Aug-tober: 70s again, mild Halloween, record growing season likely

What October?

Thermometers spiked into the 70s once again in the Twin Cities Friday. It's the latest summery relapse in an Autumn that's been more like and endless summer for parts of Minnesota. The seasonal confusion index is off the charts.

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Sunshine and fall color in Victoria. Paul Huttner/MPR News

  • 72 degrees - high temp at MSP Airport Friday

  • 52 degrees - Friday's average high at MSP

  • +20 degrees vs. average

  • 75 degrees - Friday's record high at MSP

  • 8th day this month mercury has passed 70 at MSP.

  • +3.5 degrees - temps vs. average at MSP in October

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Endless summer

For most of Minnesota this qualifies as Indian Summer. (We should probably ask the AMS to come up with a more modern name for summer-like warmth after the first frost.) The first killing frost has already occurred in most of Minnesota except in the Twin Cities core and along parts of the North Shore.

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Graphic: Minnesota DNR

In places like Kansas, summer never really ended. Friday was another day in the upper 80s and 90s across the central Plains. Temps in the 80s all the way into South Dakota and nipping at southwest Minnesota on October 28th? The map below is more August than October.

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Graphic: Oklahoma Mesonet

 

Weekend cool front

More like a 'normal' front actually. Cool fronts in Minnesota are more accurately described as 'average fronts' for the past 14 months. They take us from near record highs to temperatures closer to average. Canadian high pressure pushes temps back to the 50s this weekend. The next warm front develops in the Dakotas just in time for Halloween.

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NOAA

A few spotty showers may leak out of the sky Saturday and Saturday night. Sunday is the sunnier day this weekend.

 

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Graphic: Twin Cities NWS

Mild Halloween and early November

Halloween still looks mild. Highs make the 60s for the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota. Rain is likely in northern Minnesota on Halloween, with just a chance of a passing shower in the Twin Cities and south.

The longer range forecast looks mild into the first week of November. The jet stream is on extended holiday in southern Canada this fall.

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Record longest growing season likely for Twin Cities

I'm now comfortable using the term "likely" to describe our chances for setting the record for the longest growing season in the Twin Cities this year. By my math November 5th is the day that we'll reach the 207 day mark, which would tie the 143 year old record.

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Graphic: Midwest Regional Climate Center

Looking ahead at the maps, trends favor keeping temps above 32 degrees until at least November 7th, and possibly beyond.

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Graphic: Custom Weather

Breaking a 143 year old record for the longest growing season this year at MSP? More uncharted climate territory for Minnesota as our climate warms.

Stay tuned