A Mostly Blue-Ribbon Start To The Fair - Weekend Rain Chances

Don't be scared away by that rain icon for the first day of the State Fair on Thursday - any chance is going to be light and in the early morning hours. Otherwise, clouds will slowly be on the decrease as we head throughout the day. Temperatures start off in the mid-60s with highs topping out in the mid-70s.

As we head throughout Thursday, clouds will be on the decrease from northwest to southeast. Temperatures statewide will be just a few degrees below average in the 60s and 70s.

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A nearly-perfect day is expected Friday in the metro for those heading to the second day of the State Fair, with highs in the upper 70s and dew points in the mid-50s. The weather gets a little more turbulent heading into the weekend, with chances of showers and thunderstorms. While neither day looks like an all-day washout, we will have to watch the potential of heavy rain and lightning. A few storms could linger into Monday, but Tuesday should be dry with that drier weather continuing through much of the rest of next week.

Forecast rainfall through 7 AM Monday.

Storms this weekend could produce heavy rain across parts of the state, with the potential of up to an inch in southern Minnesota and potentially more than that in northern areas. Note that the above graphic includes potential rainfall Wednesday evening/overnight.

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Come one, come all to those "last" 12 days of summer known as the Minnesota State Fair! Of course, meteorological summer ends August 31st, and astronomical fall doesn't begin until 8:03 PM on September 22nd... so your definition of "end of summer" may vary. Some of you will just be happy to send the kids back to school in less than two weeks! A few quick stats-on-a-stick: the warmest State Fair day was 104F (September 10, 1931) and the wettest day was August 30, 1977 (7.28").

Today will be a nice start to the Fair with an early isolated shower possible before clouds decrease. Blue-ribbon sunny skies are expected Friday. The weekend looks stormy at times, as heavy rain and lightning could potentially force you inside for at least a little bit.

No heat waves are in sight: 70s and 80s are expected through the end of the month - I'm definitely not complaining about that!

A sign of the changing seasons: our last 8 PM sunset until April 17th occurs Friday. Bring on the pumpkin spice and fall colors!

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THURSDAY: Decreasing clouds. Wake up 66. High 77. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind N 5-10 mph.

FRIDAY: Comfortable. Late night storms. Wake up 58. High 80. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind SE 5-10 mph.

SATURDAY: Breezy with scattered t-storms. Wake up 64. High 82. Chance of precipitation 50%. Wind SE 10-20 mph.

SUNDAY: Scattered storm chances continue. Wake up 64. High 84. Chance of precipitation 40%. Wind SW 10-15 mph.

MONDAY: A storm or two could linger. Muggy. Wake up 68. High 85. Chance of precipitation 30%. Wind SW 5-10 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Blue skies. Not as humid. Wake up 63. High 79. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind N 5-10 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
August 25th

*Length Of Day: 13 hours, 35 minutes, and 32 seconds
*Daylight LOST Since Yesterday: 2 minutes and 56 seconds

*When Do We Drop Below 13 Hours Of Daylight?: September 6 (12 hours, 59 minutes, 29 seconds)
*When Does The Sun Start Rising At/After 7 AM?: September 22nd (7:00 AM)
*When Does The Sun Start Setting At/Before 8 PM?: August 26th (8:00 PM)

This Day in Weather History
August 25th

1976: The Roy Lake Fire results in 2,600 acres burned during a drought.

1875: A tornado strikes near Hutchinson.

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A system in the southern United States will produce more shower and storm activity (potentially leading to flooding) from the Southern Plains to the Southeast on Thursday. Another system in the Great Lakes will produce storms, and another on on the heels of that will produce storms in the Northern Plains. Monsoonal storms will continue to be possible in the Southwest.

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White House: Climate law could slash related damages by up to $1.9 trillion

More from Axios: "The Democrats' new climate law could cut related damages by as much as $1.9 trillion through 2050 by reducing impacts from extreme weather events, sea level rise and more, according to a new White House analysis shared first with Axios. Why it matters: The economic ramifications of climate change are potentially staggering, eating into U.S. GDP by the end of the century, reports have warned. The report states it is OMB's first-ever published estimate of avoided climate-related costs due to the effects of particular legislation."

Europe is experiencing its worst drought in at least 500 years

More from CNBC: "Europe is experiencing its worst drought in at least 500 years, with hot and dry conditions fueling wildfires, reducing crop yields and reducing electricity generation, according to a preliminary analysis from the European Union's Joint Research Center. The report from the European Drought Observatory said that 47% of Europe is under warning conditions, with a clear deficit of soil moisture, and 17% of the continent is under a state of alert, in which vegetation is impacted. Record-breaking temperatures in Europe this summer have disrupted transportation, displaced thousands of people, and resulted in hundreds of heat-related deaths. The heat has also exacerbated wildfires, which have grown more destructive in recent years."

More from Grist: "A historic drought in the southwest of China is drying up rivers, intensifying forest fires, damaging crops, and severely curtailing electricity in a region highly dependent on hydropower. The Yangtze River, the third largest in the world, has dropped to half its average water levels, affecting shipping routes, limiting drinking water supplies, causing rolling blackouts, and even exposing long-submerged Buddhist statues. Some 66 rivers across 34 counties in Chongqing were dried up as of last week, Reuters reported. Also last week, the province of Sichuan, which gets more than 80 percent of its energy from hydropower, cut or limited electricity to thousands of factories in an effort to "leave power for the people." Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, is just a quarter of its normal size for this time of year. On Friday, China issued its first national drought alert in nine years."

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Thanks for checking in and have a great day! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@dkayserwx) and like me on Facebook (Meteorologist D.J. Kayser).

- D.J. Kayser