August perfection now, smoky skies may return
It's August. How did that happen exactly?
Welcome to our second warmest and least windy month of the year on average in Minnesota. More detail on August climate norms below. The weather maps seem to know it's supposed to be one of the finest weather months of the year. Get ready for another glorious weather week across most of Minnesota.
3D weather printer
It's almost as if Explore Minnesota has a giant 3D weather printer cranking out postcard perfect forecast carbon copies. These are the days many of us long for in the dark bitter days of January. Weather suggestion: Get out and enjoy our still long daylight and near perfect weather this week.
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An elongated high pressure ridge overhead keeps showers at bay to the southwest through Wednesday.
Comfort factor
This air mass is about as good as it get in Minnesota through Wednesday. Highs near 80. Lows low 60s. Dew points in the 50s. San Diego, with corn dogs. Shower chances increase Thursday and Friday, but I'm not sold it will be as cool as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts data below suggest.
Smoky skies return?
Our pristine blue skies may turn a whiter shade of pale this week. Smoke plumes from and increasing number of western fires are drifting east on upper winds toward Minnesota.
The number and size of fires along the west coast is growing as fire season cranks up. The Rocky Fire north of San Francisco doubled in size in a day to 54,000 acres.
NASA's MODIS Terra satellite shot captured the advancing smoke plume drifting east across Washington, Idaho and Montana toward the Upper Midwest Sunday.
Hello August
August crept in on cat's paws over the weekend. This time of year can spur deep weather feelings in Minnesotans. We notice the slightly shorter daylight. back to school ads and Vikings training camp mark a slight turn in seasonal attitude. The State Fair begins 3 weeks from Thursday.
But August is one of the best weather months of the year in Minnesota.
Some August stats:
Second warmest month of the year on average in Minnesota (71.2 degrees mean temp)
Second sunniest month of the year on average (69 percent possible sunshine on average)
Least windy month of the year on average (8.5 mph average wind speed)
The average high temp for Aug. 1 in the metro is 83 degrees. The average high slips to a comfy 78 degrees by Aug. 31.
Get out there and enjoy!