August 2010 is drawing to a close and it was a very warm and tropical month in the Twin Cities, as well as the rest of Minnesota. The preliminary August 2010 average temperature at the Twin Cities International Airport is 77.0 degrees, 6.3 degrees above normal. This will make August 2010 the third warmest August with records going back to 1891. The warmest August is 78.2 degrees back in 1947, and the second warmest August is 77.7 degrees in 1937.
In addition, the meteorological summer of 2010 (June-August) will be in a three-way-tie for the fifth warmest on record back to 1891 in the Twin Cities. The preliminary average temperature for the Summer of 2010 is 74.2 degrees at the Twin Cities International Airport. The other two years that also averaged 74.2 degrees are 1936 and 1894. The four years that were warmer are 1949 and 2006, both with 74.3 degrees, 1933 in second place with 75.2 degrees, and the warmest summer on record is 1988 with an average temperature of 75.5 degrees.
Even more impressive, the June-August 2010 average monthly minimum temperature for the Twin Cities set a record. The June-August monthly minimum average was 65.4 degrees, breaking the old record of 65.1 degrees that was set in 1939. The 30 year average is 60.5 degrees.
There were 15 days when the dew point temperature reached 70 degrees or higher in August 2010 in the Twin Cities, with a total number of days for the summer at 26. Since 1980 the average number of days is 23. The most in a year since 1945 is 2002 with 48 days. In all there were 252 hours of dew point temperatures of 70 degrees or higher in 2010. The long term average number of hours is 163. The most recorded since 1945 is 512 hours in 2002. In 2009 there were only 17 hours, which made this summer seem all the more muggier.
The warm summer was felt all across Minnesota with Duluth tieing the eighth warmest summer (June-August) on record.
Summaries from the National Weather Service about the Warm Summer of 2010
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 1021 PM CDT WED SEP 1 2010 SUMMER 2010 WAS MUCH WARMER AND WETTER THAN NORMAL AT DULUTH MN. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE SUMMER SEASON OF 2010...THE MONTHS OF JUNE...JULY...AND AUGUST...WAS 65.7 DEGREES WHICH WAS 2.7 DEGREES WARMER THAN THE NORMAL OF 63.0 DEGREES. THIS TIES THE RECORD FOR THE 8TH WARMEST SUMMER IN RECORDED HISTORY. THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE SUMMER WAS 89 DEGREES ON AUGUST 9TH. THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE SEASON WAS 41 DEGREES ON THE 6TH AND 7TH. SUMMER 2010 WAS ABOVE NORMAL FOR PRECIPITATION WITH A TOTAL OF 14.59 INCHES RECORDED FOR THE SEASON MAKING THIS THE 28TH WETTEST SUMMER IN STATION HISTORY. THIS IS 1.92 INCHES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 12.67 INCHES. THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD FOR THE SUMMER OCCURRED ON THE 1ST TO THE 2ND OF AUGUST WHEN 1.66 INCHES OF RAIN FELL. SUMMER 2010 HAD NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND WAS MUCH WETTER THAN NORMAL AT INTERNATIONAL FALLS MN. