Weather

August 2006 and Summer 2006 Saint Cloud Weather Summary


Heavy, Severe Thunderstorms Somewhat Ease Warm Season Drought

Saint Cloud Weather Summary for August 2006 and Summer 2006

Issued: Saturday, September 2, 2006 5:23 AM

The parched warm season of 2006 in Saint Cloud continued for much of August, until the severe thunderstorms of August 23-24 struck. The Saint Cloud Regional Airport recorded 3.97 inches of rain for the month of August, 0.04 inch greater than normal. However, 2.87 inches (more than 70% of the monthly rain) fell in the thunderstorms of August 23-24. This included 2.35 inches of rain on August 24, setting a new daily rainfall record. This was only the second day of the year that Saint Cloud had at least an inch of rain. That's the fewest number of days with at least an inch since 1992.

The severe thunderstorms that helped produce the heavy rain also produced tornado damage in LeSueur and Nicollet Counties, which produced Minnesota's first tornado death since the Granite Falls tornado in July 25, 2000. As of this point, the National Weather Service is still investigating the number of tornadoes produced.

Before the heavy rains hit, Saint Cloud had mounted a rainfall deficit as large as nearly six and a half inches from May 15 through August 22. Only 6.00 inches had fallen during the three-month period, resulting in very low streamflow in the Upper Mississippi, Saint Croix, and other rivers in the northern half of Minnesota.

Despite that heavy rain, the total Saint Cloud rainfall since May 15 was 8.87 inches, nearly five inches short of the normal total of 13.61 inches. On the late August US Drought Monitor from the National Drought Mitigation Center, all of central Minnesota has been pulled out of the drought classification. Conditions are now ranked as being abnormally dry in central Minnesota to the south of an Alexandria-Little Falls-Mora line. However, extreme drought is shown across north central Minnesota in the areas of the Brainerd Lakes, Lake Mille Lacs, the Iron Range and north central Minnesota. You can also follow the continued dry conditions on the Minnesota 2006 Dry Summer Report from the Minnesota State Climatology Office.

For the meteorological summer of 2006 (June 1 - August 31), the Saint Cloud Airport received 8.62 inches of rain, more than three inches below normal. However, there have been drier summers in recent years, including 1996 (6.74 inches; 9th driest) and 2001 (6.81 inches; 10th driest).

After finishing July 2006 with 9 straight days with a high of at least 90 degrees, August 2006 never recorded a high of 90 degrees. The average Saint Cloud temperature in August 2006 was 69.0°F (average high: 80.4°F; average low: 57.5°F), only 1.7°F warmer than normal.

Thanks mostly to the hot July, the summer of 2006 in Saint Cloud ended up as the 20th warmest summer of the 126 summers in Saint Cloud history. The average temperature of 70.5°F was 3.1°F warmer than normal and 0.1°F warmer than last summer. The statistics were so warm, mainly because July 2006 was the hottest July in Saint Cloud since 1936 and the 8th hottest July on record.

Some of the notable July 2006 statistics included:

  • Longest St. Cloud Heat Wave (9 days) in 32 years; tied for 4th longest in history
  • 15 90-degree days in July (tied for second most); none in August; 20 total; most since 1936 (17th most on record)
  • Broke 100 degrees for first time since July 3, 1990

 

    August 2006 Statistics

Temperatures (°F)
August 2006
Normal
August 2006 Average High Temperature (°F)
80.4
78.9
August 2006 Average Low Temperature (°F)
57.5
55.5
August 2006 Mean Temperature for August (°F)
68.9
67.2
August Extremes
Temperature(°F)
Date
Warmest High Temperature for August 2006 (°F)
89
August 3rd,4th
Coldest High Temperature for August 2006 (°F)
69
August 24th
Warmest Low Temperature for August 2006 (°F)
65
August 1st,9th
Coldest Low Temperature for August 2006 (°F)
49
August 15th,20th,22nd,30th
Record Temperatures in August 2006
Temperature(°F)
Date
Old Record
No Record Temperatures Set
Temperature Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
August 2006 Days with High Temperatures >= 100°F
0
0.06
2006 Total Days with High Temperature of At Least 100°F
1
0.51
August 2006 Days with High Temperatures >= 90°F
0
3.13
2006 Total Days with High Temperature of At Least 90°F
20#
11.43
August 2006 Days with Low Temperatures >= 70°F
0
0.68
2006 Total Days with Days with Low Temperatures >= 70°F
4
3.00
August 2006 Days with Low Temperatures >= 75°F
0
0.07
2006 Total Days with Days with Low Temperatures >= 75°F
1
0.47
Precipitation (in)
August 2006
Normal
August 2006 Precipitation (in)
3.97
3.93
August Extremes
Precipitation (in)
Date
Most Daily Precipitation in August 2006
2.28 (set record, see below)
August 24th
Record Precipitation in August 2006
Precipitation (in)
Date
Old Record
Record Daily Rainfall
2.35 inches
August 24th
1.14 inches in 1995
Precipitation Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
August 2006 Days with Measurable (>= 0.01 inch) Precipitation
9
9.0
August 2006 Days with >= 0.10 inch Precipitation
4
5.6
August 2006 Days with >= 0.25 inch Precipitation
3
3.9
August 2006 Days with >= 0.50 inch Precipitation
3
2.4
August 2006 Days with >= 1.00 inch Precipitation
1
1.0

Summer (June 1-August 31) 2006 Statistics

Temperatures (°F)
Summer 2006
Normal
Summer 2006 Average High Temperature (°F)
83.0
79.3
Summer 2006 Average Low Temperature (°F)
58.0
55.4
Summer 2006 Mean Temperature for Summer (°F)
70.5*
67.4
Temperature Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
Summer 2006 Days with High Temperatures >= 90°F
20
10.00
Summer 2006 Days with Low Temperatures >= 70°F
3
2.81
Summer 2006 Days with Low Temperatures >= 75°F
1
0.45

* 20th warmest summer of 126 years in Saint Cloud history
Warmest summer since 1988

Link to Table of Top 10 Warmest/Coldest Summers
Precipitation (in)
Summer 2006
Normal
Summer 2006 Rainfall (in)
8.62
11.78
2006 Growing Season (April 1 - August 31) Rainfall (in)
14.24
16.85
2006 Dry Period Rainfall (May 15 - August 31) Rainfall (in)
8.87
13.61
2006 Total Precipitation (in)
15.75
19.73
Precipitation Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
Summer 2006 Days with Measurable (>= 0.01 inch) Precipitation
28
29.1
Total 2006 Days with Measurable (>= 0.01 inch) Precipitation
74
68.2
(Annual Normal: 97.3)
Summer 2006 Days with >= 0.10 inch Precipitation
16
18.9
Total 2006 Days with >= 0.10 inch Precipitation
33
38.1
(Annual Normal: 52.9)
Summer 2006 Days with >= 0.25 inch Precipitation
11
13.1
Total 2006 Days with >= 0.25 inch Precipitation
17
24.0
(Annual Normal: 32.1)
Summer 2006 Days with >= 0.50 inch Precipitation
5
7.8
Total 2006 Days with >= 0.50 inch Precipitation
10
12.7
(Annual Normal: 16.8)
Summer 2006 Days with >= 1.00 inch Precipitation
1
3.1
Total 2006 Days with >= 1.00 inch Precipitation
2
4.1
(Annual Normal: 5.5)

 

Historic temperature data provided courtesy of the Saint Cloud National Weather Service Office, and NOAA/NWS
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Send comments to: raweisman@stcloudstate.edu