Heat dome sends temps soaring and records falling
By
Rina Torchinsky, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Jun 8, 2021 7:14 PM EDT
|
Updated Jun 10, 2021 9:29 AM EDT
Temperatures had already surged into the upper 80s and lower 90s across a large part of the north-central United States as of the early afternoon on Wednesday, June 9, 2021. (AccuWeather)
It’s almost two weeks until the official start to summer, which arrives on June 20, but already portions of the United States have been enduring blistering stretches of heat, some of which may go down in the record books.
A grueling heat wave developed in parts of the Midwest just after the Memorial Day weekend, and AccuWeather forecasters say it doesn’t show any signs of letting up in the next few days.
Heat advisories were plastered across the Twin Cities area on Wednesday morning, with highs having been in the 90s Fahrenheit for about a week and forecast to continue through at least Friday. As of the early afternoon on Wednesday, Minneapolis and St. Paul have now experienced the earliest seven-day stretch of consecutive temperatures of 90 degrees or higher on record, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The average high temperature there at this time of year is 76 degrees.
AccuWeather forecasters predict that the streak will go on for nine days total counting Friday.
The hot streak in the Twin Cities started on June 3 and could continue through June 11, according to forecasts. Tuesday marked the sixth consecutive 90-degree day, and the heat wave looks like it’ll continue, said Mike Griesinger, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service Twin Cities.
To make matters worse, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures are projected to climb even higher than actual temperatures -- by as much as 10 degrees -- as the scorching June sun shines and high humidity factors in. Residents in Minneapolis will experience AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures that soar above the century mark and peak around 105 into Thursday.
If the high temperatures persist, another record set almost 90 years ago could be challenged. In 1934, there were 12 days on which temperatures reached 90 degrees or higher before June 15. The current soaring temperatures could be on track to overtake the record.
In response to the heat advisories, the NWS stressed the importance of drinking plenty of fluids, staying in air-conditioning and avoiding being out in the sun. Forecasters added, "Check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances."
The extreme heat prompted the Minneapolis public school system to shift students at 15 schools to distance learning from Tuesday to Thursday.
As of Wednesday night, excessive heat warnings were set to go into effect throughout the day Thursday from Hamburg, Minnesota, to Afton, Minnesota, and as far north as Bethel, Minnesota.
And the heat wave has stretched beyond the Twin Cities area. On Tuesday, forecasts in a handful of cities in North Dakota and South Dakota rivaled historic high temperatures.
Temperatures in Pierre, South Dakota, reached 102 on Monday, which broke a 1959 record of 98 degrees Fahrenheit. Mobridge, South Dakota, soared to 101, which broke a 1988 record of 97.
Several records were set again on Tuesday.
In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the NWS warned that this week was set to be “the hottest start to summer” since 1893. The NWS meteorologists were referring to meteorological summer, which began on June 1.
In North Dakota, Saturday temperatures at the Bismarck airport topped 100, according to data from the NWS.
In Rapid City, South Dakota, relief didn't come at night, as is usually the case. In fact, just the opposite happened, according to the NWS, when a heat burst occurred late Monday evening. A heat burst is a phenomenon in which hot and dry air from higher levels of the atmosphere accelerates down to ground level. In this case, the heat burst produced a more than 10-degree temperature jump over the course of about one hour and wind gusts reached 56 mph. Temperatures rose from about 78 to about 90 between the hours of 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Minneapolis broke a record by one degree from three separate years on Wednesday by reaching 96 F.
Temperatures in parts of the region could decline over the weekend and into next week, but there aren’t set to be any major changes to conditions in the Twin Cities, Griesinger said.
Temperatures in the Twin Cities could shift to the mid- to upper 80s, rather than the 90s, Griesinger added.
“We’re basically shifting the heat dome from on top of us to a little bit west of us,” Griesinger said. “We’ll still be in it.”
In the meantime, Griesinger said he’s been using plenty of air conditioning to keep cool. And in the so-called “land of 10,000 lakes,” there’s always a body of water nearby to “jump in and cool down.”
