Unusually cool start to August

KMSP - With one week down in the month and we somehow aren’t drowning in a pool of our own sweat which has been the reality over the last several years.  Since 2011, the month of August has been just as hot as the month of July, and in some cases hotter.  July as a whole is supposed to be our warmest month of the year, but hasn’t been living up to that because we have had some very wet July’s since 2014.  But this year has been even more unusual because of the length the cool air has been around and how widespread it is.  According to the Midwest Regional Climate Center, there have been nearly 200 daily record low temperatures tied or broken in the first week of the month.  That is more than all of the last couple of months combined.

It’s easier to see how cool it’s been by ranking list.  The numbers represent the ranking on how cold the first week of the month has been when compared to average.  The legend shows you how the rankings work, with the top 10 warmest and top 10 coldest coming in with their associated colors.  Every other year is in between.  At MSP Airport, the month started as the 16th coldest.  For other spots in southern Minnesota, Worthington for example, it has been the 2nd coldest start to the month of August on record.

More of the same is expected across the central and parts of the east in the coming days as our cooler than average pattern is likely to continue through the weekend.