Punishing heat (and storms) Monday, and then perfect State Fair weather

Monday could be one of the hottest days of 2024, but the heat will not last all week.

In the Twin Cities, the National Weather Service predicts high temperatures in the 90s with a heat index up to 105 to account for sun and humidity. Southern Minnesota will be even steamier and could see heat indexes of up to 107 degrees in Mankato and Red Wing.

The heat Sunday was moderated by cloud coverage. On Sunday afternoon, the temperature at the National Weather Service’s fairgrounds monitoring station was 85 degrees with a 93-degree heat index — almost 10 degrees lower than the predicted index, NWS meteorologist Joe Calderone said.

“(Monday’s) going to be the worst day,” Calderone said, and the most potentially dangerous. Calderone suggested getting in air conditioning for at least part of the day and avoiding strenuous activity.

Storms could be serious later Monday. The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for west-central Minnesota until 5:15 p.m. And At around 4:30 a severe thunderstorm was reported northwest of Willmar and moving east. Tornadoes were possible.

The heat will break early Tuesday with a cold front, Calderone said, “a pretty potent one.”

The cold front could bring severe storms early Tuesday, he said, with the possibility of damaging straight-line winds. But the cold front will be a harbinger of great State Fair weather later in the week.

Wednesday will see high temperatures in the 80s and lower heat indexes, as will Thursday, although Calderone said it could rain that day.

Labor Day weekend will bring highs in the 70s, he said.

“From Friday onward, we’re looking really good,” Calderone said.

With the fair already shattering attendance records, a cooler weekend could bring even more people.