How close will the Twin Cities come to the record for consecutive 90-degree days?
After four straight days with high temperatures exceeding 90 degrees in the Twin Cities, there is no relief in sight as the forecast calls for highs at or above 90 the rest of the working week.
The high temps Friday and Saturday, when it was 99 degrees at the official measuring site of MSP Airport, broke records. It was worse in western Minnesota, namely in Madison, where the temp Saturday reached a blistering 106 degrees.
Weather is sponsored by Grand Casino: Good, clean, sanitized fun!
The metro area can expect highs in the low to mid 90s Monday-Thursday, with the current forecast high Friday sitting right at 90. If 90 degrees is achieved all five days, it will extend the streak to nine days in a row, which would be tied for the third-longest streak in Twin Cities history.
According to the DNR Climate Journal, the Twin Cities hits 90 an average of 13 times a year. The record is 44, set in 1988.
Meteorologist Sven Sundgaard notes that the Twin Cities has already tied the record for most 90-degree days at this point in June – and this will likely be the hottest first 10 days of June on record (since 1871).
In 1988, the Twin Cities hit 90 eight of the first 10 days of June. The only year when June got off to an ever hotter start was 1934, when the first 11 days of the month reached or eclipsed 90.
Ticking things up a notch, the summers of 1934 and 1988 reached 100 degrees five and four times, respectively. The Twin Cities has hit 100 just seven times since 1988, the most recent on May 28, 2018.
Next shot of rain or storms?
"The heat is on and the best we can say is that it looks to back off only a little by next weekend. Not only is a cool down lacking from the forecast, but so are any appreciable rainfall chances, with the best chances coming Friday," says the National Weather Service.
The forecast discussion notes that a strong cold front is forecast to push through the region on Friday, though it's unclear this far out what exactly will transpire. The same cold front is associated with a Day 4 15% severe weather outlook for the western Dakotas, which is a good indicator that severe storms will erupt Thursday in those areas.
Where that cold front sits on Friday will play a huge role with what happens in Minnesota.
One way or another, the hot temps will start to feel worse as we transition from a dry heat to more humidity, with dewpoints expected to rise into the 60s by mid-week.
