Weather

July 2006 Heat and Summer Dry Spell

Hot Summer 2006 Toolbar      
90°F+ Highs  
Consecutive Days
Annual Days  
Warm Lows 
Rainfall

 

Hottest July Since 1936

The late July heat wave pushed July 2006 to the 8th hottest July in Saint Cloud history (average temperature of 75.1°F), beating July 1988 (11th hottest) by a half of a degree. July 2006 was the hottest July in Saint Cloud since 1936 (the hottest July in Saint Cloud history).

Duluth did set a new record for the hottest July as the heat came with persistent west winds, keeping the cooler air over Lake Superior off shore for much of the month.

 

Warmest July Temperatures

Rank

Temperature

Year

1

78.9°F

1936

2

77.6°F

1921

3

77.4°F

1935

4

77.0°F

1916

5

76.6°F

1901

6

76.0°F

1887

7

75.3°F

1888

8
75.1°F
2006

9

74.8°F

1931

10

74.7°F

1955

11

74.6°F

1988

12(tie)
74.5°F
1914
12(tie)

74.5°F

1933
14(tie)

74.4°F

1894
14(tie)
74.4°F
1966
16

74.2°F

1964

 

Longest Saint Cloud Heat Wave In 32 Years

Saint Cloud's second long streak of consecutive 90-degree highs has reached 9 days through Monday, July 31. This is the longest heat wave (3+ days with a high of at least 90) since the heat wave of mid-July 1964. The longest heat wave in Saint Cloud history remains the 14-day streak in 1936, the hottest period in Saint Cloud records with 9 standing record highs and 9 of the 14 days with a high of at least 100 degrees.

Thus far, 2006 has had two long July heat waves. The last time there were two 5-day heat waves mostly in July was in 1966. This has only been done before in June 1910, July 1931, June 1933, and June 1936. 1995 had two long heat waves but they were in different months. The most 5-day heat waves in a summer are three, set in 1931, 1936, and 1964.

The shorter heat wave in July 1995 was accompanied by record-high dew points in the high 70's and lower 80's. This 1995 heat wave caused over 600 deaths in Chicago and Milwaukee, plus the deaths of millions of livestock from Iowa, southern Minnesota, into Illinois and Indiana.

Hot Summer 2006 Toolbar      
90°F+ Highs  
Consecutive Days
Annual Days  
Warm Lows 
Rainfall

 

 
Saint Cloud Consecutive Days with Highs >= 90°F
Rank
Days
Dates
1
14
July 5-18, 1936
2
12
July 13-24, 1901
3
10
June 16-25, 1910
4(tie)
9
July 31 - August 8, 1930
4(tie)
9
July 24 - August 1, 1935
4(tie)
9
July 15-23, 1964
4(tie)
9
July 23-31, 2006
8(tie)
8
June 19-26, 1911
8(tie)
8
July 14-21, 1932
8(tie)
8
July 2-9, 1948
11(tie)
7
July 18 -24, 1940
11(tie)
7
July 22-28, 1941
11(tie)
7
August 18-24, 1976
11(tie)
7
July 26 - August 1, 1988
11(tie)
7
June 16 - 22, 1995
16(tie)
6
10 streaks, most recently in 1966
26(tie)
5

19 streaks, most recently
July 10-14, 1995
August 4-8, 2001
July 14-18, 2005
July 12-16, 2006

 

July 90+ degree highs

The two long July 2006 heat waves have produced 15 days with a high of at least 90 degrees. This is the most number of 90 degree highs since 1936.

Hot Summer 2006 Toolbar      
90°F+ Highs  
Consecutive Days
Annual Days  
Warm Lows 
Rainfall

 

 
Most 90+ Degree Highs - July
Rank
Year
Days
1
1936
20
2(tie)
1935
15
2(tie)
2006
15
4
1916
14
5(tie)
1901
13
5(tie)
1988
13
7(tie)
1966
12
7(tie)
1975
12
9(tie)
1910, 1914, 1930, 1931, 1937, 1964
11

 

Annual 90+ degree highs

While the number of 90+ degree highs has already climbed well beyond the normal annual total of 11.4 days, the 2006 total is well short of the record of 36 days, set in 1936, or the 1988 total of 33 days.

Hot Summer 2006 Toolbar      
90°F+ Highs  
Consecutive Days
Annual Days  
Warm Lows 
Rainfall

 

 
Most 90+ Degree Highs - Year
Rank
Year
Days
1
1936
36
2
1900
34
3
1988
33
4
1931
31
5
1910
29
6 (tie)
1933
28
6 (tie)
1934
28
8
1937
26
9(tie)
1901
25
9(tie)
1930
25
11
1935
24
12
1964
23
13(tie)
1911
22
13(tie)
1947
22
15(tie)
1913
21
15(tie)
1959
21
17(tie)
1922
20
17(tie)
2006 (through July 31)
20
18
1955
19
20
2001
18

 

Back to 100 Degrees for the First Time in 16 Years

On July 31, the Saint Cloud Airport high was 101°F, the first time that Saint Cloud had broken 100°F since July 3, 1990. However, this still fell short of the July 31 record high of 102°F, set in 1988. Since 1950, Saint Cloud has hit 100 degrees only on 9 days, 7 of which were in 1988. Also, the Saint Cloud history of 100 degree days shows that there have 58 days since 1893 hitting 100.

