Minnesota
Minnesota weather outlook suggests warmer-than-average autumn
MINNEAPOLIS — If Friday’s cloudy and cooler weather has you excited for autumn, you’re not alone.
The start of meteorological fall, Sept. 1, is just about two weeks away and the Climate Prediction Center just released their outlook for the season.
Typically over September, October and November, the Twin Cities has an average temperature of about 49 degrees. If you remember last fall, conditions were well above average, with an average temperature of about 53 degrees.
Fall of 2023 was also wetter than average around the metro, with more than 10 inches of rainfall, compared to the average of 7.21 inches.
Like it or not, October also typically brings our first snow of the season with about 7.5 inches of snow through the end of November. One of the more shocking stats of the season — from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30, we lose about four hours of daylight.
A driving factor of this year’s forecast is the fact we’re transitioning away from El Nino into a La Nina. Currently, it’s in a neutral phase, but La Nina is likely by October.
According to the Climate Prediction Center, it is more likely that we’re going to be warmer than average, not just across Minnesota and Wisconsin, but really most of the country.
But when it comes to precipitation in our part of the world, it’s a little tougher to decipher what La Nina is going to mean for us. So it’s more of a toss up with the drier conditions looking to stay farther south.
(KNSI) — Minnesota has a mix of good news and concerning metrics in the latest Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Economic wellbeing shows strength, but like many other states, fourth grade reading proficiency is down.
The report shows Minnesota ranks fifth nationally in overall child wellbeing, placing it in the top tier of states and making it the highest-ranking state in the Midwest. Despite this high standing, Minnesota is identified as one of the states where children’s overall wellbeing worsened between 2019 and 2024, experiencing the fifth-steepest decline in the country during that period.
Minnesota’s performance is exceptional for economic wellbeing, ranking second nationally, up two spots from 2025.
Children in poverty: 10% (121,000 children)
Parents lacking secure employment: 20% (251,000 children)
High housing cost burden: 20% (257,000 children)
Teens not in school and not working: 4% (14,000 teens)
The state ranks fifth for health, down one spot from last year.
Low birth-weight babies: 7.5%
Children without health insurance: 4%
Child and teen death rate: 24 per 100,000
Overweight or obese children and teens: 25%
Child and teen deaths rose 8% between 2019 and 2024. Low birth-weight babies ticked up slightly. Youth obesity improved slightly after spiking during the pandemic. Health insurance coverage held steady at 94%. On the mental health front, nearly one in five high schoolers experienced major depression in 2023.
The state ranks fourth in family and community, with kids growing up in strong, supportive environments, up from seventh last year.
Children in single-parent families: 28%
Household heads lacking a high school diploma: 6%
Children living in high-poverty areas: 3%
Teen birth rate: 7 per 1,000
The state falters in education, ranking 21st, down from 17th last year.
Young children (ages 3 and 4) not in school: 55%
Fourth graders not proficient in reading: 69%
Eighth graders not proficient in math: 66%
High school students not graduating on time: 16%
Overall, proficiency levels declined dramatically, essentially undoing a decade of progress. Nationally, fourth graders not proficient in reading rose from 66% to 70%, while eighth graders not proficient in math jumped from 67% to 73%. These indicators are closely tied to future workforce readiness and economic success.
Despite significant pandemic disruptions, the national rate of high school students graduating on time was the only education measure that did not lose ground, improving slightly from 86% to 87%.
The Kids Count Data Book ranks Minnesota among the top states for child wellbeing, but education remains an area where the state continues to lose ground.
The full report is available here.
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An insect known for carrying debilitating diseases wasn’t always on Minnesotans’ radar.
In Good Question, Jeff Wagner digs into the history of ticks in our region and why concern has never been higher.
Wagner spends a lot of time walking through woods in Minnesota thanks to disc golf. The hobby made him acutely aware of ticks.
But he’s had older locals tell him they don’t remember ticks being an issue when they were kids playing outside, back in the 1960s.
When did ticks become a problem in Minnesota? Good Question.
The answer starts across the country in Connecticut in a small town named Lyme. People there in the 1970s were getting sick with symptoms like severe fatigue, headaches, skin rashes and swollen knees. Kids were getting diagnosed with what appeared to be arthritis. The mysterious illness would later take on the town’s name, Lyme disease.
In the 1980s, scientists determined it came from a tick bite, specifically a blacklegged tick. They’re commonly called a deer tick. The species is the only one known to carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.
That same decade, the Minnesota Department of Health started to identify Lyme disease cases in the state, which started raising public awareness about the dangers of tick bites. Right as people began to take notice, the number of infected deer ticks started to rise.
“It used to be, 20 years ago we saw (deer) ticks maybe in Washington County, a little bit of Anoka County, and then kind of speckled throughout. Now we see deer ticks established pretty much all throughout the state of Minnesota,” said Alex Carlson, public affairs manager with the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District.
Why have ticks become such a big concern today? Carlson points to three main factors. The first is reduced natural boundaries due to deforestation and suburbanization.
“We’re living right among animals, both domesticated animals and wildlife, and so we have more interaction with the animals that may be carrying ticks than we would have maybe 100 years ago,” he said.
Ticks contract the bacteria that causes Lyme disease from biting infected rodents like mice. They then latch onto deer, which saw their population explode in the 20th century, spreading the infected ticks across Minnesota.
“We don’t see those natural predators for those types of small mammals like mice and squirrels (like) foxes and predatory birds and things like that. They’re just not as around because of deforestation and the urban-suburban sprawl,” said Carlson.
Another factor in this equation is climate change. Our recent warm winters were great for disc golfing but also for ticks.
“More mild winters means more ticks will survive the winter, and so we’ll have more returning the following spring,” said Carlson.
It’s the reason the lone star tick is gaining ground in Minnesota despite its natural habitat being in the southern U.S. A bite from this bug can give you an allergy to red meat called Alpha-gal Syndrome.
“The fact that when we have these short stretch winters with not a lot of snow cover, more of those lone star ticks will survive,” Carlson said.
The third factor on why ticks are more problematic now is simply public awareness. We’re better educated on the types, where they’re found, the diseases they carry and what to do if we’re bitten. Carlson said hospitalizations are up partly because people are seeking medical help sooner.
Vance Boelter, the man accused of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses nearly a year ago, will not face the death penalty on federal charges.
The U.S. Department of Justice said there was no recommendation to seek the death penalty in the June 14, 2025, shootings, which killed former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and wounded Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.
“Bringing justice to the families and loved ones of victims of violence is the number one priority of the Department of Justice,” a spokesperson for the agency said in a written statement to WCCO on Monday. “Prosecutors worked hard on this case to make sure he was held accountable to the fullest extent possible.”
Boelter, 58, is facing six federal charges, including two counts of stalking, two counts of murder and two counts of firearms violations. He appeared in court in April in connection with the criminal case.
According to federal law, the two counts of murder are punishable by death or life in prison, though the federal agency, which cited case law, said the stalking charges weren’t likely death penalty-eligible.
U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen submitted a recommendation regarding the death penalty in April to the assistant attorney general for the criminal division of the agency.
Boelter also faces state charges, including two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder, and one count each of felony cruelty to an animal and impersonating an officer. A guilty verdict for one of the first-degree murder charges carries a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
The Hoffman family has filed a lawsuit against Boelter, which accuses him of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and negligence per se, according to the civil complaint.
NOTE: The attached video first aired on April 17.
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