July 2015 Saint Cloud Weather Summary

Deluge Continues in July

July 2015 St. Cloud Weather Summary

The rainy pattern that has dominated the late spring and early summer in Minnesota continued in July. While there were 11 days with measurable rainfall in July, fewer than in May or June, there were 4 days with more than an inch of rain in St. Cloud ( July 5, 12, 15, and 28). That's the most 1-inch July rain days since July 1997. Both July 1997 and this month have had the most July days with at least an inch since 1913 (7 days). The 9 days so far this year with at least an inch ties for the 9th highest total of 1-inch rainfall days. Last year, St. Cloud had 10 such days.

The total rainfall in July at the St. Cloud Airport has been 7.18 inches, 3.87 inches above average, now the 7th wettest July in St. Cloud records and the wettest since 1986. Some parts of central and eastern Minnesota has picked up 6-10 inches this month with individual cities seeing 2 or even 3 inches of rain in a day (Glenwood had 3.70 inches on July 24.

The St. Cloud May-July rainfall is 17.87 inches, 7.44 inches above average and tied with 1965 for the 4th wettest May-July total on record. The last late spring and early summer that was wetter was in 1990 (19.41 inches), which featured 10.56 inches in June, the third wettest month in St. Cloud records. This July is also St. Cloud's wettest month since August 1995 (7.35 inches).

Average Temperature, But Where Are the 90's?

The July average St. Cloud July temperature was 70.7°F, only 0.4°F from average. Still, there haven't been any 90-degree highs so far in July. Only July 2009 since 1996 has gone without a 90-degree high. The last time there was one or fewer days with a 90-degree high through the end of July was 1993. Note also that there hasn't been a summer with its highest temperature only being 90 degrees since 1993. Still, August has had the most 90-degree days recently in 2003, 2010, and 2013, so it's not over yet.

There was one sweltering day with high heat indices to our south on July 12-13. That heat and humidity led to severe thunderstorms overnight with strairght line wind damage in Todd, Pope and Stearns County. The worst damage was across Brainerd and Baxter.

Another round of severe thunderstorms began in west central Minnesota on July 17 and ended up producing continuous wind damage all the way to Michigan. There was one tornado that touched down west of Watertown.

     July 2015 Statistics