Another Hot & Humid Day Thursday - A Rainy Sunday Expected

A mainly sunny and hot day is expected in the metro on Thursday, with morning temperatures starting off in the low 70s and highs climbing to the low (and potentially mid) 90s. An isolated storm can't be ruled out in the afternoon hours across the region, but the chances appear small.

Dewpoints will be up around 70F during the morning hours - making it feel humid out - but those dewpoints will slowly be on the decrease during the afternoon hours.

A day in the 90s is expected across southern Minnesota on Thursday, with 80s stretching into much of northern Minnesota. I can't rule out an isolated shower or storm during the afternoon across central or southern Minnesota, but the chances look low.

_______________________________________________

Friday: More clouds than sun are expected here in the Twin Cities. Temperatures will start to step backward, only making it into the mid-80s.

Saturday: Low to mid-80s are expected for highs as we see another day with more clouds than sun. A slight chance of rain exists in the metro, with a better chance later into the overnight hours - however, showers and storms will be possible in southwestern Minnesota during the afternoon hours.

Sunday: A wet day is expected across central and southern Minnesota, stretching into the Arrowhead as well. Some of this rain across southern Minnesota could be heavy at times. Highs may struggle to make it to 80F.

_______________________________________________

Slight Chance of Flash Flooding Sunday
By Paul Douglas

With the exception of gag-worthy plumes of wildfire smoke and withering drought, it's been a pretty nice summer! I remember summers where it rained every weekend and Minnesotans felt cheated. Not this year. Hot enough for the lake, but no extended spells of oppressive, debilitating heat.

According to Praedictix meteorologist DJ Kayser, the Twin Cities have enjoyed 67 days of 80-degree-plus weather this summer season, the 4th most on record (behind 1934, 1988 and 1987). I'll take that as a win.

Expect highs near 90F again today with mid-80s and sunshine Friday and Saturday, the drier, nicer day of the weekend to be outside.

_______________________________________________

Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast

THURSDAY: Hot sunshine. Wake up 73. High 91. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NW 8-13 mph.

FRIDAY: Blue sky, no complaints. Wake up 68. High 88. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind E 8-13 mph.

SATURDAY: Warm sunshine, nighttime T-storms. Wake up 69. High 86. Chance of precipitation 60%. Wind SE 8-13 mph.

MONDAY: Wet start, then clearing skies. Wake up 66. High 81. Chance of precipitation 30%. Wind NW 10-20 mph.

TUESDAY: Plenty of sun, comfortable. Wake up 63. High 79. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind N 8-13 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Clouds increase. Wake up 59. High 82. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind SE 5-10 mph.

_______________________________________________

Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
August 3rd

*When Do We Drop Below 14 Hours Of Sunlight? August 17th (13 hours, 59 minutes, 17 seconds)
*When Are Sunrises After 6:30 AM? August 28th (6:30 AM)
*When Are Sunsets At/Before 8:30 PM? August 8th (8:30 PM)
_______________________________________________

This Day in Weather History
August 3rd

1896: A violent hailstorm destroys two thirds of the crops in Swift County.

_______________________________________________

We'll be watching at least scattered areas of rain across the country on Thursday, particularly focused near a cold front in the upper Midwest and a stationary front from the Central Plains to the Southwest. A dome of heat is in place in the South Central United States, with highs in the 100s and heat index values topping 110-115F in some locations.

_______________________________________________

80 Percent of People Around the World Experienced Climate Change-Induced Heat in July

More from Gizmodo: "July is supposed to be a hot summer month for the northern hemisphere, but last month was especially hot even for mid-summer. According to a new report released by science nonprofit Climate Central this week, climate change has made this July hotter for billions of people around the globe. Researchers looked at 4,711 cities around the world and found what the report calls "climate change fingerprints" in 4,019 of the locations last month. This study concluded that human activity and the fossil fuel industry made it three times more likely to be hotter this July. 6 billion people, about 80% of the world population, experienced an especially hot day last month where climate change affected the daily average temperature, the report said. This July 10 was an especially hot day. About 3.5 billion people on that day experienced temperatures that were made more likely due to climate change."

Why FEMA doesn't respond to heat waves

More from Grist: "If you take a look at the primary law that dictates how the United States responds to disasters, the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of 1988, you'll see a long list of perils that qualify for federal emergency aid. The act defines a "major disaster" as "any natural catastrophe (including any hurricane, tornado, storm, high water, winddriven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, or drought), or, regardless of cause, any fire, flood, or explosion." The word "heat," however, does not appear on that list — or in any other part of the act, for that matter. That simple omission has had big implications for how we respond to heat waves. In order to unlock the full resources of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, the president must declare a "major disaster" in a given area. But the Stafford Act doesn't name heat as a qualifying catastrophe, and no president has ever made a disaster declaration over a heat wave."

More from WIRED: "In the midst of an unseasonal California heat wave last late spring, Nathaniel DeNicola, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, had an unusual case on his hands: A patient who had been carrying a perfectly healthy pregnancy for 32 weeks was going into early labor. It didn't make sense; nevertheless, the baby was coming. The patient's waters had broken, the baby's heartbeat was dropping fast, and the child was in the breech position. The mother had an emergency C-section. After spending a couple of weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit, the baby was allowed to go home.After the scramble to deliver the baby, DeNicola searched for reasons that might explain the premature arrival. Sometimes there are obvious causes for the early rupturing of membranes, like a chlamydia infection or a condition called cervical insufficiency, in which the cervix starts to dilate on its own. But those explanations didn't fit DeNicola's patient. Struggling, he settled on a different explanation: the searing heat. "I can't prove that that was because of extreme heat; it's very tough to assign that," he says. But from his research, he knew that heat can trigger preterm births. And in his 12 years as a clinician, he has often seen more obstetric emergency visits during heatwaves."

_______________________________________________

Follow me on:

Thanks for checking in and have a great day!

- D.J. Kayser