Summer may unofficially end with Labor Day weekend, but this year it's not going out without a fight.
The National Weather Service is forecasting highs in the upper 80s today in the Northeast and 90s through much of the rest of Minnesota as the hot summer of 2012 offers one more blast of warmth. Temperatures are expected to hit near 90 degrees in Duluth by Thursday, 95 in Hinckley and 100 degrees in the Twin Cities.
Some forecasters (including Adam Clark on our weather page) think cloudy skies will keep Duluth temperatures in the lower 80s on Thursday, but even that would be 10 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year. The normal high this time of year in Duluth is about 71.
If you are heading for the Minnesota State Fair, take notice: An excessive heat watch is in effect for Minneapolis and St. Paul for Thursday, with a high of 101 now forecast.
High temps are forecast to drop back to the more-comfortable upper 70s for Duluth for the weekend, with little sign of rain until Monday.
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Despite cool mornings for much of the month, mostly sunny days and consistently warm afternoons will push August's average temperature above normal in Duluth -- the 14th consecutive month with above-normal temperatures. That's one of the longest above-normal stretches in recorded history. The 12-month period just past has been the warmest 12-month stretch in Duluth since 1878.
The National Climate Prediction Center is forecasting a better-than-average chance of warmer-than-normal temperatures for all of the Northland into November.
Climate experts also are noting the development of an El Niño warming of the Pacific Ocean, a phenomenon that on average coincides with warmer-than-average winters in the Northland.
