July-like weather heading into September

An atmospheric surge from the south will allow us to relive July for most of the upcoming week as we head into September. Temperatures and dew points have climbed well above normal today. That's just the scientific way of saying "hot and sticky."

CODNEXLAB-1km-Minnesota-vis-ani24-201508311915-100-100-raw
Soke from western wildfires continues to spread over Minnesota and Wisconsin. NOAA/College of DuPage

The rest of this week will be much like Monday has been. Expect lots of highs in the 80s and dew points well into the 60s and low 70s through at least Saturday. Low temperatures will remain well above normal, also, as the water vapor in the air decreases the amount of energy that can escape through the atmosphere at night.

A few isolated thunderstorms are possible just about each day Wednesday through Friday, thanks to a few short waves that will pass overhead and our abundant moisture, but most of us will stay dry.

A cold front should reach Minnesota over the weekend and is likely to be a trigger for numerous thunderstorms Saturday and/or Sunday. Some storms could be strong or even severe.

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The cold front also will mark the end of our toasty, muggy weather. Next Monday, Labor Day, will be cooler and more typically September.

September outlooks

The Climate Prediction Center today posted their outlooks for the upcoming month. Their models indicate that Minnesota has a good chance to trend toward warmer-than-normal temperatures for the month, probably largely due to the very warm start we will have this week.

August 31 - Sept temp outlook
The eastern half of the country is likely to remain quite warm in September.

Long-term precipitation forecasting often is less accurate than temperature forecasting because of the hit-and-miss nature of showers. Early indications, however, are that we might pick up some decent rainfall in September.

August 31 - Sept precip outlook
A large part of the country from the desert Southwest to the Northern Plains and Midwest has a good chance for a wetter-than-normal November.

Meanwhile, in the tropics

Hurricane Ignacio currently is northeast of Hilo, Hawaii, and will pass by the islands to the northeast. A high surf warning has been posted for the eastern exposures of Maui and the Big Island.

August 31 - Ignacio
Hurricane Ignacio has maximum sustained winds of approximately 105 miles per hour. Central Pacific Hurricane Center

In the Atlantic, the tropical storm that formed just off the west coast of Africa, far east of the usual tropical storm formation area, is now Hurricane Fred. Today Fred has been passing through the Cape Verde Islands with strong winds and very heavy rain.

August 31 - Fred sat
Hurricane Fred is passing through the Cape Verde Islands, not far west of Africa. National Hurricane Center