Saturday felt like July. MSP reached 90° on Oct. 10, a record high for the date. The low that day was 60°, which is warmer than a lot of recent afternoons have been. If you spent the weekend mowing, sweating at a youth soccer game or wondering whether to pull the AC covers back off, now you know why.
Saturday wasn't the only warm day. Oct. 6 hit 82° and Oct. 7 reached 74°. Oct. 5 and Oct. 8 were the most October-like days, with highs of 68° and 67° and lows in the 40s.
There was no rain at all. MSP recorded 0 inches of precipitation every day from Oct. 5 through Oct. 10. That's great for patio dinners and fall yard work, but lawns and gardens have gone almost a week without water.
Columbus Day stays warm. The forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and a high near 83, slipping to around 80 later in the afternoon. There's a 20% chance of a shower or thunderstorm between 3 and 4 p.m. It's a small window and a small chance, so go ahead with outdoor plans but keep an eye on the sky mid-afternoon. Tonight will be mild for mid-October: mostly cloudy, with a low around 66 and temperatures rising to about 69 overnight.
The big change comes Monday night, when a north-northwest wind arrives and the low drops to around 54. Tuesday will be partly sunny with a high near 65 and a northwest wind of 5 to 10 mph. Tuesday night falls to about 48. Wednesday should be mostly sunny with a high near 63, which finally feels like fall.
So enjoy one more warm afternoon on Monday. By Tuesday you'll want a jacket for the morning commute and for walks around Normandale Lake. Monday's brief storm chance is the only rain in the forecast, so don't put the hose away yet.
For the next 12 hours and today's records, see Bloomington weather; for the days ahead, the 10-day forecast.