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE SUMMER SEASON OF 2010...THE MONTHS OF JUNE...JULY...AND AUGUST...WAS 63.7 DEGREES WHICH WAS 0.1 DEGREES COOLER THAN THE NORMAL OF 63.8 DEGREES. THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE SUMMER WAS 89 DEGREES ON AUGUST 9TH. THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE SEASON WAS 35 DEGREES ON JUNE 2ND. SUMMER 2010 WAS ABOVE NORMAL FOR PRECIPITATION WITH A TOTAL OF 15.65 INCHES RECORDED FOR THE SEASON MAKING THIS THE 4TH WETTEST SUMMER IN STATION HISTORY. THIS IS 5.19 INCHES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 10.46 INCHES. THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD FOR THE SUMMER OCCURRED ON JULY 3RD TO THE 4TH WHEN 3.13 INCHES OF RAIN WAS RECORDED. PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 950 PM CDT WED SEP 1 2010 AUGUST 2010 WAS WARMER AND WETTER THAN NORMAL AT INTERNATIONAL FALLS MN. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR AUGUST WAS 65.8 DEGREES WHICH WAS 2.0 DEGREES WARMER THAN THE NORMAL OF 63.8 DEGREES. THIS TIES FOR THE 22ND WARMEST AUGUST IN STATION HISTORY. THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 89 DEGREES ON THE 9TH. THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE WAS 38 DEGREES ON THE 19TH. ONE DAILY RECORD MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE WAS TIED FOR THE MONTH ON THE 30TH WHEN THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 88 DEGREES TYING THE RECORD SET IN 1921. AUGUST 2010 PRECIPITATION WAS ABOVE NORMAL WITH A TOTAL OF 3.83 INCHES RECORDED FOR THE MONTH. THIS IS 0.69 INCHES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 3.14 INCHES. IT WAS ALSO THE 27TH WETTEST AUGUST IN RECORDED HISTORY. THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD OCCURRED ON THE 17TH WHEN 0.85 INCHES OF RAIN WAS REPORTED. AT LEAST A TRACE OF RAIN WAS REPORTED ON 19 DAYS. AT LEAST 0.01 INCHES OF RAIN FELL ON 18 DAYS. AT LEAST 0.10 INCHES OF RAIN FELL ON 9 DAYS. AT LEAST 0.50 INCHES OF RAIN FELL ON 3 DAYS. NO DAILY PRECIPITATION RECORDS WERE SET DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST. THE AVERAGE WIND SPEED FOR THE MONTH WAS 6.5 MPH. THE WINDIEST DAY FOR THE MONTH WAS THE 15TH WITH AN AVERAGE WIND SPEED OF 15.0 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS OF 31 MPH FROM THE NORTH WAS REPORTED ON THE 2ND WITH A PEAK GUST OF 45 MPH FROM THE NORTH. THERE WERE 82 HEATING DEGREE DAYS FOR THE MONTH WHICH WAS 20 BELOW THE NORMAL OF 102...THIS BRINGS THE SEASONAL TOTAL TO 105 WHICH IS 52 BELOW THE NORMAL OF 157. THERE WERE 116 COOLING DEGREE DAYS FOR THE MONTH WHICH WAS 49 ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 67. THIS BRINGS THE SEASONAL TOTAL TO 207 WHICH IS 16 BELOW THE NORMAL OF 223. THE HIGHEST BAROMETRIC PRESSURE READING FOR THE MONTH WAS 30.19 INCHES REACHED ON THE 25TH AND THE LOWEST BAROMETRIC PRESSURE READING WAS 29.58 INCHES REACHED ON THE 13TH. THE OUTLOOK FOR SEPTEMBER...NORMAL HIGHS FOR THE MONTH RANGE FROM THE LOWER 70S ON THE 1ST AND COOL TO THE UPPER 50S BY MONTHS END. NORMAL LOWS RANGE FROM THE MID TO UPPER 40S ON THE 1ST COOLING TO THE MID AND UPPER 30S ON THE 30TH. NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR SEPTEMBER IS 3.03 INCHES. NORMAL SNOWFALL FOR SEPTEMBER IS 0.1 INCHES. NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION ARE FORECASTED FOR SEPTEMBER. PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 540 AM CDT THU SEP 02 2010 ...SECOND HIGHEST AVERAGE DAILY DEW POINT IN LA CROSSE WI... DURING THE METEOROLOGICAL SUMMER OF 2010, THE AVERAGE DEW POINT AT LA CROSSE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT WAS 63.9 DEGREES. THIS WAS 4.6 DEGREES HIGHER THAN THE NORMAL OF 59.3 DEGREES. THIS WAS THE SECOND HIGHEST AVERAGE DEW POINT FOR