Fall in Minnesota could be warmer, see less rain than average, according to NOAA outlook
Minnesota could see above-average temperatures and below-average rainfall for the autumn months, according to an outlook released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center.
The three-month outlook for meteorological fall — the months of September, October and November — indicates that there's up to a 40% chance that temperatures in Minnesota will be above average. There's a slightly greater chance that temps will be above average for a sliver of southern Minnesota near Interstate 90.
In the Twin Cities, the average monthly high temperature for September is 71.6 degrees, but it dips to 58.6 degrees in October and 40.6 degrees in November, according to data from the state's Department of Natural Resources.
The outlook also predicts the precipitation outlook for the fall months, which in Minnesota is leaning below average.
"The average precipitation is about 3 inches in September, a little below that for October, and over 1.5 inches for November," WCCO meteorologist Lisa Meadows said. "We do not average any snowfall in September, all the way up to almost 7 inches of snow on average for November."
September sees roughly nine days of measurable precipitation, while October and November see roughly eight days, the DNR says.
A drought plagued the early summer months in Minnesota, but it has largely been erased, according to the DNR's most recent drought monitor.
"Everyone across the United States is looking warmer than average for fall, including the Upper Midwest," Meadows said.
Looking ahead even further into the winter months, NOAA says temperatures for December, January and February could hover around average. For the Twin Cities that means an average high temperature of 27.2 degrees for December, 21.9 degrees in January and 26.3 degrees in February.
The precipitation outlook for winter remains average, NOAA says. Meadows added that there's a possibility for wetter-than-average winter conditions in the Great Lakes region, but not necessarily in Minnesota.