7 days and counting: Twin Cities sets record for consecutive days above 90 degrees
The steamy weather Minnesota has had for the past week has set more records.
As of noon on Wednesday, the Twin Cities marked its seventh consecutive day with a high of 90 degrees or higher.
With that, the metro has broken the record for the longest 90-degree day streak this early in the season, the National Weather Service in the Twin Cities says.
NWS Twin Cities also notes five of the last six days have seen record warm lows at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport, with low temps the past week hovering around the average high temperature for this time of year (77 degrees).
And the current forecast has the Twin Cities expected to see at least one more day of temperatures hitting 90-plus degrees. The metro is under a heat advisory until 8 p.m. Thursday, with the weather alert noting highs will be in the 90s and lows will be in the mid-70s.
This is the hottest start to any June on record in the Twin Cities. The average temperature from June 1-8 was 81.1 degrees — a whole 4 degrees higher than the second-hottest start to the month, which happened in 1933, WCCO meteorologist Mike Augustyniak tweeted.
The hot start to June is quite uncommon, with the Minnesota DNR's Climate Journal noting July is typically Minnesota's hottest month and boasts "virtually all" of the statewide and weather station-specific heat records. The month, historically, accounts for 40% of all 90-degree days.
This hot weather streak began across Minnesota Thursday, June 3, thanks to a southerly flow that developed between an area of low pressure over the Rocky Mountains, the DNR's Climate Journal says. Temps soared over the weekend (Friday and Saturday), with 20 places recording high temps of 100 degrees or higher on one or both days, and many areas across the state setting heat records.
The highest temps recorded during the heat wave were 104 in Warren; 103 in Milan, Benson, and Browns Valley; and 102 in Redwood Falls, Crookston, and Lamberton.
While things cooled down in northern Minnesota for the work week, the extreme heat remained in place for the southern two-thirds/three-fourths of the state, the Climate Journal notes.
The Climate Journal said on Wednesday:
"In the Twin Cities, where the heat-retaining urban and suburban infrastructure helped elevate temperatures even further, this heat wave has tied the record for consecutive high temperatures of at least 90 F on or before June 15, and obliterated the record for similar early-season consecutive low temperatures of at least 70 F — both officially at six straight days through June 8. The low temperatures in particular have been incredibly high in the Twin Cities, and so even though other historical heat waves produced higher daily maximum temperatures, not have come anywhere near this one in terms of daily average temperatures."
Among the other records set during the heat wave, according to the Climate Journal:
- Duluth, June 4-5 was the earliest-in-season occurrence of two consecutive high temperatures above 90 degrees
- International Falls, June 4, marked the highest temperature on record so early in the season at 98 degrees.
- Twin Cities, June 5, saw the highest minimum temperature on record so early in the season at 78 degrees.
- Twin Cities: The most consecutive low temperatures at or above 70 so early in the season.
The 90-degree streak is expected to end this weekend when the forecast has the Twin Cities seeing temps in the 80s. There is a chance for some rain or storms to develop Thursday night and Friday, but showers aren't expected to be widespread and any thunderstorms we got are not currently forecast to be severe.
