daylight hours of Tuesday.
In summary, Denver is going from highs in the 90s on Monday to daytime highs in the upper 30s on Tuesday, with snow in the forecast. Our transition from highs in the 80s this Sunday to highs in the lower 60s on Labor Day is a minor dip compared to the plunging temps in the Denver forecast.
Have a good Labor Day!
