A Rainy Weekend Ahead With Over An Inch Possible

As we head through Friday evening there is the potential of some strong to severe thunderstorms northwest of the metro. Hail and wind are the greatest threats from the strongest storms.

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As a cold front moves across the state on Saturday we will watch the potential of showers and thunderstorms. Some of them later in the day into the evening/overnight could be strong to severe with a Marginal Risk (threat level 1 of 5) in place across southern Minnesota including parts of the metro. Hail and wind are the greatest threats (along with heavy rain).

We will continue to watch those rain chances across the state on Saturday - more in the form of showers across northern Minnesota with a few thunderstorms the farther you head south. Highs will range from the 60s in northwestern Minnesota to the 80s in southern Minnesota.

In the metro, we will watch rounds of rain, potentially accompanied by some thunder early in the day and then again in the later afternoon and evening hours. Morning temperatures will be warm in the 70s with highs climbing to the mid-80s before the cold front moves in.

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We will continue to watch more shower and thunderstorm chances on Sunday across southern Minnesota, particularly as we head toward the afternoon hours. 60s and 70s are expected for highs across the state.

With multiple rounds of rain expected this weekend across southern Minnesota - including here in the metro - we could watch the potential of at least 1-2" of rain through Monday morning. Rainfall totals will taper off the farther north you go across the state.

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This rain couldn't come at a better time (minus the fact that it's the weekend). Since June 1st MSP is over half a foot below average rainfall-wise.

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Significant Rains Expected By Sunday
By Paul Douglas

On July 25-26 St. Louis saw a quarter of its ANNUAL yearly rainfall, which is unheard of. Wets are trending wetter. A warming atmosphere holds 8% more water vapor than it did a century ago. More fuel for floods that would have occurred naturally, but are increasingly super-sized, due to a doubling of climate-warming CO2, mostly from burning fossil fuels. That's one reason why homeowners insurance premiums are going up.

We may put a dent in the drought this weekend with a few waves of T-storms tonight into Sunday. Many spots will pick up an inch of rain, with a few 2-3"+ amounts possible south of MSP. Heading outside? I would sneak out morning and midday today, because we may be tripping over welcome puddles much of Sunday.

Next week looks dry with 70s Monday before a rerun of 80s.

Minor flooding during a drought? It's possible just south of MSP by Sunday.

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SATURDAY: Some sun, T-storms later. Wake up 74. High 83. Chance of precipitation 60%. Wind NW 3-8 mph.

SUNDAY: T-storms likely. Locally heavy rain. Wake up 65. High 72. Chance of precipitation 90%. Wind NE 10-15 mph.

MONDAY: Partly sunny and comfortable. Wake up 57. High 76. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind N 7-12 mph.

TUESDAY: Sunny and warmer. Wake up 62. High 82. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind SW 5-10 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Sunny and lake-worthy. Wake up 66. High 88. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind SW 5-10 mph.

FRIDAY: Sunny and fairly hot. Wake up 67. High 90. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind SW 10-20 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
August 6th

*Length Of Day: 14 hours, 28 minutes, and 19 seconds
*Daylight LOST Since Yesterday: 2 minutes and 33 seconds

*When Do We Drop Below 14 Hours Of Daylight?: August 17 (13 hours, 58 minutes, 36 seconds)
*When Does The Sun Start Rising At/After 7 AM?: September 22nd (7:00 AM)
*When Does The Sun Start Setting At/Before 8:30 PM?: August 8th (8:29 PM)

This Day in Weather History
August 6th

1969: Tornadoes sweep across northern Minnesota, hitting Ely, Backus, Outing and Dark Lake. Damage could still be seen 20 years later in the BWCA.

1866: Torrential rain dumps 10.30 inches at Sibley in 24 hours. Widespread flooding occurs, washing out bridges and drowning many people. In Fillmore County it is known as the 'Wisel Flood' because 3 members of the Wisel family perished in the flood.

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A slow-moving frontal boundary in the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains on Saturday will bring the potential of showers and storms - some of which could be strong. We'll also watch monsoonal rains in the Southwest and storm chances in the eastern United States.

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Sinema says she will 'move forward' on economic bill, putting Biden's agenda on the cusp of Senate approval

More from CNN: "Sen. Kyrsten Sinema on Thursday night offered critical support for President Joe Biden's domestic agenda after party leaders agreed to change new tax proposals at her request, indicating she would "move forward" on Democrats' sweeping economic package that has been the product of intensive negotiations for more than a year. Sinema's support means Democrats likely will have 50 votes in their caucus to push the bill through their chamber by week's end, before it moves to the House next week for final approval."

London Is Teetering Toward Water Rationing If Drought Persists

More from Bloomberg: "The lawns crossing Britain's Kew Gardens, home to the world's biggest collection of living plants, have turned yellow. Amid one of the hottest and driest summers on record, gardeners at the southwest London tourist attraction are carefully choosing how and when to irrigate thousands of species of plants and trees that draw in more than a million visitors a year. Over on woody Hampstead Heath, a park in the north of the city, staff have fenced off a number of trees to protect them against the risk of fire. Across London — and most of England — the unprecedented heat this summer has pushed plant life, infrastructure and residents to the edge. Green leaves are falling ahead of autumn. Dead grass crunches as you walk across the park. At times there's been a desert-like feeling in the air. High temperatures have also sparked fires near London. Train operators have triggered warnings about buckling railway lines. Gas pipelines have cut output due to high temperatures."

More from the Gothamist: "Hundreds of air-conditioned facilities designated as emergency cooling centers during dangerously hot weather were closed for two days during last month's heat wave, according to a new report from New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. During the extended heat wave from July 19th through July 25th, the city directed residents to its map of cooling centers, which mostly consist of public libraries, community and senior centers, and NYCHA facilities. But suggesting a lack of planning and possibly staffing, the comptroller's office found that half of the facilities were listed as closed on Saturday, while more than 80% were closed on Sundays. The closures occurred even though the heat emergency spanned the weekend."

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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