Minnesota's 3rd warmest meteorological summer on record
Rainfall is nearly 6 inches below average since June 1
The steamy summer of ‘21 continues to bend the record books.
The first two-thirds of meteorological summer (June-August) is behind us, and this summer is the third warmest on record for Minnesota so far.
Here are some key data points for summer 2021:
Third warmest meteorological summer on record for Minnesota through July
June was 7.1 degrees warmer than average in the Twin Cities
July was 1.7 degrees warmer than average in the Twin Cities
Summer overall is about 4.4 degrees warmer than average in the Twin Cities
July rainfall was 0.87 inches at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
Rainfall deficit is -5.84 inches at MSP Airport since June 1
In the Twin Cities, 22 of 31 days in July above normal
Twenty-two days of 90-degree heat so far in the Twin Cities (The 30-year average is 11 days)
Searching for rainfall
With 75 percent of Minnesota now in severe to extreme drought, rain is a precious commodity.
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Average rainfall for July is over 4 inches for Minnesota. Most of Minnesota received less than an inch of rain in July.
Precipitation ran less than 50 percent of average across most of Minnesota last month.
Forecast models suggest rain chances Thursday and again over the weekend. The European model seems encouraging, with widespread 1 inch rainfall totals by Monday and some localized 2 inch totals or more.
We’ll keep an eye on rainfall coverage and magnitude going forward.