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Summer 2006 Saint Cloud Hot Weather Facts

Summer 2006 Drought...Until Late August

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Second Highest 90-Degree Days in July; None Since

After breaking the 90-degree mark 15 times in July 2006, the temperature never broke 90 degrees in August. The 15 July 90-degree days tied for the second most on record, but the twenty total days ranks only 17th in Saint Cloud records. The normal annual total is 11.4 days.

2006 90-Degree Highs By Month
Year
April
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Total
2006
0
3
2
15
0
   
20

 

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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.

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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
 

Dry Spell Ranks as Moderate to Severe Drought

The rainfall deficit in Saint Cloud was as high as 6.41 inches between May 15 and August 22. However, two sets of storms, one on August 23-24 (2.87 inches), and the other Sept. 2-3 (3.00 inches, substantially eased the below normal rainfall in Saint Cloud. In fact, Saint Cloud received only 6.00 inches of rain during more than 3 months, then picked up 5.87 inches in less than two weeks.

This rain relief did not reach all of the state. You can check more local details on the The Minnesota State Climatology Office's latest dry summer update. For a national perspective, you can check the latest US Drought Monitor from the National Drought Mitigation Center.

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.

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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

May 15 to July 30 Totals

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

9.57 inches

July 31
0.98 inch
0.11 inch
August 1-22
1.10 inch
2.79 inches

May 15 to August 22 Totals

6.00**inches (**6.47 in below normal)
48% of normal

12.47 inches

August 23-Sept 4
5.87 inches
(record daily rainfall on Aug 24 and Sept 2)
1.60 inch

May 15 to Sept 4 Totals

11.87** inches (**2.50 in below normal)
83% of normal

14.37 inches

Growing Season (April 1 to Sept 4) Totals

17.24** inches (**0.07 in below normal)
99 % of normal

17.31 inches

2006 Rainfall

18.75** inches (**1.44 in below normal)

20.19 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