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July was more humidity than heat

By
Troy Thone, Luverne volunteer weather recorder

"It's not the heat; it's the humidity" is the headline for July. I'm betting that if you polled a number of people in Rock County and asked them what the weather headline should be for July that the answers received would likely split between the heat and the heavy rainfall.
Interestingly enough, official records would tend to dispute that and would indicate a rather mundane July.
The overall average temperature for July was nearly 3 degrees below normal and virtually the same as in June. 
Average highs were over 3 degrees below normal and slightly cooler than June with overnight lows nearly 2 degrees below normal.
While this all may seem to contradict the perception that it was hot, dew point temperatures averaged for the month in the lower 60s with the maximum topping out at an extremely muggy 77 degrees. 
The combination of relatively warm temperatures with high dew points caused the heat index to soar above 100 several days of the month and well into the 90s on numerous other days, making it feel pretty unbearable at times.
Rainfall was also below normal, but probably only south of Interstate 90, and even then, more localized in and around the airport. This was due primarily to the airport receiving only 1.83 inches from the heavy rainfall event on July 10.
There were numerous reports of 2 to 3 to more than 4 inches of rain north of the interstate, and the placement of the storms had a great impact on where the heavy rainfall fell.
Overall for the county it is probably fair to say that rainfall was likely at or above normal despite the official amounts at the airport. Despite the very heavy rainfall on the 10th, the rest of the month was fairly tepid for moisture and the latest drought monitor shows some abnormally dry conditions just starting to encroach on the southwest corner of the county.
Officially for the year, we are almost 2 1/2 inches below normal for precipitation.
A blog of daily summary and other interesting weather events for the Luverne area is at http://luvernemnweather.blogspot.com. Thone can be reached at tathone@gmail.com.

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