Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

A whiff of September this week? Heat may return next week

Minnesota is getting a break from 90-degree heat this week.

Temperatures Monday afternoon
Temperatures Monday afternoon.
Oklahoma Mesonet

It’s a breath of fresh air this week around Minnesota.

We’re finally catching a nice break from persistently warmer than average temperatures this July. With just one week left in July, temperatures are running 3.1 degrees warmer than average so far this month in the Twin Cities. And 17 of 24 days in the weather books so far this month have been warmer than average.

Our break from the heat and humidity will last most of this week. High temperatures will hover in the 70s across most of Minnesota.

Forecast high temperatures Tuesday
Forecast high temperatures Tuesday.
NOAA

By Thursday, a secondary cool front will feel more September than late July. Highs will be in the 60s north, to 70s south. It could be the coolest day in the Twin Cities and most of Minnesota since early June.

Forecast high temperatures Thursday
Forecast high temperatures Thursday.
NOAA

Comfy dew points

Our free AC this week also comes courtesy of lower dew points. Dew points Monday have been in the fall-like 40s in the Twin Cities and eastern Minnesota. They will briefly rise into the low 60s Tuesday before the next cold front sweeps in a drier air mass with dew points back into the 40s by late Wednesday and Thursday.

Check out NOAA’s GFS dew point output into Thursday morning below.

NOAA GFS model dew point
NOAA GFS model dew point output into Thursday.
NOAA via tropical tidbits

Heat returns next week?

There are signs that the intense heat dome that’s been covering the central and eastern parts of the U.S. may nudge northward toward Minnesota next week. Newark, New Jersey, has hit 100 degrees a record five straight days.

NOAA’s 8 to 14-day outlook strongly favors warmer than average temperatures as we hit August next week.

temperature outlook
Temperature outlook.
NOAA/Twin Cities National Weather Service

Early indications from the forecast models are that southern Minnesota may push into the 90s again next week. But it looks like northern Minnesota may stay cooler.

Stay tuned.