Hot Sultry conditions-looking North at Highway 52 into Northwest Rochester

Today may be September 1st, but it didn’t feel like it! A extremely hot muggy airmass pushed into Southeastern Minnesota boasting temperatures 20 degrees above normal then for what is expected this time of year. The warm air built in from the west behind a strong warm front that passed through on Wednesday. Behind the front was nothing but sunny hot humid air, with wall to wall sunshine through out the day. Under these condtions temperatures rose to the middle to even upper 90s in some cases, which was their hottest levels since July. This with dewpoints well into the 70s caused Heat Index Values today to be between 95 and 103.F degrees in all areas.

Highest temperates reported.

The highest temperature area wide came from Austin which recorded a high of 97.F. The coolest stations were Dodge Center and the Rochester Airport, both which landed at 88.F. Interestingly enough there was a 7 degree temperature difference between my location and the airport. The cause of this is likely because the airport is located 7 miles outside the city limits and is known for being a cool spot. One can tell where the thermometers on the left side of the list are located because the warmer the reading, the more into the city the station is. The Warmest Temperature for Rochester area came from West Downtown with a high of 95.F and the coolest reading was from Stewartville which is only 2 miles from the Rochester Airport, which came in with a reading of 90.F

This hot weather will quickly be swept out by a cold front late tonight possibly bringing a wave of storms. We can expect significantly cooler conditions tomorrow with highs in the mid 70s, and especially Sunday, when highs may struggle to reach 70.F and lows may dip into the upper 40s.