A SUMMER. THE ONLY SUMMER WHICH HAD A HIGHER AVERAGE DEW POINT WAS 1995 WHEN THE AVERAGE DEW POINT WAS 64.3 DEGREES. THE TABLE BELOW CONTAINS THE TOP TEN HIGHEST AVERAGE DEW POINTS FOR A SUMMER. HIGHEST AVERAGE DEW POINTS DURING A METEROLOGICAL SUMMER IN LA CROSSE WI AVERAGE RANK DEW POINT YEAR ---- --------- ---- 1 64.3 DEGREES 1995 2 63.9 DEGREES 2010 3 63.6 DEGREES 1980 4 63.3 DEGREES 1981 5 62.8 DEGREES 1978 6 62.6 DEGREES 1983 7 62.4 DEGREES 1991 8 62.3 DEGREES 2002 9 62.1 DEGREES 1999 10 62.0 DEGREES 1987 IN CONTRAST, THE SUMMERS OF 2008 (58.5 DEGREES - 8TH DRIEST) AND 2009 (57.4 DEGREES - 5TH DRIEST) FINISHED IN THE TOP TEN FOR LOWEST AVERAGE DEW POINTS FOR A SUMMER. THE LOWEST AVERAGE DEW POINT OCCURRED BACK IN 1985 WHEN THE AVERAGE DEW POINT WAS JUST 54.2 DEGREES. AVERAGE DAILY DEW POINT RECORDS FOR LA CROSSE DATE BACK TO 1948. $ BOYNE PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 146 PM CDT WED SEP 01 2010 ...AUGUST IN ROCHESTER SAW ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION... THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE IN ROCHESTER WAS 72.7 DEGREES. THIS WAS 5.0 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE MONTH. THE AVERAGE HIGH WAS 82.5 DEGREES AND THE AVERAGE LOW WAS 63.0 DEGREES. THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 89 DEGREES...WHICH OCCURRED ON THE 9TH...11TH... 12TH...AND 29TH. THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE WAS 47 DEGREES...WHICH OCCURRED ON THE 26TH. ROCHESTER RECEIVED 3.72 INCHES OF RAINFALL DURING THE MONTH. THIS WAS 0.61 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THE GREATEST 24 HOUR RAINFALL WAS 1.95 INCHES WHICH OCCURRED ON THE 13TH. ...RECORDS... ON THE 13TH...1.95 INCHES OF RAIN FELL AT THE ROCHESTER AIRPORT. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.40 INCHES WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN SET IN 1911. THE LOW TEMPERATURE ON THE 8TH OF THE MONTH WAS 72 DEGREES. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD FOR WARMEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR THIS DATE. THE OLD RECORD WAS 70 DEGREES WHICH HAD OCCURRED IN 1887...1938 AND 1988. ...DISCUSSION... WARM CONDITIONS WERE EXPERIENCED THROUGH MUCH OF THE MONTH OF AUGUST AS 23 OF THE 31 DAYS SAW ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. 19 OF THOSE DAYS EXCEEDED 5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL...WHILE 7 DAYS WERE AT OR ABOVE 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THERE WERE 3 DAYS WHEN THE LOW TEMPERATURE FAILED TO FALL BELOW 70 DEGREES. ALTHOUGH THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE WELL ABOVE NORMAL...THE TEMPERATURE AT ROCHESTER DID NOT REACH 90 DEGREES DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST. A NORMAL AUGUST WOULD SEE 2 DAYS WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES AT OR ABOVE 90 DEGREES. AFTER A WET JUNE AND JULY...RIDGING IN THE UPPER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE KEPT MUCH OF THE MONTH OF AUGUST DRY. THERE WERE 10 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE RAINFALL...HOWEVER ONLY 3 OF THOSE DAYS SAW MORE THAN A QUARTER OF AN INCH. