"A historic morning in the St. Louis area. Our hearts are with all of those affected from this catastrophic flooding. Here are some facts that put this rainfall into historical perspective. #mowx #stlwx"

Despite record 'cooler' days, the Twin Cities has had a HOT summer so far. In fact, there have been 14 days with temps at 90F or warmer. The hottest day was June 20th, when the mercury jumped to 101F! Keep in mind that we typically see around 13 days with highs in the 90s or warmer. The most was back in 1988 when the Twin Cities recorded 44 days! More recently in 2012, the metro saw 31 days in the 90s or higher.

Since June 1st, the average temperature in the Twin Cities has been the 8th warmest on record. Note that last summer (through July 25th) it had been the 4th driest and 8th warmest summer on record.

Prior to July 26th, here's how much rain has fallen across the region so far this summer (since June 1st). Note that the Twin Cities has seen only 2.23". This is more than -5.79" below average and is the 4th driest starts to any Summer on record!

Here's the latest drought update across Minnesota. Thanks to mostly dry weather over the last few weeks, parts of Central Minnesota, including the Twin Cities, are now under severe and moderate drought conditions.

Here's the weather outlook from AM Wednesday to AM Tuesday. After a few storms on Tuesday, there doesn't appear to be much in terms of heavy rain chances through the rest of the week. There may be a late day storm threat on Sunday into early Monday with summertime heat returning into early August.

The weather outlook for Wednesday shows temps warming into the 70s & 80s across the region with some locations in the Arrowhead only warming into the 60s. Note that these readings will generally be below average for late July. There will also be isolated showers and storms popping up through the day as well.

The hourly temps for Minneapolis on Wednesday shows temperatures starting in the low/mid 60s and warming to nearly 80F by the afternoon. Spotty t-showers will be possible in the afternoon. South to southwesterly winds will be a bit breezy at times with gusts approaching 20mph in the afternoon. West to northwesterly winds will be gusty at times with some 25mph winds possible.

The extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis shows below average temperatures continuing through the last full week of July. However, the weekend will be hot again as readings approaching 90F once again.

The extended weather outlook over the next 7 days shows at or slightly below average temperatures through the rest of the week. However, temps spike up to near 90F again this weekend with chances of showers and storms late weekend into early next week.

According to the NBM & ECMWF extended temperature outlook, temps will remain on the 'cooler' side over the next few days, but will warm into the 90s again by early August.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows above average temps east of the Rockies and especially in the Central US. Get ready for another round of heat!

Through 7AM Tuesday, St. Louis, MO measured more than 8 inches of rainfall which made it the all time daily record. The old record was 6.85 inches on August 20th, 1915 from the remnants of the 1915 Galveston Hurricane. By the end of the day Tuesday, some locations around St. Louis had seen more than 1 foot of rainfall with widespread flooding. According to NOAA, this was a 1 in 1000 year event!

Recent studies have shown that heavy precipitation events have not only become more common since the 1950s, but have produced heavier rainfall amounts. Some of the strongest increases in precipitation events have been located in the Midwest and the Northeast.

With that being said, the Twin Cities was sitting at its 4th driest and 8th warmest start to summer. Severe drought conditions have set up in the southern metro with moderate drought expanding across much of the rest of the metro.

A few PM showers are possible today with a cooler, more comfortable breeze tomorrow and Friday. Sweaty sunshine returns into the first week of August.

WEDNESDAY: Isolated PM Rumble. Winds: WNW 5-10. High: 82.

THURSDAY: Fresh breeze. Few showers up north. Winds: NW 7-12. High: 76.

FRIDAY: Sunny and still quite nice. Winds: NNW 5-10. Wake-up: 60. High: 80.

SATURDAY: South wind kicks in. Heating up! Winds: SSE 10-15. Wake-up: 62. High: 88.

SUNDAY: Warm & sticky. Chance of PM storms. Winds: SSW 10-20. Wake-up: 69. High: 89.

MONDAY: Lingering am t-shower. PM clearing. Winds: NNE 5-10. Wake-up: 69. High: 88.

July 27th

1910: Giant hailstones fall in Todd and Wadena Counties. One stone weighed in at 5 pounds.

July 27th

Average High: 83F (Record: 104F set in 1931)

Average Low: 65F (Record: 49F set in 1962 & 1971)

Record Snowfall: None

July 27th

Sunrise: 5:53am

Sunset: 8:45pm

Hours of Daylight: ~14 hours & 52 minutes

Daylight LOST since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 45 minutes

0.5 Days Before New Moon

See more from Space.com HERE:

The weather outlook on Wednesday shows hot temps lingering across the Southern US with highs warming into the 100s in Dallas once again. Temp in the Pacific Northwest will be well above average with record highs possible.

Weather conditions through the over the next few days will be wet with scattered showers and storms in the Central US. Some of the storms could be strong to severe with heavy rainfall and flooding potential. There will also be heavy rains in the Desert Southwest with Monsoon storms and isolated flood concerns.

"American farmers are bracing for a rough summer of excessive heat, which has plagued the nation and the rest of the world, and strained their crops and animals just in time for the global grain shortage. With temperatures in the 90s and even topping 100 in some places, U.S. farms have struggled to keep farm animals out of the heat and irrigation running as extreme weather has terrified farmers about what's in store for August. One Massachusetts farmer described the industry as on the brink of "crisis."

See more from Newsweek HERE:

"(HealthDay News) — When hurricanes, floods and fires hit, everyone can struggle to respond and cope, but new research suggests that women, people with kids under 18, renters, the poor, and Black and Asian Americans are the most vulnerable to weather disasters. These groups need special help before disasters occur to make sure they're equipped to act, said lead researcher Smitha Rao, an assistant professor of social work at Ohio State University. "Focusing on vulnerable groups, understanding their specific barriers, and connecting them to resources within the community are key strategies to ensure no one is left behind when disaster strikes," Rao said in a university news release."

See more from News & Record HERE:

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