Many media stories this week were based on the fact that Minnesota recorded one of its driest Augusts (and even July and August combined), as well as one of its warmest Augusts. The combination produced many detrimental effects..... DRY AIR + DRY LANDSCAPE = LARGE DAILY TEMPERATURE RANGE This is one of the standard rules of thumb in climatology and certainly held true to form this week. After starting out the morning at 39 F on Thursday (Sept 4), Benson, MN