Cooler Labor Day Expected With Some Afternoon Showers Possible

Earliest First 32 On Record For The Twin Cities

This is the time of year we start talking about frost and freeze across the region. In the record books, September 3, 1974, is the date of the earliest first 32 degree freeze on record for the Twin Cities. That beat out the previous record earliest by almost two weeks!

The morning of September 3^rd, 1974, was a cold one across most of the state, with most locations in the 20s and 30s for lows. The coldest temperature of that morning was 22, observed in both Pipestone and two miles south of Tower. St. Cloud saw a low of 27, but the temperature only fell to 37 in International Falls.

Looking at this year, a couple stations across northern Minnesota have already observed freezing temperatures. Will we see more this week as a blast of cool air moves south? I have the forecast below!
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Cooler Labor Day - Some Afternoon Showers Possible
By DJ Kayser, filling in for Douglas
We are now a few days into meteorological autumn, and with that starts to come the threat of frost and freeze conditions across the state. While the average first 32 degree morning in the Twin Cities isn't until early October, the earliest on record occurred back on September 3, 1974. Many locations across Minnesota dropped into the 20s and 30s for lows that morning, with a low of 22 in both Pipestone and Tower.
While there is no threat of frost in the Twin Cities this week, we will have to watch the potential for some frosty mornings up north. A cold front has moved through, meaning highs will be a touch cooler for your Labor Day activities with the chance of a few pop-up afternoon showers. Much cooler air filters in from Canada Tuesday and Wednesday, with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s and 50s in the Twin Cities. However, some areas across northern Minnesota could drop into the 30s, leading to the threat of frost.
The good news is that warmer weather returns for the second half of the week. Enjoy your Labor Day!
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Twin Cities Extended Forecast
MONDAY: Cooler. PM shower possible. High 72. Low 52. Chance of rain 20%. Wind NW 5-15 mph.
TUESDAY: Cool and breezy. Mix of clouds and sun. High 64. Low 49. Chance of rain 10%. Wind NW 5-15 mph.
WEDNESDAY: A bit sunnier. Still cool. High 64. Low 50. Chance of rain 10%. Wind NW 5-10 mph.
THURSDAY: Slow warming. A few morning clouds. High 70. Low 53. Chance of rain 0%. Wind W 5-10 mph.
FRIDAY. Sunny day. A touch warmer. High 74. Low 56. Chance of rain 0%. Wind SW 5-10 mph.
SATURDAY: Highs around average. Mainly sunny. High 75. Low 59. Chance of rain 0%. Wind SE 5-10 mph.
SUNDAY: A warm and sunny day. High 77. Low 58. Chance of rain 0%. Wind S 5-10 mph.
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This Day in Weather History
September 4th
1992: Early morning storms result in 3/4 to 1 3/4 inch hail in Hennepin, Dakota, Rice and Goodhue Counties.
1941: A batch of tornadoes hits Minneapolis, New Brighton, and White Bear Lake, killing six people.
1925: The third consecutive day of 95 degrees or above occurs in the Minneapolis area.
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Average Temperatures & Precipitation for Minneapolis
September 4th
Average High: 76F (Record: 98F set in 1925)
Average Low: 58F (Record: 39F set in 1974)
Average Precipitation: 0.10" (Record: 2.08" set in 1911)
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Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
September 4th
Sunrise: 6:39 AM
Sunset: 7:44 PM
*Length Of Day: 13 hours, 4 minutes and 57 seconds
*Daylight Lost Since Yesterday: ~3 minute and 2 seconds
*Next Sunrise At/After 7 AM: September 22nd (7:00 AM)
*Next Sunset At/Before 7:30 PM: September 11th (7:30 PM)
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Minnesota Extended Forecast

A few afternoon showers will be possible for your Labor Day activities across the state, otherwise I'm expecting a mix of clouds and sun. Highs will be cooler across the state Monday due to a cold front passing through Sunday Night. Temperatures are only expected to be in the 70s across southern Minnesota and in the 60s up north.

Highs on Monday will be below average for this time of year by a good 5-10 degrees across the state.

Winds will also be gusty at times during the day Monday. While sustained winds will be between 5-15 mph in the Twin Cities, gusts could be in the 20-25 mph range. Wind gusts up to 30 mph will be possible across the state.

The highs we saw Sunday are likely going to be the warmest weather we see for a while, as temperatures behind that cold front Sunday night drop into the 60s for highs both Tuesday and Wednesday in the Twin Cities. Highs will warm back into the 70s for the end of the week and into next weekend.

