Multiple temperature records in the 'hot seat' with latest heat wave
Temperatures 20-25 degrees above average
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After historic October heat in recent years, Minnesota is once again facing a surge of record-breaking warmth. Temperatures running 20 to 25 degrees above seasonal averages are expected to break multiple records.
Hot-ober ahead
Once again, Minnesota finds itself in a historic October warmth pattern, with temperatures expected to climb into the 90s. Friday’s high-temperature map looks more like July than autumn.
The temperature anomaly map shows forecast highs for Friday running 20 to 30 degrees above normal.
Several high temperature records are in the “hot seat” for Friday:
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St. Cloud — 88 degrees, set in 1922
Brainerd — 84 degrees, set in 2023
International Falls — 84 degrees, set in 2023
Bemidji — 82 degrees, set in 2011
Pipestone — 92 degrees, set in 1997
It’s not just the record high temperatures that are at risk. Record warm low temperatures could be broken as well. Friday night’s lows are expected to stay in the 60s and 70s, resembling typical early October highs. The Twin Cities’ record warm low for Oct. 4 is 68 degrees, set in 1922.
Historic heat from 2023 and other records
Just a few years ago, Minnesota experienced some of its hottest October temperatures on record. Highs climbed to 90 degrees or higher across western, central and southern parts of the state.
The Twin Cities reached a record high of 92 degrees — the warmest October temperature ever recorded there and the highest so late in the season, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
The historic heat led to the cancellation of the Twin Cities Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 1, marking the first time the event had ever been canceled.
The highest Minnesota temperature recorded by a National Weather Service cooperative observer during that period was 95 degrees in Milan and Lamberton.
It’s also worth noting that the state’s highest October temperature on record is 98 degrees, measured at Beardsley in Big Stone County on Oct. 5, 1963.
