Spectacular weekend; will August be 12th straight warm month?

Sailing through summer

Welcome to the sweet spot of summer. Early August in Minnesota eases into that free space between 4th of July and the State Fair. Little League season is over. Vikings training camp has begun. The back to school racks replace the swimwear section at your local Target. The busiest part of our crammed summer weekend schedule may ease a bit now.

Some of the best weather of the year awaits. Long daylight and balmy breezes linger. Warm lakes and plenty of sunshine. We savor every balmy evening knowing that Labor Day weekend, and the unofficial end of summer in Minnesota, draws closer.

A free weekend schedule with sunny skies, comfortable humidity and highs around 80 degrees in early August?

Priceless.

Wet week

Thunder waves swept across Minnesota again this week. More heavy rain bands soaked the landscape. This summer's rains have been timely, and well distributed. Here's a look at the latest rainfall map across Minnesota courtesy of our excellent Twin Cities NWS office.

The Twin Cities got another good soaking Thursday. Some impressive 2"+ rainfall totals rolled in from many of Minnesota's dedicated weather observers.

You hear Dr. Mark Seeley's climate perspective Friday mornings on MPR. Mark has another angle on our summer rainfall, and wet July across Minnesota.

Drying out

The next few days look dry across Minnesota. High pressure drifts aimlessly across Minnesota this weekend. I have a feeling many Minnesotans will do the same.

This map is why some savor early August in Minnesota.

The longer range maps hint at warmer and more humid days next week, but most of the models have backed off the notion of significant 90+ degree heat. The Twin Cities may get close to 90 by next Wednesday. It still looks like summer over the next 2 weeks with highs mostly in the 80s punctuated by a few days in the 70s. Our next soaking rain may wait until the middle of next week.

Here's the 15-day meteogram for Minneapolis courtesy of Custom Weather.

Warm start to August

August is off and running on a warm note. So far August is running +6.5 vs. average temperature at MSP Airport through August 4th. The long range looks pretty close to or slightly above average for the next two weeks. If we manage to close August above average it will be the 12th consecutive warmer than average month in the Twin Cities. It will also be at or near the top of the warmest 12-month periods on record.

Welcome to the climate of Omaha.