MINNESOTA SEES SIXTH-HOTTEST SUMMER ON RECORD

Minnesota is closing out one of its hottest and driest summers ever recorded. State climatologists say the summer of 2026 ranks as the sixth hottest in 153 years of recordkeeping, with Twin Cities temperatures averaging three degrees above normal. The state also saw widespread drought, with nearly 80 percent of Minnesota classified in at least moderate drought conditions. Experts say the combination of heat and dry weather contributed to this summer’s wildfire activity and growing rainfall deficits across much of the state.