The last full weekend of August was pretty active across the Upper Midwest. We had widespread showers and storms, some of which turned strong to severe with locally heavy rainfall. Not that some of the heaviest rains fell south and east of the twin cities with some 2" to 3" plus. Saturday night was also fairly active with a number of wind damage reports around the metro.

The first half of the month was hot and dry, but things have been a little cooler and wetter as of late. Through the first 27 days of August, temperatures are running just slightly above average with precipitation running pretty close to average as well. After Sunday nights rain, it looks like we'll end the month of August on a dry note.

Here are the 15 driest summer's on record at MSP. Note that this summer (since June 1st) has been the 9th driest, last year was the 15th driest. If MSP doesn't see any additional rainfall through the rest of August, this would be the 9th driest summer on record.

Here's the weather outlook from AM Monday to PM Sunday. After a fairly active weekend of weather across the Upper Midwest, things will settle down considerably through the week ahead. Temperatures and humidity values will be very comfortable with lots of sunshine. Enjoy!

Here's the latest drought update across Minnesota. Prior to last week's rain, severe drought was sitting at a little more than 2%, while Moderate drought was at nearly 10%. The good news is that we'll pick up some additional rainfall over the weekend, so we may see some additional improvement into next week.

The weather outlook for Monday shows temps running pretty close to average with readings warming into the 70s and 80s statewide. There may be a few spotty t-showers up north, but folks across the southern half of the state will remain dry.

The weather outlook for Minneapolis on Monday shows temps warming to near 80F with plenty of sunshine. Note that winds will begin to switch to the west, which will help to bring more comfortable dewpoints back into the region.

The hourly forecast for Minneapolis on Monday shows temperatures starting in the mid 60s and warming to near 80F by the afternoon. More sunshine is expected with breezy west winds, at times gusting to nearly 25 to 30mph.

The extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis shows temps running at or slightly above average through the week ahead. It'll be a little warmer late week with highs getting back into the low/mid 80s.

The extended weather outlook over the next 7 days shows temps warming into the upper 70s and lower 80s through much of the week. Next weekend looks warmer with temps

According to the NBM & ECMWF extended temperature outlook, readings will warm into the to near average levels through much of the week ahead. Readings will warm a bit into the mid 80s later this week and into the weekend.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows above average temps returning to much of the nation, especially in the Western US. Meanwhile, lingering cooler than average temps will be found in the Southern US.

According to NOAA's National Hurricane Center, there are several areas of interest in the Atlantic Basin. One of the waves in the Central Atlantic has a high probability of tropical formation over the next 5 days, so we'll have to keep an eye on that over the coming days.

"You can't escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today" said Abraham Lincoln. I sympathize with anyone caught in Saturday night's windswept deluge. People were stranded in knee-deep water at the State Fair, many unable to find shelter in time.

We make plans and Mother Nature often gets in the way. I have a suggestion: Doppler In Your Pocket. If you have a smartphone you can download scores of free weather apps that come with radar. Check it every once in awhile. Red blobs approaching? Time to look for a safe place to ride out the storm. It's all about situational awareness. Don't rely on anyone else to ensure your personal safety. My wife thinks I'm a nerd for checking Doppler on my phone, but at least I stay dry.

A sunny week is on tap with daytime highs in the upper 70s to mid 80s; a few degrees above average. The odds of 90-degree heat by the weekend have diminished. Just warm enough.

ECMWF hints at a major hurricane near the Bahamas within a week. I hope the models are wrong.

MONDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear & quiet. Winds: WNW 5-15. Low: 60.

TUESDAY: Sunny and comfortable. Winds: NW 10-20. High: 79.

WEDNESDAY: Blue sky, very pleasant. Winds: NW 8-13. Wake-up: 62. High: 81.

THURSDAY: Sunny and warmer. Winds: S 8-13. Wake-up: 59. High: 84.

FRIDAY: Sticky sun, T-storms up north. Winds: S 10-20. Wake-up: 67. High: 87.

SUNDAY: Patchy clouds, quiet. Winds: E 7-12. Wake-up: 63. High: 79.

August 29th

1948: An airliner crashes during a thunderstorm near Winona, killing 37 people on board.

1863: A devastating killing frost affects most of Minnesota, killing vines and damaging corn.

August 29th

Average Low: 61F (Record: 45F set in 1911 & 1946)

Record Rainfall: 2.05" set in 1964

Record Snowfall: None

August 28th

Sunrise: 6:31am

Hours of Daylight: ~13 hours & 26 minutes

Daylight LOST since yesterday: ~ 2 minutes & 58 seconds

Daylight LOST since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 2 hour & 8 minutes

2.9 Days Since New Moon

The weather outlook on Monday shows temps generally running at or above average across the much of the nation. A few locations in California and in southern Texas will be cooler than average.

According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, areas of heavier precipitation will be found across the southern part of the country with several inches of rain possible. There will also be pockets of heavy rain in the Central US through the Northeast. Meanwhile, the Western half of the nation looks to be fairly dry through much of the week ahead.

"This new image, taken of the skies above Chile's Atacama Desert near the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) La Silla Observatory, shows bright red streaks in the sky known as red sprites. Red sprites are large-scale electrical discharges that occur high above thunderstorm clouds, usually triggered by the discharges of positive lightning between an underlying thundercloud and the ground. However, the red sprites appear high in Earth's atmosphere, sometimes 50-90 kilometers (31 to 55 miles) in altitude. People have been telling folktales for centuries about mysterious red lights in the sky, which were usually dismissed by experts."

See more Science Alert HERE:

"Exposure to sunny, hot and humid weather can trigger severe symptoms of mental disorders, requiring emergency care. So reports a recent study, led by researchers at the University at Albany, which used data on New York State weather and hospital emergency visits to assess how features of summer weather affect people with mental disorders. The research was the first to evaluate combined effects of multiple meteorological factors across all classes of mental disorders designated by the World Health Organization. These findings, published in Environment International, could inform strategies to improve patient care. Lead author Xinlei Deng, who completed his Ph.D. in May in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at UAlbany, says, "We know that weather affects mood. But while a warm, bright day is a boost for some, others can become more easily agitated or quicker to anger. For people with mental disorders, changes in multiple weather factors can provoke symptoms that pose serious health risks."

See more from Nuero Science News HERE:

See more from Gizmodo HERE: