Hot Front: One day heat wave brings season’s 1st 90s & Red Flag Warnings

Extreme Minnesota

I'm beginning to think we need our own weather reality show in Minnesota.

Dear (weather) Diary:

May 3rd:18" snowfall sets all time May snowfall record for Minnesota.

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May 11th: A wall of ice from Lake Mille Lacs invades shore damaging boat houses and condos.

Sunday: Frost on Mother's Day morning.

Tuesday: 90 degree heat surge triggers Fire Weather Watches and Red Flag Warnings.

Cue the locusts.

In this Updraft we try and keep up with the rapid weather changes in Minnesota.

Red Flag Warning:

Near as I can tell, the term "Red Flag Warning" originated out west when ranchers or the postmaster would hang a red flag if fire danger was high. Okay...I may be of a bit there but you get the idea. I don't know if the Pony Express still rides the plains of western Minnesota, but I do know that the combination of low humidity and gusty winds means high fire danger Tuesday.

NWS has more.

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN

314 PM CDT MON MAY 13 2013

...RED FLAG WARNING FOR SOUTHERN AND PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MINNESOTA TUESDAY AFTERNOON INTO TUESDAY EVENING...

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH CONTINUES FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MINNESOTA TUESDAY AFTERNOON INTO TUESDAY EVENING...

HOT AND WINDY CONDITIONS WILL ARRIVE ON TUESDAY WITH TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO REACH THE MIDDLE 80S TO MIDDLE 90S. SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS FROM 15 TO 25 MPH AND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE FORECAST ALONG WITH MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES NEAR 20 PERCENT. THIS CAN RESULT IN DANGEROUS WILDFIRE CONDITIONS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA.

* WINDS...SOUTH 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH...SHIFTING

WEST.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 20 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...WILDFIRES COULD BECOME FAST MOVING IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME DUE TO THE STRONG WINDS...LOW HUMIDITY AND DRY FUELS.

Extreme Warm Front:

The infamous "thermal ridge" ...the axis of warmest air will slide right over southern Minnesota at peak temperature time Tuesday afternoon. That should mean plenty fo temps in the 90s Tuesday....with some mid 90s possible.

The record high for MSP is 95 Tuesday. We'll make a run... but I think 92F or 93F is the likely high at many metro locations Tuesday PM.

The rest of the week we should enjoy temps in the upper 70s to near 80F.

Ice out progress:

Ice is going out in more lakes in central Minnesota. Here the latest from the MN DNR.

Paul Huttner