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 0.41 INCHES WHICH FELL ON THE 31ST...THE LAST HALF OF THE MONTH WAS QUITE DRY. FROM THE 15TH THROUGH THE 30TH...ONLY 0.11 INCHES OF RAINFALL WAS RECORDED. ...LOOKING AHEAD TO SEPTEMBER... THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER IS 58.9 DEGREES. THE NORMAL HIGH DROPS FROM 74 DEGREES ON THE 1ST...TO 64 DEGREES ON THE 30TH. THE NORMAL LOW DROPS FROM 54 DEGREES ON THE 1ST...TO 43 DEGREES ON THE 30TH. ROCHESTER TYPICALLY SEES ONE DAY IN SEPTEMBER WHEN THE TEMPERATURE DROPS TO 32 DEGREES OR BELOW. NORMALLY... ROCHESTER RECEIVES 10 DAYS OF MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION IN SEPTEMBER...WHILE THE AVERAGE MONTHLY PRECIPITATION AMOUNT IS 3.12 INCHES. $ BROOKS PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 148 PM CDT WED SEP 01 2010 ...AUGUST IN LA CROSSE SAW ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION... THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE AT LA CROSSE WAS 75.8 DEGREES... WHICH WAS 4.2 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE AVERAGE HIGH WAS 85.6 DEGREES...AND THE AVERAGE LOW WAS 66.1 DEGREES. THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 94 DEGREES ON THE 12TH. THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE WAS 51 DEGREES ON THE 26TH. A TOTAL OF 5.84 INCHES OF RAIN WAS MEASURED DURING THE MONTH. THIS WAS 1.56 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THE GREATEST 24 HOUR RAINFALL WAS 2.19 INCHES WHICH OCCURRED FROM THE 8TH TO THE 9TH. ...RECORDS... THE LA CROSSE AIRPORT RECEIVED 1.84 INCHES OF RAIN ON THE 13TH. THIS BROKE THE DAILY RAINFALL RECORD OF 1.58 INCHES WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN SET IN 1957. ...DISCUSSION... UPPER LEVEL RIDGING OVERHEAD BROUGHT WARM AND HUMID AIR TO THE AREA THROUGH MUCH OF AUGUST. THEREFORE...TEMPERATURES WERE ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE MAJORITY OF THE MONTH. THERE WERE ONLY 6 DAYS IN AUGUST WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES. ON 19 DAYS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 5 DEGREES OR MORE ABOVE NORMAL...WITH 3 OF THOSE DAYS REACHING 10 DEGREES OR MORE ABOVE NORMAL. IN A TYPICAL YEAR IN LA CROSSE...THE TEMPERATURE WILL REACH 90 DEGREES ON 4 DAYS. IN 2010...THERE WERE 6 DAYS WHEN THE TEMPERATURE REACHED OR EXCEEDED THE 90 DEGREE MARK. ALSO...THERE WERE 8 DAYS DURING THE MONTH WHEN THE TEMPERATURE FAILED TO FALL BELOW 70 DEGREES. AFTER A VERY WET JUNE AND JULY...THE RIDGING IN THE UPPER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE KEPT MUCH OF THE MONTH OF AUGUST DRY. HOWEVER...WITH HIGH RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF AN INCH FALLING ON THE 8TH...13TH AND 31ST...THE MONTHLY RAINFALL ENDED UP ABOVE NORMAL. A NORMAL AUGUST WOULD SEE 10 DAYS OF MEASURABLE RAINFALL WITH 1 DAY HAVING AN INCH OR MORE. THIS AUGUST SAW A TOTAL OF 8 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE RAINFALL THROUGHOUT THE MONTH. ASIDE FROM THE 3 DAYS WHEN SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS FELL...4 OF THE 5 REMAINING DAYS SAW LESS THAN TWO TENTHS OF AN INCH. THE DRIEST PERIOD IN AUGUST OCCURRED FROM THE 21ST THROUGH THE 30TH...WHERE ONLY A TRACE OF RAIN FELL. ...LOOKING AHEAD TO SEPTEMBER... THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH IS 62.7 DEGREES. THE NORMAL HIGH DROPS FROM 79 DEGREES ON THE 1ST...TO 68 DEGREES ON THE 30TH. THE NORMAL LOW DROPS FROM 57 DEGREES ON THE 1ST...TO 46 DEGREES ON THE 30TH. LA CROSSE TYPICALLY SEES ONE DAY WHEN THE TEMPERATURE REACHES 90 DEGREES OR ABOVE DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. AVERAGE PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH IS 3.40 INCHES.