🍂 Fall, where art thou

TGIF. We've made it to the weekend.

• Sunny with a high of 70, per the NWS.

🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Twin Cities member Eric McGeehan!

🍤 Situational awareness: It's last call for fried fish baskets (and filling sandwiches) by Minnehaha Falls. Sea Salt closes for the season after Sunday.

Today's newsletter is 874 words, a 3.5-minute read.

It's Oct. 4 in the Twin Cities and the trees are still green, people are swimming in lakes and homeowners aren't quite ready to cover up their air conditioners.

Why it matters: Minnesota and other Midwest states are often viewed as climate havens, Axios Des Moines' Linh Ta reports. But weather "whiplashes" like we've seen in the Twin Cities challenge that idea.

The big picture: September is one of the fastest-warming months in Minnesota and we just wrapped up the hottest on record.

State of play: With an average temperature of 70.4 degrees, September 2024 was 6.9 degrees above normal at MSP Airport. We had 19 days when the mercury eclipsed 80 degrees.

• We've also been in a severe dry spell. A normal September brings nearly 3 inches of rain, according to Minnesota Department of Natural Resources data. We got just a sprinkle of 0.06 inches.

Flashback: Here's how recent weather whiplashes have played out in the Twin Cities.

• We had a crop-killing summer 2022 drought, followed by the third-snowiest winter on record.
• A drought that started in the summer of 2023 continued until this spring, when torrential rains caused flooding and threatened dams.
• Now, the Twin Cities are nearing another drought while other parts of the state are already there.

What's ahead: More of the same. The National Weather Service predicts above-average temperatures for the next two weeks, with no rain in the forecast.

Reality check: The mild temps can't last forever. At some point in the next month, we're likely to hit the first freeze of the season.

The big picture: The average date for the first day temperatures dip to 32°F or below in the Twin Cities is Oct. 11, per the nonprofit climate research group Climate Central.

Between the lines: First freeze is slightly different from "first frost," which is related not just to temperature, but also to the amount of moisture in the air.

Mickey's Dining Car served meals in downtown St. Paul yesterday for the first time since the pandemic forced its closure.

Why it matters: The St. Paul landmark has been featured in Hollywood films and attracted diners from all walks of life at all hours of the day since it first opened in 1939.

Zoom in: With its "soft opening," the restaurant will be open from 6am until it runs out of food daily, manager Sam Hashish told Axios.

• "Mickey's cannot die," Hashish said.

What's next: There's not yet a date for a full reopening, Hashish said.

Tell 'em all to come to St. Paul

Enhanced rider verification, better navigation tools, and more rider accountability are just a few of the Uber Driver app's latest features.

The idea: These changes are aimed at making the things drivers and couriers do every day safer, fairer and easier.

Check out all the new features.

🗳️ DFL U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and Republican Joe Teirab are set to debate at noon today. The south metro rivals are running for the state's most competitive congressional district. (Stream or listen via MPR News)

✈️ MSP Airport is launching a new pick up and drop off area inside the Purple Ramp at Terminal 2. (Info)

🎄Holidazzle will be held at Nicollet Mall instead of Loring Park this year. Organizers scrapped the parade due to costs. (Star Tribune)

📺 Gov. Tim Walz is going on a post-debate media blitz, with plans for interviews with a late-night show, "60 Minutes" and local TV stations. (Axios)

• That's a shift from the first two months as vice presidential nominee, when he largely avoided traditional interviews.

👀 Star Tribune publisher Steve Grove, a former Walz appointee, appeared to acknowledge to newsroom staff during a recent town hall that he's working on a book. (Minnesota Reformer)

🤸 Gymnast Suni Lee revealed that the kidney condition that threatened to derail her career flared up shortly before this year's Olympic Trials. (Glamour)

• Lee, who was just named Glamour's woman of the year, ended up getting a transfusion just a week before competing for her spot on Team USA.

🔍 Plan ahead with these events.

Oktoberfest at Eco Experience on Oct 4: Every year they are proud to offer an entirely local event. This includes all beer, food, music, merchandise and other entertainment. They are beyond happy to have a few returning beer/cider sponsors. $10-$100.

Hosting an event? Email local-events@axios.com.

Some 28,000 runners are set to lace up for Sunday's Twin Cities Marathon and 10-mile races.

Flashback: Last year, unusually high heat and humidity led organizers to cancel both events at the last minute.

The good news: Sunday's forecast looks great for running, with sunshine and temps in the 60s.

Zoom in: Check out the course maps to see where to cheer — or which roads to avoid.

1 PSA to go: Those inspired to run a major race of their own might want to get moving.

• Duluth's Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon sold out in just 18 hours this week, but there are still spots in the full Grandma's Marathon.

Go deeper: Lessons learned from last year's cancellation via The Star Tribune.

Fifteen years ago on Sunday, the Twins won a one-game playoff against the Tigers to decide the 2009 AL Central championship.

• The game was 12 innings of nail-biting agony followed by pure joy when Alexi Casilla's game-winning single bounced onto the outfield turf.
• It was also the last regular season contest the Twins played at the Metrodome.

The intrigue: It was the best in a string of dramatic play-in games that prompted MLB to change its postseason format.

• Between 2012 and 2022, the playoffs featured winner-take-all games between Wild Card teams.

Uber is stepping up its measures to keep drivers and couriers safe.

Here's how: The ability to see if a rider has gone through additional verification steps and use hands-free voice prompts are just a few of the app's latest features, designed to improve the driver experience.

Get all the deets.

✌️ Torey is cheering for her alma mater. Fight on!

〽️ Kyle says Ski-U-Mah!

🥧 Nick finally went to the Mill City Museum after all these years.

Today's newsletter was edited by Lindsey Erdody.