September 2026 Saint Cloud Weather Summary

Some September Rain Relief

Saint Cloud, MN, September 2026 Weather Summary

Going into September, much of Minnesota needed rain badly. The rainfall deficit at the St. Cloud Sky Central Airport was 11.12 inches since August 2025. However during September 2026, Minnesota frequently found itself near the boundary of intense heat to the south and more seasonably Canadian air to the north, a primary area of frequent thunderstorms. During September, the St. Cloud Sky Central Airport picked up 4.36 inches of rain, 1.35 inches above average. It was the first month with at least 4 inches since July 2025. It was also a rare incidence of above average rain in September (12 of the 15 Septembers since 2010 had 3.08 inches or fewer).

Still, we need a lot more rain. The rainfall shortage since August 2025 is still 9.77 inches, ranking as the 12th driest August of last year through September of this year period in St. Cloud records (see table below).

And, St. Cloud didn't even have the most rain in Minnesota. Much of north central Minnesota had more than 5 inches of rain (red on the National Water Prediction Service Minnesota rainfall map to the month of September) with parts of southern Minnesota over 10 inches (magenta). That included the flooding on September 18 and 19 with over 8 inches of rain in southeastern Minnesota. This rainfall eased the drought condition one category in north central Minnesota (set US Drought Monitor two map comparison to September 29 and September 1).

Surface Moisture Improved, But River Flow Still Low

The net result was much greener grass and even mushrooms growing on lawns in the St. Cloud area. The streamflow on both the Sauk River in St. Cloud (fewer places with exposed basin) and the Mississippi River in St. Cloud (more steady flow above the dam) has improved a bit. On the Minnesota DNR stream gauging map, St. Cloud is in the orange area (between the 10th and 25th percentile when you click the current weekly stream flow report overlay) instead of the red as it was last month. That also means we need a lot more rain to make up the shortage of over a year.

This has also helped to keep the high potential for a good fall color season (see Minnesota DNR Fall Color Map). That rain prevented the leaves from dropping early.

Also, rain after the end of the growing season is the most helpful to recharge ground water, since the use by plants is the lowest of the season. On the other hand, melt water from any snow doesn't usually help as much; it can help river and lake level when it melts, but doesn't soak into the frozen ground.

Another Toasty Month

September began with another warm and sticky spell. The September 3 high reached 90 degrees, the 15th 90-degree day this warm season (and the first since July) and 10 of the first 11 September days had a high in the 80's. Temperatures during the middle of the month neared or even dropped a bit cooler than average, but temperatures became warmer than average again during the last week of the month, including an 80-degree high on the last day of the month. September finished with an average temperature of 63.8 degrees (average high: 73.6 degrees; average low: 54.0 degrees). That ranked as the 14th warmest September in St. Cloud records, 4.0 degrees warmer than average. 

While the number of 90-degree highs is above average (11.4 days), but not near a record, St. Cloud has now produced 91 days with a high of at least 80 degrees, the third most number of 90-degree days on record (on the NWS Twin Cities NOAAData Climate Site, select St. Cloud area, monthly summarized data, the start of date range to 'por' period of record, the variable to max temp, the summary to number of days, and the range to >= 80 degrees; click twice on annual to rank the years from the most down).

While low temperatures were at least 70 degrees on 4 days during the summer, September produced 9 days with a low of at least 60 degrees, 8 of which happened during the first 11 days. That tied for the 5th most September days on record (record: 11 days in 1897 and 2025) and ran the 2026 total to 59 days with such a mild low. That tied for the 5th most in St. Cloud records (see table below):

Thus far, 2026 has been yet another much warmer than average year.  Only January (2.2 degrees colder than average) and May (0.2 degrees colder than average) have been cooler than normal. Through the end of September, 2026 tied 1900 as the 9th warmest year in St. Cloud records (see table below):

Good Chance to Hold Top Ten Warmest Rank Through End of Year..

Seasonably cool air has moved in for the start of October and could persist for a while. Still, the El Nino event (exceptionally warm water off the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America; see Figure 1 of the NWS Climate Prediction Center ENSO diagnostic discussion) is well underway. When we have a strong El Nino, the Northern Plains and Canadian Prairie Provinces are more likely to have a milder than average winter (December through February). So, the chances for a warmer than average year in St. Cloud are good. 

...Potential for a Global Warm 2027

The global ocean temperature has also been very warm, giving the world the potential for a top 5 annual global temperature. Even though El Nino is forecast to ease after December, the potential for a record warm global 2027 is high if the worldwide ocean temperatures maintain their near record status, since it is much more difficult to change the temperature of the ocean compared to the continents. 

September 2026 Statistics

Last Update: 6 September 2026