If you wore shorts last Monday, you got your money's worth. MSP hit 81° on October 12, the warmest day of the week by a wide margin. Then the bottom dropped out. Tuesday topped out at 57°, which is 24 degrees cooler in a single day, with a light 0.03" of rain to go with it.
From there it was a steady slide. Wednesday reached 55°. Thursday was the wet, raw one, with a high of just 51° and 0.69" of rain, which was the bulk of the week's total. Friday added another 0.07" and managed 53°. In all, MSP picked up 0.79" over the stretch, and none of it fell as snow.
The coldest moment came early Saturday, when the low hit 36°. That's close enough to freezing that anyone with tender plants left in pots had good reason to worry. The afternoon made up for it with a dry 60°. No records fell at any point. It was just a normal October week with a big swing at the start.
The good news is that the forecast for the next few days is about as calm as they come. The National Weather Service calls for mostly clear skies overnight with a low around 45°. After that comes a sunny Monday with a high near 66° and almost no wind, just east at 0 to 5 mph.
Tuesday is more of the same at a sunny 67°, with a south-southeast breeze of 5 to 10 mph. That's about as windy as this stretch gets. Tuesday night stays mild with a low around 51°, and Wednesday comes in sunny at 68°.
In practical terms, this is the week to get outside. It's a good window for a walk at the Minnesota Valley refuge, a lap around Normandale Lake, or raking before the leaves turn into a soggy mat. The 0.69" from Thursday should have had plenty of time to soak in. Nothing in the forecast suggests trouble on the roads or at MSP, and the evenings are mild enough for a jacket instead of a parka.
Enjoy it while it's here. Three sunny days in the upper 60s in the second half of October is a stretch to use, not save for later.
For the next 12 hours and today's records, see Bloomington weather; for the days ahead, the 10-day forecast.
