Douglas: Warm sunshine Saturday with a few thunderclaps

I like my Septembers sweaty, said no one ever. Tomorrow will be the 12th day of 80s this month; metro temperatures are running nearly 6 degrees warmer than average for September.

Models keep us warmer than average into at least early October. If anyone asks, and I pray they don’t, the normal high on Sept. 21 is 71 degrees at MSP. Saturday will be at least 10 degrees warmer than that with a few pop-up thunderstorms. A cooler front drops daytime highs into the low 70s Sunday into Tuesday with comfortable sunshine each day.

NOAA’s winter outlook for December through February just dropped. Warmer for much of the southern and eastern U.S. but “equal chances” for the Upper Midwest. Say what? Flip a coin. With a La Niña cool phase in the Pacific brewing, we should experience a colder, snowier winter than last year (when only 29 inches of snow graced the metro area). I think it will be closer to normal, but probably not a pioneer winter.

Another significant hurricane may hit the Gulf Coast of the U.S. late next week, somewhere between Louisiana and Florida.