A record wet month; now a cool breeze from Canada
The numbers coming out of the Minnesota State Climatology Office, prepared by averaging monthly rainfall totals from around the state, indicate that this June was the wettest June on record for the state of Minnesota.
Heavy rainfalls were so frequent and widespread that June monthly records were set across Minnesota from Luverne on the Iowa border to International Falls on the Canadian border. Preliminary analysis shows that the statewide average rainfall was in excess of 8 inches.
In fact, June was the wettest month of any month of record.
Yesterday's severe weather event just to our south was an impressive way to wind down the month. A massive storm system plowed eastward from Nebraska across Iowa, southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois and then on to Indiana, southern Michigan and just into Ohio overnight.
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Fortunately, there were few tornado reports. But there were many severe hail reports and hundreds of reports of damaging winds.
A cold front brought us cooler Canadian air to begin July, and now reinforcements are blowing across the state on a fresh northwest wind behind a secondary cold front. The cold front and the cyclonic swirl overhead have been enough to generate a scattering of showers.
Falling temperatures this afternoon will continue overnight. Expect lows tomorrow ranging from the low and mid 40s north to the low 50s in the metro area and south. The Twin Cities record low for July 2 is 49.
A gradual warmup will begin tomorrow and accelerate back toward July-like temperatures for the weekend. Thursday probably will be the brightest, most cloud-free day between now and Sunday.
A new temperature outlook for July has been posted by the Climate Prediction Center. Minnesota might end up a bit cooler than normal for the upcoming month, especially near the western border.
The first tropical storm of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season has formed off the east coast of Florida. Tropical Storm Arthur has maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and is moving very slowly to the northwest.
Here is what Arthur looked like from a weather satellite this afternoon.
Once Arthur turns to the north and then northeast, parallel to the East Coast, and picks up some speed, it is forecast to reach hurricane strength on Thursday before it reaches North Carolina and its vulnerable Outer Banks.
