Is summer getting longer, or are other seasons getting shorter?

MINNEAPOLIS – Our final days of summer have at times felt more like mid-season summer.

This month, temperatures have been above average for 12 out of 19 days in the Twin Cities.

It has us wondering: Is summer getting longer, or are other seasons getting shorter? Good Question. WCCO spoke with Kenneth Blumenfeld, a senior climatologist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

"September happens to be one of our fastest-warming months," Blumenfeld said. "We're seeing the final frost of spring is coming earlier on average, and the first frost or freeze of fall tends to be coming later on average."

Then there's the bridge month connecting summer to fall, which has felt hotter, but isn't the main warming trend.

"Where we're really seeing a change is are on those traditionally cool September days," Blumenfeld said.

Since 1960, the number of September days where the low temperature is 40 degrees or less has been dropping.

"The lowest temperature of the month on average is increasing," he said.

The shift is being felt across the globe thanks to climate change. A study on the Northern Hemisphere's climate found summer's length went from 78 to 95 days on average from 1952 to 2011.

Based on the data and the rate of climate change, scientists project summer could last up to six months by the end of the century.

"That actually changes the dynamics of our ecosystem," Blumenfeld said.

Agriculture, forestry and even water quality could be impacted.

Severe weather is another summer characteristic already making later appearances, such as the tornadoes that hit Minnesota in October and December last year.

"We've seen winter generally on average shrinking," Blumenfeld said.    

Last week, Gov. Tim Walz unveiled a plan to lower the state's impact on climate change by focusing on clean energy and clean transportation. His challenger, Dr. Scott Jensen, wants to put an emphasis on nuclear power as a zero-emission energy source.