Douglas: Summer warmth spills late into October

Ah, October. Pumpkin spice, scary costumes, jumping into piles of crunchy leaves, T-shirts, steamy 80s, fire danger, bonfire bans. No, wait. What’s wrong with that picture?

When I moved to Minnesota in 1983 the average first frost in the Twin Cities was Oct. 3. Due to background warming caused mostly by burning fossil fuels, summer warmth has been pushed deeper into autumn in recent decades. NOAA data shows that Minnesota falls are now 3 to 5 degrees warmer than they were in 1970. First frost? Maybe late October for the metro. Weather models hint at 80 degrees Saturday, and again late next week. Mostly 70s for highs into mid-October, a few days in the 60s. Another six-month boating season in Minnesota, which is delightfully disconcerting.

I don’t see a drop of rain for most of Minnesota looking out one to two weeks, with temperatures running well above average into at least late October. Once again fall has been delayed until further notice.

There is an extreme fire risk from the Twin Cities metro to Taylors Falls. No bonfires, please.