Editor's Notebook

Wicked Warm Winter in Lakeville: 50s in December

It's been 50 in Lakeville for the first three days of December. Will it last?

Old-man winter doesn't seem too interested in showing up this year. That or Mother Nature has a message for all of us: No December for you. The past few days, the weather has been more like October than December—and for winter-weary folks in Lakeville, it's a good thing. But it's tough to be weary of winter before it even begins. The National Weather Service says the typical high temperature on Dec. 1 in Lakeville is 32 degrees. This year it was 50. On Dec. 2, it's usually 31 degrees. This year: 51. Today is no different with a forecast high temperature of 55 degrees. In fact, as of 11 a.m., the NWS says it's 53 degrees in Lakeville. What gives? Thanks to a stationary Pacific storm that's drenching California with record rainfall, we're …

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Hot, Humid Weather Setting Records in Twin Cities, Posing Danger

The hot and humid conditions have led to an Excessive Heat Warning for Lakeville and nearly all of Minnesota through Wednesday.

Thanks to freakishly hot and humid airmass resembling ones you'd encounter if visiting a rain forest, nearly the entire state is shrouded in an Excessive Heat Warning per the National Weather Service. But what you feel outside is more than hot and sticky, it's setting records and posing health risks. Last night, at 8:53 p.m., the dewpoint reached 81 degrees, according to the NWS—matching an all time record for the Twin Cities. No, it wasn't just a daily record, the 81 degree dewpoint—a figure which measures the amount of water or humidity in the air—matched an all time record felt just a hand-full of times in recorded history. It was so humid and warm, the heat index at 2 a.m. this morning was 102 degrees—hardly sleeping weather. And while…

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Editor's Notebook

Triple-Digit Scorcher: 103 Degrees is Hottest Temperature in Minnesota Since 1988

Yesterday was the fifth hottest day since 1891.

Yesterday wasn't just hot, it was crazy-hot. The 103 degrees recorded at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport at 3:26 p.m. yesterday was the fifth hottest day ever recorded in the Twin Cities, according to the National Weather Service, and records go all the way back to 1891. It was also the first time we've topped 100 degrees since July 31, 2006—nearly 6 years. The temperature, by the way, is measured in the shade. Lakeville's Airlake Airport weather station topped out at 100 degrees between 2:33 and 4:13 p.m. It didn't creep down below 90 degrees at the airport until 9:53 p.m. What happened to make it so hot? According to NWS meteorologist Michelle Margraf, dry air heats up faster than humid air. There was a lot of drier air in…

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