I don’t mind late-season warmth, but this supersized warm front is taking the edge off fall color. The ideal recipe for “flaming fall foliage” is sunny, mild days (60s and 70s) with nights in the 30s and 40s, no hard frost and light winds.
I don’t see any 32-degree lows at MSP through at least the third week of October. Average date of the first 32-degree reading is Oct. 18. The latest? Nov. 18, 2016.
We have a lower sun angle and four fewer hours of daylight than we did July 4. Despite that we should hit 90 degrees by 3 p.m. Saturday, breaking the old MSP record high of 89 degrees. It’ll be gusty and dusty out there with winds reaching 40 mph at times.
For the Twin Cities Marathon I see mid-80s Sunday with winds near 40 mph and a slight chance of a stray thundershower.
More waves of late-season warmth push northward into Minnesota into mid-October, but cooler, wetter weather finally returns in about two weeks.
It’ll take a hard freeze to kill off those pesky bugs and allergens. Until then you have the freedom to sneeze uncontrollably.