Highs will be stuck in the 50s and 60s across the state Tuesday, with the potential of a few showers across northeastern Minnesota and into Wisconsin. This will certainly feel like autumn across the region - maybe a good enough excuse for a pumpkin latte or mocha?

Both Wednesday and Thursday mornings we will have to watch the potential of some frost across far northern Minnesota as temperatures drop into the 30s for lows. Here in the Twin Cities we will see lows in the upper 40s to low 50s.

With some pop-up showers both Monday and Tuesday across portions of the state, we will see mainly light rainfall amounts. Total accumulation should be under a tenth of an inch in most spots.

After the chance of some pop-up showers Monday, rain chance are slim through the rest of the week and into next week here in the Twin Cities.
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National Forecast
Labor Day Forecast

Nice weather is expected across much of the eastern United States for Labor Day behind a cold front, with temperatures from the 70s to 90s. A few showers will be possible across portions of Florida and the Southeast. A cold front will help spark off some showers and storms from the Great Lakes to the Central Plains. A few strong storms will be possible from western New York to central Missouri. A few storms will also be possible across southern California in association with moisture from Lidia in the Pacific.

Temperatures will be above average ahead of the cold front from parts of the Northeast to the Central Plains. Warmer than average conditions will also occur across parts of the Northwest, with highs a good 10-20 degrees above average. The Northern Plains to the western Great Lakes will see highs that are 5-10 degrees below average.

Record highs will continue to be possible across parts of the Northwest on Labor Day. Places like Salt Lake City, Seattle and Portland will approach if not break their all time record highs for the day. If Seattle reaches a high of 92 Labor Day, they would tie for the 6th warmest September day on record.

Record high potential will continue into the day Tuesday, from areas from Quillayute to Pendleton, including Seattle.

Heavy rain will be possible in the Northeast Wednesday into Thursday as a cold front moves through. Rainfall amounts could top 2-3" in spots. Some rain along that front will also be possible from the central U.S. to the southeast. Meanwhile, moisture from Lidia could bring mainly light rain amounts in the southwest.

We continue to keep our eyes on Hurricane Irma, still spinning as a strong hurricane east of the Leeward Islands. As of 5 PM ET Sunday, the system was a major Category Three hurricane with winds of 115 mph.

Irma will continue to move to the west to west-southwest over the next few days before making a turn west-northwest as we head into the middle of the week. This would bring Irma near the northern Leeward Islands by Tuesday night (where a Hurricane Watch is in effect) and into the Bahamas late in the week. It is still too early to know what impact this system could have on the Southeast United States, but we will keep an eye on it over the next several days.
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Early Fall Color In North Dakota

Due to the ongoing drought across parts of North Dakota, some trees in Bismarck are already showing their fall colors. More from KFYR-TV: “Going around Bismarck you might have noticed the leaves on the trees already changing color or dropping. This year's drought caused stress for some trees, they deal with this stress by letting some leaves drop so they can survive on less water. The city forester recommends watering your trees more.”
Houston Flooding From Space

NASA has taken images from space of the ongoing flooding in the Houston area from Harvey. You can see sediment that has flowed into Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico due to the flooding. More from NASA: "On August 31, MODIS also captured natural-color images of the area. Note the tan and brown rivers and bays full of flood water from Harvey. Scientists and civil authorities have some concerns about urban and industrial pollutants being mixed into the floodwater runoff. Along the coast, muddy, sediment-laden waters from inland pour into the Gulf of Mexico, which also was churned up by the relentless storm."
Coastal Texas Wind Farms Survive Harvey
This is good news for the wind energy sector along the Texas coast. It's the utility grid that has had most of the issues. More from Recharge: "As Tropical Storm Harvey continues to hammer coastal Texas for a fifth day with record rainfall that has left a massive swath of the nine-county Greater Houston Metropolitan Area under water, most wind farms in the region appear to have escaped its wrath."
Health Issues After Flooding From Harvey
The flooding that Harvey left behind will likely cause a health crisis that will continue for an extended period of time across portions of the south. More from InsideClimateNews: “The Gulf Coast faces an evolving public health crisis in the wake of Hurricane Harvey that's likely to unfold over months or even years. Health officials are concerned about everything from immediate injuries and exposure to germs and toxic chemicals to more insidious and long-term threats, including mold in the walls of flooded homes and mental health problems.  Many of those public health concerns match what experts have been warning we'll see more of as climate change brings more severe weather.”
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 - D.J. Kayser