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
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News / Weather News
Heat dome sends temps soaring and records falling
By Rina Torchinsky, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Jun 8, 2021 7:14 PM EDT | Updated Jun 10, 2021 9:29 AM EDT
Temperatures had already surged into the upper 80s and lower 90s across a large part of the north-central United States as of the early afternoon on Wednesday, June 9, 2021. (AccuWeather)
It’s almost two weeks until the official start to summer, which arrives on June 20, but already portions of the United States have been enduring blistering stretches of heat, some of which may go down in the record books.
A grueling heat wave developed in parts of the Midwest just after the Memorial Day weekend, and AccuWeather forecasters say it doesn’t show any signs of letting up in the next few days.
Heat advisories were plastered across the Twin Cities area on Wednesday morning, with highs having been in the 90s Fahrenheit for about a week and forecast to continue through at least Friday. As of the early afternoon on Wednesday, Minneapolis and St. Paul have now experienced the earliest seven-day stretch of consecutive temperatures of 90 degrees or higher on record, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The average high temperature there at this time of year is 76 degrees.
AccuWeather forecasters predict that the streak will go on for nine days total counting Friday.
The hot streak in the Twin Cities started on June 3 and could continue through June 11, according to forecasts. Tuesday marked the sixth consecutive 90-degree day, and the heat wave looks like it’ll continue, said Mike Griesinger, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service Twin Cities.
To make matters worse, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures are projected to climb even higher than actual temperatures -- by as much as 10 degrees -- as the scorching June sun shines and high humidity factors in. Residents in Minneapolis will experience AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures that soar above the century mark and peak around 105 into Thursday.
If the high temperatures persist, another record set almost 90 years ago could be challenged. In 1934, there were 12 days on which temperatures reached 90 degrees or higher before June 15. The current soaring temperatures could be on track to overtake the record.
In response to the heat advisories, the NWS stressed the importance of drinking plenty of fluids, staying in air-conditioning and avoiding being out in the sun. Forecasters added, "Check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances."
The extreme heat prompted the Minneapolis public school system to shift students at 15 schools to distance learning from Tuesday to Thursday.
As of Wednesday night, excessive heat warnings were set to go into effect throughout the day Thursday from Hamburg, Minnesota, to Afton, Minnesota, and as far north as Bethel, Minnesota.
And the heat wave has stretched beyond the Twin Cities area. On Tuesday, forecasts in a handful of cities in North Dakota and South Dakota rivaled historic high temperatures.
Temperatures in Pierre, South Dakota, reached 102 on Monday, which broke a 1959 record of 98 degrees Fahrenheit. Mobridge, South Dakota, soared to 101, which broke a 1988 record of 97.
Several records were set again on Tuesday.
In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the NWS warned that this week was set to be “the hottest start to summer” since 1893. The NWS meteorologists were referring to meteorological summer, which began on June 1.
In North Dakota, Saturday temperatures at the Bismarck airport topped 100, according to data from the NWS.
In Rapid City, South Dakota, relief didn't come at night, as is usually the case. In fact, just the opposite happened, according to the NWS, when a heat burst occurred late Monday evening. A heat burst is a phenomenon in which hot and dry air from higher levels of the atmosphere accelerates down to ground level. In this case, the heat burst produced a more than 10-degree temperature jump over the course of about one hour and wind gusts reached 56 mph. Temperatures rose from about 78 to about 90 between the hours of 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Minneapolis broke a record by one degree from three separate years on Wednesday by reaching 96 F.
Temperatures in parts of the region could decline over the weekend and into next week, but there aren’t set to be any major changes to conditions in the Twin Cities, Griesinger said.
Temperatures in the Twin Cities could shift to the mid- to upper 80s, rather than the 90s, Griesinger added.
“We’re basically shifting the heat dome from on top of us to a little bit west of us,” Griesinger said. “We’ll still be in it.”
In the meantime, Griesinger said he’s been using plenty of air conditioning to keep cool. And in the so-called “land of 10,000 lakes,” there’s always a body of water nearby to “jump in and cool down.”
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Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo