Tornadoes touch down in Marion, Plainview

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The past 30-day period in the Twin Cities is the sixth warmest 30-day period on record. It’s also closer to the average temperatures in Kansas City, Mo., more than 400 miles south. The average daily high temperature in the Twin Cities over the last month has been 87.3 degrees. 

The Twin Cities National Weather Service office sent this eye-catching tweet Wednesday: 

We’ve already endured 13 days of 90-degree heat this summer in the Twin Cities. That’s the average for an entire year, and almost half of meteorological summer still lies ahead. 

This is also the 10th driest monthly period on record for the Twin Cities, dating back to 1973. 

I’m scanning the weather maps for much-needed rainfall these dry days. But rainfall looks spotty and scarce overall for the next week. 

I expect Thursday morning’s updated U.S. Drought Monitor to increase the coverage of 

, especially in areas from around the Twin Cities westward into much of central Minnesota along the U.S. Highway 212, U.S. Highway 12 and Minnesota Highway 7 corridors.

The best chances for a quenching downpour from localized thunderstorms arrive Saturday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s NAM 3 km resolution model paints scattered strong storms mostly across central Minnesota Saturday.

The loop below runs between 1 p.m. Saturday and 1 a.m. Sunday. 

Overall rainfall totals look scarce in the next week. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts model cranks out some rainfall totals of 1 inch or more over the next seven days. 

But keep in mind that summer convective rainfall patterns are usually patchwork at best. 

At least we’ll be a few degrees cooler and less humid than the past several days. Highs Thursday will mostly run in the 70s to lower 80s north, with mid to upper 80s south. 

Friday brings another shot at 90 degrees across southern Minnesota, including the Twin Cities. 

Another cool front arrives Sunday with highs in the lower 80s and comfortable dew points in the 40s.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

The past 30 days are the sixth warmest such period on record in the Twin Cities. 

Twin Cities National Weather Service office

NOAA via tropical tidbits

European model (ECMWF) precipitation output

It's a Kansas City summer in the Twin Cities

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