Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

September breezes Thursday; heat builds next week.

Thursday may be the coolest day since early June. 90s look likely again next week.

Temperatures Wednesday afternoon
Temperatures Wednesday afternoon.
Oklahoma Mesonet

This is about as good as it gets for many Minnesotans in summer.

Wednesday’s national temperature map above shows the fresher air mass blowing into Minnesota from the north. Note the persistent heat dome in the Southern Plains where temperatures have been hitting 100 degrees for several days.

Sunny skies, fresh breezes, and comfortable humidity with temperatures in the 70s in late July? Sign me up.

NOAA’s 2.5-day surface loop shows a cold front sweeping south into the Central Plains Thursday. Then a delightful core of a Canadian high-pressure cell (the blue H on the map) settles southward across Minnesota by Friday.

Surface weather maps through Friday
Surface weather maps through Friday.
NOAA

Low temperatures across Minnesota early Thursday morning will be the coolest since early June for many areas. Lows will be around 60 in the Twin Cities core, with 50s across most of Minnesota.

Forecast low temperatures Thursday morning
Forecast low temperatures Thursday morning.
NOAA

Thursday’s inbound air mass features delightful dew points in the lower 50s. High temperatures will hover in the 60s in northern Minnesota with scattered showers. More sunshine in southern Minnesota will yield highs in the 70s.

Forecast high temperatures Thursday
Forecast high temperatures Thursday.
NOAA

Our weather winning streak continues through the upcoming weekend. But temperatures will be warmer this weekend.

Forecast high temperatures Saturday
Forecast high temperatures Saturday.
NOAA

Heat builds next week

The magnitude of heat and humidity next week looks oppressive.

NOAA 6 to 10-day temperature outlook
NOAA 6 to 10-day temperature outlook.
NOAA

Both the European and American GFS models are cranking out high temperatures in the upper 90s to near 100 degrees in the Twin Cities next Wednesday and Thursday.

The European model cranks out temperatures in the mid-90s to around 100 degrees by 1 p.m. next Wednesday across the Upper Midwest.

European model (ECMWF) temperature forecast
European model (ECMWF) temperature forecast for 1 pm Wednesday, August 3.
ECMWF via pivotal weather

We’ve logged 14 days of 90-degree heat in the Twin Cities so far this summer. It looks like we could add another three to five days next week. And 100 degrees is not out of the question for western Minnesota and even the Twin Cities next week.

Forecast high temperatures Wednesday
Forecast high temperatures Wednesday.
NOAA

Stay tuned.