Record-breaking Memorial Day heat; temps trend downward this week
Our Memorial Day heat was historic.
The temperature hit 100 degrees at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, giving us a record temperature trifecta:
In 1934, Twin Cities highs reached 98 degrees on Monday, May 28 and on Memorial Day (Wednesday, May 30). Memorial Day was on May 30 until 1971.
Rochester, Minnesota and Eau Claire, Wisconsin both saw record highs of 95 degrees this Memorial Day.
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Temperature trends
Tuesday's highs will be a bit cooler, but they'll still reach the 90s in about the southern half of Minnesota:
The north will see mainly 80s, with 70s and even a few 60s near the north shore of Lake Superior.
Twin Cities metro area highs could reach the low to mid 90s on Tuesday, followed by mid 80s Wednesday and lower 80s Thursday and Friday.
All those high temps are warmer than our average Twin Cities metro area high of 74 degrees this time of year!
Late Monday storms
Parts of eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin saw some strong to severe thunderstorms late Monday afternoon into Monday evening.
The Monday afternoon satellite loop shows how the thunderstorms blossomed:
When conditions are ripe, you can go from sunny skies to numerous thunderstorms in a relatively short period of time.
Here are some severe weather reports from late Monday afternoon, courtesy of the Twin Cities office of the National Weather Service:
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
546 PM CDT MON MAY 28 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0545 PM HAIL EAST BETHEL 45.36N 93.23W
05/28/2018 M1.75 INCH ANOKA MN TRAINED SPOTTER
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
546 PM CDT MON MAY 28 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0545 PM HAIL EAST BETHEL 45.36N 93.23W
05/28/2018 M1.75 INCH ANOKA MN TRAINED SPOTTER
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
508 PM CDT MON MAY 28 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0500 PM TSTM WND DMG 2 NE STEWART 44.75N 94.46W
05/28/2018 MCLEOD MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
ROOF BLOWN OFF AND OUT BUILDING.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
557 PM CDT MON MAY 28 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0557 PM TSTM WND DMG 3 NE BLAINE 45.20N 93.19W
05/28/2018 ANOKA MN TRAINED SPOTTER
NUMEROUS LARGE TREES DOWN AND INTERTWINED IN
LIVE POWER LINES. REPORTED AT 128TH AND
HARPER ST, BLAINE, MN.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
549 PM CDT MON MAY 28 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0547 PM TSTM WND DMG 3 NW LINO LAKES 45.20N 93.13W
05/28/2018 ANOKA MN TRAINED SPOTTER
NUMEROUS LARGE TREES...UP TO 70 INCH
DIAMETER DOWN AT THIS INTERSECTION IN A
UNIDIRECTIONAL FASHION. SPOTTY POWER
OUTAGES. REPORTED AT 125TH AVE NE, HARPER
ST, LINO LAKES, MN.
Some of us saw downpours late Monday, but many people could still use some rain.
Minnesota and western Wisconsin will see some scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight Monday night, and some periods of showers and thunderstorms Tuesday and Wednesday.
Updated weather information can be heard on the Minnesota Public Radio Network, and updates are also posted on the MPR News live weather blog.
Air quality alert
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued an air quality alert for the Twin Cities metro area and much of southeastern Minnesota for Tuesday afternoon and early Tuesday evening:
According to the MPCA:
Air quality is expected to worsen again Tuesday to unhealthy levels. Winds will bring high levels of pollutants that contribute to ozone from the south. Sunny skies and hot temperatures will combine to cause an increase in ground level ozone. Air Quality Index (AQI) values are expected to climb into the low 100s on Tuesday in the alert area. This is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. Ozone concentrations will be the lowest in the morning hours Tuesday, and will gradually rise midday through the afternoon. Air quality will improve in the late afternoon as thunderstorms move into the alert area from the west.
Programming note
You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:49 a.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.