Record Sunday heat, then summery warmth continues Monday

Updated at 2:55 p.m.

Yes, this is very warm weather for the first day of October.

The average Twin Cities high temperature is 66 degrees on Oct. 1. Most of the Twin Cities metro area will see Sunday afternoon highs in the upper 80s to around 90. The record Twin Cities high temp for Oct. 1 is 87 degrees.

Afternoon update

The temperature at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 91 degrees at 2:47 p.m. Sunday. That’s a new Twin Cities record high for this date and it’s also is the warmest October temperature in Twin Cities weather records, topping the previous October high of 90 degrees.

Here’s another update: the temperature at MSP airport hit 92 degrees at 3:43 p.m. CDT:

That is the new record high for Oct. 1 and the new highest October temp in Twin Cities weather records. The climate report shows 2:43 p.m. because standard time is used in climate data.

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Much of the southern half of Minnesota will reach the upper 80s to around 90. Some spots in the south could pop into the lower 90s for awhile. The northern half of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will see mainly 80s, with some 70s in parts of northeastern Minnesota.

Dew points will be in the sticky 60s in most areas.

Temperature trends

Monday high temps will be in the 80s in most areas, with lower 90s in parts of southwestern and south-central Minnesota:

Tuesday highs will be in 70s in northern Minnesota, with 80s lingering to the south:

A cold front arrives Tuesday night and much cooler temps are expected Wednesday into Thursday and Friday. Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to be in the lower 70s on Wednesday, followed by mid 60s Thursday and upper 50s on Friday.

We’re expected to see more warm days than chilly days this month. The October temperature outlook from the NWS Climate Prediction Center shows a tendency for above-normal temps in Minnesota and Wisconsin this October:

Rain chances?

Parts of southwestern and west-central Minnesota saw scattered showers and a few embedded thunderstorms Sunday morning. Parts of central Minnesota and north-central Minnesota could see a late morning shower. An few spotty showers could pop up in parts of Minnesota and western Wisconsin Sunday afternoon, but most areas will be rain-free.

You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR News network. Also check out the MPR News display of National Weather Service radar.

You can also check these National Weather Service sites for updated weather info: Twin Cities, Duluth, La Crosse, Wis., Sioux Falls, S.D., and Grand Forks, N.D.

The best rain chance this coming week will be late Tuesday into Wednesday.

Fall colors are popping

Fall colors are popping in much of Minnesota. I saw pockets of brilliant fall color in parts of the Twin Cities metro area the past few days, but many metro area trees are still green or are just starting to reveal fall colors.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fall color report for Minnesota State Parks and Trails looks like this:

The changeover to fall colors is highest in the northern half of Minnesota, but parts of west-central and southwestern Minnesota are also seeing plenty of fall color.

When you look at the fall color map, keep in mind that all deciduous trees are included. Maples can sometimes be peaking in an area when the overall changeover to fall color is 50 percent or less.

The Wisconsin fall color report can be found here.

Record warmth in September

The final tally is in, and the average Twin Cities temperature was 69.1 degrees in September. The average monthly temp is the average of all the daily high temperatures and daily low temperatures. 

September 2023 set a new record for the warmest September in Twin Cities weather records. The previous record was held by September of 1897, when the average Twin Cities temperature was 68.8 degrees.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.