Twin Cities sets heat record with scorcher around 100

Angela Swinford is making her first visit to the Minnesota State Fair this year, and on Tuesday noticed one thing right away.

"It feels like the beach in Florida," said Swinford, of Athens, Ga., who will be operating Classic City Candy Co. on the second level of the grandstand with her husband, Brian. "It's a nice, warm welcome."

Vendors preparing for the Great Minnesota Get-Together did their best to stay cool on what became the hottest day of the year — and the hottest Aug. 22 ever recorded in the Twin Cities. Temperatures hovered around 100 degrees, a feat that has been recorded only seven times in August since the 1880s.

Oppressive humidity levels were making things feel even hotter. In the Twin Cities area it felt as hot as 115 degrees on Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.

The Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning in effect through 10 p.m. Wednesday, with conditions expected to feel as hot as 110 degrees Wednesday. The Twin Cities, Rochester, St. Cloud, Marshall, Albert Lea and Mankato were included in the warning, the National Weather Service said.

Sweat dripped down the face of Rusty Groscurth of Tampa, Fla., as he set up his Super Dog booth on Chambers Street at the fairgrounds Tuesday morning. When asked if it felt like south Florida, he said, "It sure does."

Cloud cover that lingered throughout most of the morning kept temperatures down, but as the sun broke out around lunchtime, temperatures began shooting up. At 4 p.m., the mercury topped 100 degrees in Appleton, Montevideo, Marshall and Canby, which reached 103 degrees.

On the other end of the spectrum, the temperature in Grand Marais was a chilly 57 degrees, the agency said.

In communities where the heat was expected to reach dangerous levels, events were being rescheduled or canceled. The scorching weather led officials at Canterbury Park to move Wednesday's start time back 90 minutes, with races beginning at 6:30 p.m.

In Rochester, officials canceled several events scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. The Rochester Police Department called off its last Safe City Nights gathering Tuesday, and a concert at White Oaks Park on Wednesday night was called off. SPARK, the Children's Museum of Rochester, moved its free outdoor movie night to Thursday while area schools are moving athletics practices indoors.

Local governments and nonprofits were also offering resources for people in need of a spot to cool down. Hennepin County provided an online map of cooling options — including its 41 libraries — and the Salvation Army offered up its service centers in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Brooklyn Park.

High school sports coaches across the state spent the morning assessing and changing their practice schedules to get an early start on the day and not push players too hard.

"We never do two-a-days and we only go mornings," he wrote in a text message.

The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) has a heat acclimatization policy in place for football. Practices are allowed regardless of weather for the first two weeks of the season. For practices lasting at least an hour, three rest breaks of at least three minutes each are required each hour. If practices reach two hours, four similar rest breaks are required.

The league also has policies in place for other sports, including delaying practices until cooler temps move in.

The last time the Twin Cities saw a triple-digit reading was on June 20, 2022. Through Monday, the metro area has seen 24 days with highs at 90 degree or higher, and three more are expected this week before temperatures drop into the 80s by Friday and Saturday, the Weather Service said.

But before you complain, the Weather Service posted a tweet with a photo of a snow-covered field and a reminder that much colder days are on the way.