August and Summer 2020 Saint Cloud Weather Summary
Wet and Stormy August Wraps Up Warm Summer Typical of Early 2010's
Saint Cloud Weather Summary for August 2020 and Summer 2020
August was best known for its heavy rainfall across most of Minnesota from the Minnesota River Valley northward, except in the Arrowhead (see NWS Minnesota August rainfall map). Much of the area had at least 5 inches of rain with pockets of nearly 10 inches near Detroit Lakes and Bemidji and between Grand Rapids and Cloquet. The St. Cloud Municipal Airport ended up with 6.16 inches of rain, 2.37 inches above average. That made this August the 15th wettest in St. Cloud records. The last August this wet was 2016, when 8.36 inches fell, the 2nd highest August rainfall on record. The summer rainfall (June 1-August 31) was 14.18 inches, nearly three inches above the average of 11.27 inches.
The heaviest rain day was on August 14, when 3.09 inches of rain fell. The St. Cloud Airport picked up 1.18 inch in one hour between 7 and 8 AM Friday and 1.48 inches in one hour between 6 and 7 PM. That daily total of 3.09 inches destroyed the August 14 record rainfall of 1.34 inches, set in 1928. It's also the heaviest rainfall amount recorded at the St. Cloud Airport since 4.08 inches fell on August 29, 2016. There were also a series of tornadoes reported on that day (see August 14 Severe Weather and Tornadoes from Minnesota DNR).
Coming off the relatively dry spring, however, the overwhelming majority of surface and sub-soil moisture was rated adequate on this Sunday's Minnesota Weekly Crop Condition Report. There still are a couple of pockets of drier than average soil in west central Minnesota and the Arrowhead (see US Drought Monitor), but the main area of severe dryness is in western Iowa.
August finished less than a degree warmer than average (68.7 degrees, 0.9 degrees above average). The bulk of the warmth was caused by very warm overnight temperatures (13 lows of 60 degrees or milder). The overall summer average temperature was 70.3 degrees, 2.5 degrees above average and similar to the summers of 2010-2012.
|
Temperatures (°F)
|
August 2020
|
Normal
|
|
| August 2020 Average High Temperature (°F) |
79.9
|
79.6
|
|
| August 2020 Average Low Temperature (°F) |
57.5
|
56.0
|
|
| August 2020 Mean Temperature for August (°F) |
68.7
|
67.8
|
|
|
August Extremes
|
Temperature(°F)
|
Date
|
|
| Warmest High Temperature for August 2020 (°F) |
88
|
August 23
|
|
| Coldest High Temperature for August 2020 (°F) |
71
|
August 12
|
|
| Warmest Low Temperature for August 2020 (°F) |
68
|
August 25
|
|
| Coldest Low Temperature for August 2020 (°F) |
46
|
August 4
|
|
|
Record Temperatures in August 2020
|
Temperature(°F)
|
Date
|
Old Record
|
| No record temperatures set | |||
|
Temperature Thresholds
|
Number of Days
|
Normal
|
|
| August 2020 Days with High Temperatures >= 100°F |
0
|
0.06
|
|
|
2020 Total Days with High Temperature of At Least 100°F Last 100°F High: June 7, 2011 (101°F) |
0
|
0.51
|
|
| August 2020 Days with High Temperatures >= 90°F |
0
|
3.13
|
|
| 2020 Total Days with High Temperature of At Least 90°F |
10
|
11.43
|
|
| August 2020 Days with Low Temperatures >= 70°F |
0
|
0.68
|
|
| 2020 Total Days with Days with Low Temperatures >= 70°F |
2
|
3.00
|
|
| August 2020 Days with Low Temperatures >= 75°F |
0
|
0.07
|
|
|
2020 Total Days with Days with Low Temperatures >= 75°F Last 75°F Low: July 4, 2012 (76°F) |
0
|
0.47
|
|
|
Precipitation (in)
|
August 2020
|
Normal
|
|
|
August 2020 Rainfall (in)
|
6.16
|
3.79
|
|
|
August Extremes
|
Precipitation (in)
|
Date
|
|
|
Most Daily Precipitation in August 2020
|
3.09 inch (set record; see below)
|
August 14
|
|
|
Record Precipitation in August 2020
|
Precipitation (in)
|
Date
|
Old Record
|
| Daily Record Rainfall |
3.09 inch
|
August 14
|
1.38 inch in 1928
|
|
Precipitation Thresholds
|
Number of Days
|
Normal
|
|
| August 2020 Days with Measurable (>= 0.01 inch) Precipitation |
11
|
9.0
|
|
| August 2020 Days with >= 0.10 inch Precipitation |
8
|
5.6
|
|
| August 2020 Days with >= 0.25 inch Precipitation |
5
|
3.9
|
|
| August 2020 Days with >= 0.50 inch Precipitation |
2
|
2.4
|
|
| August 2020 Days with >= 1.00 inch Precipitation |
1
|
1.0
|
|
Summer (June 1-August 31) 2020 Statistics
|
Temperatures (°F)
|
Summer 2020
|
Normal
|
| Summer 2020 Average High Temperature (°F) |
82.2
|
79.8
|
| Summer 2020 Average Low Temperature (°F) |
58.5
|
56.0
|
| Summer 2020 Mean Temperature for Summer (°F) |
70.3
|
67.9
|
|
Temperature Thresholds
|
Number of Days
|
Normal
|
| Summer 2020 Days with High Temperatures >= 100°F |
0
|
0.51
|
| Summer 2020 Days with High Temperatures >= 90°F |
10
|
11.27
|
| Summer 2020 Days with Low Temperatures >= 70°F |
3
|
2.81
|
|
|
Link to Table of Top 10 Warmest/Coldest Summers | |
|
Precipitation (in)
|
Summer 2020
|
Normal
|
|
Summer 2020 Rainfall (in)
|
14.18 (+2.91 from average)
|
11.27
|
|
2020 Growing Season (April 1- August 31) Rainfall (in)
|
16.54 (+0.35 from average)
|
16.19
|
|
2020 Total Precipitation (in) (January 1 - August 31)
|
19.79 (+0.21 from average)
|
19.58
|
|
Precipitation Thresholds
|
Number of Days
|
Normal
|
| Summer 2020 Days with Measurable (>= 0.01 inch) Precipitation |
31
|
29.1
|
| Total 2020 Days with Measurable (>= 0.01 inch) Precipitation |
69
|
68.2
(Annual Normal: 97.3) |
| Summer 2020 Days with >= 0.10 inch Precipitation |
19
|
18.9
|
| Total 2020 Days with >= 0.10 inch Precipitation |
34
|
38.1
(Annual Normal: 52.9) |
| Summer 2020 Days with >= 0.25 inch Precipitation |
15
|
13.1
|
| Total 2020 Days with >= 0.25 inch Precipitation |
20
|
24.0
(Annual Normal: 32.1) |
| Summer 2020 Days with >= 0.50 inch Precipitation |
8
|
7.8
|
| Total 2020 Days with >= 0.50 inch Precipitation |
10
|
12.7
(Annual Normal: 16.8) |
| Summer 2020 Days with >= 1.00 inch Precipitation |
5
|
3.1
|
| Total 2020 Days with >= 1.00 inch Precipitation |
6
|
4.1
(Annual Normal: 5.5) |
Send comments to: raweisman@stcloudstate.edu