A September That Felt Like Mid-July

Does anyone else feel like summer was five months long this year? It might be because Minnesota experienced an unusual warm spell, and while it wasn't record-breaking heat, it sure made us question the season.

After a cool start to the month, the weather took a sharp turn by September 9th, bringing us a stretch of warm, summer-like days. Highs in the 80s Fahrenheit became the norm, with little variation across the state. From September 9th to 21st, most places in Minnesota recorded at least six days of temperatures hitting 80°F or higher. At Granite Falls, temperatures topped out at 92°F, but only a few other spots in southwestern Minnesota reached 90°F.

What made this warm spell stand out wasn’t the extreme heat but the fact that it lasted so long. In fact, the warm temperatures would have felt above average even in July! While this wasn’t the hottest stretch we’ve seen in 2024, the sustained warmth over nearly two weeks made it one of the most notable warm spells since early summer. This puts September 2024 on track to be among the warmest Septembers on record for the state.

Image created by Minnesota DNR State Climatology Office.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been keeping track of it all. A graph created by the DNR’s State Climatology Office shows the daily and 10-day temperature departures from normal since June 1st. The mid-September warm spell stands out as one of the biggest deviations from average temperatures, making it clear that we were experiencing something quite unusual.

As Minnesota’s weather becomes more unpredictable, it’s a good reminder of how climate shifts are showing up in unexpected ways. If you want to dive deeper into the data or check out more graphs, you can find them at the Minnesota DNR’s climate journal.

So, how did you spend this "September summer"? Hopefully, you enjoyed some extra time outdoors!

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https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/journal/september-2024-warm-spell.html