Hot Summer 2006 Toolbar      
90°F+ Highs  
Consecutive Days
Annual Days  
Warm Lows 
Rainfall

 

 
Saint Cloud Hottest Annual Temperatures (1988-2006)
Year
Hottest High (°F)
Date
Days with High >= 97°F
1988
102°F
June 24, July 31
13
(7 days with >= 100°F)
1989
98°F
August 4
1
1990
101°F
July 3
1
1991
95°F
July 18
0
1992
92°F
June 12, August 9
0
1993
90°F
August 10
0
1994
95°F
June 14
0
1995
97°F
June 17, July 13
2
1996
96°F
June 28
0
1997
95°F
June 23
0
1998
94°F
May 18
0
1999
98°F
July 30
2
2000
94°F
June 9
0
2001
98°F
August 6, 7
4
2002
95°F
June 30, July 6
0
2003
96°F
August 24
0
2004
96°F
June 30
0
2005
98°F
June 23
1
2006
101°F
July 31
5


75°F Low More Rare than 100°F Highs

On July 30, the low temperature in Saint Cloud was only 76°F. To get a low temperature that warm, we need a very humid air mass and a stiff breeze overnight. This marks only the 52nd day in Saint Cloud history in which the low never dropped below 75°F. That's fewer days than Saint Cloud has hit 100°F (59 days). In contrast to the 100°F highs, which have been rare since 1950, this marks the 15th day since 1950 with a low temperature above 75°F, 7 of which have come since 1996. This would be supportive of the idea that summers have been more humid recently, although they haven't been that warm until the past couple of years.

There have been 4 days so far this summer with a low of at least 70°F. The normal total for the year is 3 days.


Dry Spell Ranks as Moderate to Severe Drought

The dry weather since late spring is the main reason for parched lawns, low streamflow, and struggliing crops. Between May 15 and July 30, the Saint Cloud rainfall totalled only 3.92 inches, more than five and a half inches below normal. However, a line of slow-moving heavy thunderstorms stalled along a Morris-Glenwood-Little Falls/St. Cloud-Cambridge line on the evening of July 31. Saint Cloud picked up 1.01 inches of rain (0.97 inch on July 31) with Little Falls getting 1.71 inches (1.59 inches in one hour), easing the dry conditions locally somewhat. However, Saint Cloud is still more than four and three-quarter inches behind on rainfall through the end of July.

The Minnesota State Climatology Office's update on the two-month long dry period also shows that southeastern Stearns County, plus most of Sherburne and Wright Counties, are in the driest 5 percent of years for this period. The most extreme conditions also exist in the northwestern part of the state and most of Minnesota are in the red and brown colors, meaning that this year is in the driest 20% of years.

The latest US Drought Monitor from the National Drought Mitigation Center (updated on Thursdays) shows that a stripe from northwestern Minnesota to Crow Wing County (Brainerd area) and east to the Wisconsin border ranks as an extreme drought with most of the rest of the state ranked in the moderate category.

Conditions don't look to be quite as severe on in the growing season (April 1 - current) rainfall map from the Minnesota State Climatology Office. The reason is that rainfall was actually more than 2 inches above normal through May 14, mainly due to the heavy rain seen from April 28 through May 2 when more than 3 inches of rain fell.

You can find more dry spell resources on the Minnesota State Climatology Office's 2006 Dry Spell Resources Page.

The last significant dry spell in Minnesota was a 10-month dry period from July 15, 2003 through the rest of the 2003 growing season and continuing through mid-May 2004 after the ground thawed. The rainfall deficit from mid-summer 2003 through April 2004 in Saint Cloud reached more than six and three-quarters inches until the rains came.

During the summer of 2005, we also went through a 2 1/2 month dry spell that caused some problems. However, it was short-lived enough so that heavy rains in August through October were able to prolong the growing season.

Although the 2003 10-month dry period could not compare to Minnesota's last major drought during 1986-1989, the period was intense enough to cause much of the state to be classified in the moderate to severe drought categories.

Hot Summer 2006 Toolbar      
90°F+ Highs  
Consecutive Days
Annual Days  
Warm Lows 
Rainfall

 

Saint Cloud Summer Dry Spell

Time Period

Actual Rainfall

Normal Rainfall

April 1 - May 14

5.37 inches
(2.10 inches above normal)

3.27 inches

April 28 - May 2

3.39 inches

0.40 inch

May 15-31

0.25 inch

1.83 inch

June 1-30

2.55 inches

4.51 inches

July 1-30

1.12 inch

3.23 inches

July 31
0.98 inch
0.11 inch

May 15 to July 30 Totals

3.92**inches (**5.65 in below normal)
41 % of normal

9.57 inches

May 15 to July 31 Totals

4.90**inches (**4.78 in below normal)
5 1 % of normal

9.68 inches

Growing Season (April 1 to July 30) Totals

10.27**inches (**2.68 in below normal)
79% of normal

12.95 inches

2006 Rainfall

11.78**inches (**4.02 in below normal)

15.80 inches

 

Daily Normals by Month

Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Year

Daily Records by Month

Historic temperature data provided courtesy of the Saint Cloud National Weather Service Office, and NOAA/NWS
National Weather Service logo NOAA logo

Send comments to: raweisman@stcloudstate.edu