Unusual summer warmth hanging around

The unusual summer warmth has been a blessing for those who are not quite ready to see summer go just yet! High temperatures once again reached 86F in Rochester today, with mid 80F’s for a majority of the Weather First area.

These temperatures today are a continuation of a summerlike stretch we have been seeing since last Tuesday, and if it wasn’t for cooler temperatures this past Saturday, we would have had nothing but 80F highs the last week! For the month of September, this is a bit uncommon when comparing our observed temperatures to the “average” temperatures.

The average high for this time of year is 72F in Rochester, with an average low of 50F. Today, Rochester reached 86F for the second day in a row, with this mornings low only getting down to 62F! These temperatures over 10F above the average high and low, which puts into perspective how warm it has been.

The warm temperatures are expected to continue across southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa the next several days. Tuesday will feature highs right around 84F, if not warmer. Wednesday and Thursday will feature highs right around 83F. Friday will most likely be the last day with highs in the 80F’s across the Weather First area for the foreseeable future, with a high right around 82F.

A cold front passes through Thursday night into Friday, with another disturbance passing through this weekend. These disturbances will aid in ushering in cooler, Canadian air from the north, knocking our high temperatures down into the low 70F’s for the first time in quite some time.

While these are cooler temperatures than what we are seeing now, they will stall fall above the long term average by the time they arrive. No end in sight to the above average temperatures it seems!