Saint Cloud Weather Summary for August 2023 and Summer 2023

Saint Cloud got considerably more rain during August than during the previous three months. That was especially thanks to a mid-August series of thunderstorms that produced 2.28 inches and up to 5 inches in southern Stearns County (see 24 hour totals from Minnesota August 13-14 Rainfall). That and a few other rainfalls produced 4.50 inches of August rain, 0.50 inch above average. Still, that wasn't nearly enough to offset the severe rain shortfall since the beginning of May. Over those 4 months, St. Cloud Regional Airport had only 7.87 inches, 7.14 inches below average. That's the 2nd lowest May-August precipitation (see table at bottom of this page). The only drier May through August was in 1929 with only 7.63 inches. Over the past 90 days, nearly all of Minnesota had below average rainfall with several places in central and eastern Minnesota (brown) more than 4 inches behind and a few places in southeastern Minnesota (light red) more than 8 inches short. This has reduced the river and stream flow considerably with much of central and northern Minnesota having streams in the lowest 10 percent of heights (red on the Minnesota DNR Streamflow). This includes the 0.38 ft on the Sauk River at Veterans Memorial Park in Waite Park (0.38 feet, 4th lowest on record) and the 3.89 feet on the Mississippi River at Riverside Park in St. Cloud (6th lowest on record). Both of these readings were achieved despite the snowiest cold season in St. Cloud records. The combined liquid from the snow and rainfall in January through April was 9.97 inches, 4.36 inches above average, the 4th highest Jan-Apr precipitation total.

Still, the August heavier rainfall (2-5 inches in most of central and southern Minnesota) got the severe drought classification (red on the July 25 US Drought Monitor; see Comparison of US Drought Monitor July 25 vs August 29) out of the St. Cloud area, although the areas to our northeast and in south central and southeastern Minnesota are larger than they were before.

For the year so far, St. Cloud has picked up 17.84 inches of precipitation, 2.78 inches below average.

The drought was also intensified by warmer than average temperatures. The St. Cloud August average temperature was 70.6 degrees, 2.9 degrees above average. For the entire meteorological summer (June 1-August 31), St. Cloud's temperature average was 70.8 degrees, 3.0 degrees above average. That ranks as the 17th warmest summer of the 143 years in St. Cloud temperature weather. It was not quite as warm as 2021, which cracked the 10 warmest summers or 2011, which was the 11th warmest.

While there were only 4 days with a high of 90 Degrees or warmer in August, it included the intense heat of August 21-23, when temperatures were in the upper 90's and lower 100's in much of central and southern Minnesota (see Heat and Extreme Humidity August 21-23). That heat came with high dew points, upper 70's to near 80, reminiscent of the heat wave in 2011 and in July of 2001, so heat indices ranged from 105 to the middle 110's during the worst of it. In addition, September added another heat wave during September 1-5, during which the Twin Cities added 5 more days over 90 and during which much of central and southern Minnesota saw temperatures in the upper 90's to lower 100's. Duluth and Brainerd set all time September record temperatures.

St. Cloud added 2 more 90-degree highs, running the annual total to 22 days. That's nearly double the annual average of 11.4 days, and is the 13th most on record. The only year since the 1930's in the top 10 is 1988 with 33 90-degree days.

    August 2023 Statistics

Summer (June 1-August 31) 2023 Statistics