In Brief

Near Summer Freeze for Minnesota Town

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The temperature in Embarrass, Minn., this morning sounds more like winter than summer: The thermometer registered just 35 degrees Fahrenheit (1.6 degrees Celsius) in the town, reports the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang blog.

The frigid temps may sound tantalizing to those who have been suffering under repeated heat waves that set many a record high this summer. But the lows in Embarrass and the surrounding area weren't even records for July! "It's gotten down to 27, 35 isn't even in the top 10 coldest," Steve Gohde, observing program leader at the NWS Duluth office, told the Capital Weather Gang.

Embarrass sees such freezing summer temperatures because of the local geography: A nearby mountain range causes cold Arctic air to pile up in the region, sending temperatures plummeting. However, northern Minnesota can see its fair share of more familiar summer temperatures; last week, the mercury rose into the 90s F (30s C).

Andrea Thompson
Andrea Thompson
Live Science Contributor

Andrea Thompson is an associate editor at Scientific American, where she covers sustainability, energy and the environment. Prior to that, she was a senior writer covering climate science at Climate Central and a reporter and editor at Live Science, where she primarily covered Earth science and the environment. She holds a graduate degree in science health and environmental reporting from New York University, as well as a bachelor of science and and masters of science in atmospheric chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology.