Another Pleasant Weather Day Friday Before Highs Near 90F This Weekend

Make sure you have your windows open Thursday Night, as we'll wake up Friday in the upper 50s here in the Twin Cities with highs climbing to around 80F during the afternoon hours. Mainly sunny skies are expected, with the potential of a few more clouds creeping in during the afternoon.

A mix of sun and clouds to mainly sunny skies are expected across the state on Friday with fairly nice temperatures for late July in the 70s and 80s (and some 60s along the North Shore). I am DEFINITELY not complaining about this weather - I'd prefer this vs. highs near 90F!

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A little bit of a change is expected from the mainly pleasant weather we've had this week as we head into the weekend. Highs are expected to climb into the upper 80s to near 90F this weekend with slowly increasing humidity. Saturday will be mainly sunny out with a few afternoon clouds. On Sunday, we will see clouds slowly increase through the day (through most of the day should be mainly sunny) ahead of a cold front that will drive a few showers and rumbles of thunder late in the day but mainly into the overnight hours.

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Behind that cold front that brings in the rain chance late Sunday into Sunday night, we will see a slight cool down on Monday back into the mid-80s. However, heat will make a quick return, and it's likely we'll see a stretch of 90s from Tuesday through the end of next week.

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Too Dry And Too Hot Again Next Week
By Paul Douglas

My definition of "nice weather" is morphing over time. Sunny, low humidity with a light breeze? Meh. Right now a nice forecast would be 2 inches of rain falling in one week. No flooding rains, with most moisture running off into streets, streams and rivers. But an old fashioned soaking, able to percolate into fields, lawns and gardens - replenishing soil moisture and putting water back into our lakes.

That scenario is possible, but unlikely in the coming weeks, as our weather pattern is dominated by incessant heat, and a few lines and clusters of thunderstorms capable of spotty "flash and dash" rain events.

The MSP metro is nearly 6" drier than average since June 1, and drought conditions will probably worsen as we push into August. I hope I'm wrong.

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Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast

FRIDAY: Sunny and pleasant. Wake up 57. High 80. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind NW 7-12 mph.

SATURDAY: Blue sky, warming up. Wake up 62. High 87. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind SW 7-12 mph.

SUNDAY: Sticky sunshine. Few T-storms late? Wake up 67. High 88. Chance of precipitation 40%. Wind S 10-20 mph.

TUESDAY: Hot sunshine returns. Wake up 66. High 94. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind S 10-20 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Tropical heat, stray T-storm? Wake up 73. High 93. Chance of precipitation 30%. Wind NE 3-8 mph.

THURSDAY: Sunny, another wave of heat. Wake up 71. High 92. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind E 7-12 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
July 29th

*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 6 AM?: August 3rd (6:00 AM)
*When Does The Sun Start Setting At/Before 8:30 PM?: August 8th (8:29 PM)

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This Day in Weather History
July 29th

1917: The hottest temperature ever recorded in Minnesota, 114.5 degrees, occurs at Beardsley.

1849: Severe storms hit the newly constructed post of Ft. Ripley between 3 and 5 AM. W.J. Frazier, Head Surgeon notes: 'Rain and hail with much thunder and lightning and very high winds breaking many trees.'

A frontal boundary from the Central/Southern Plains to the Northeast will produce showers and thunderstorms, some of which could be strong and also contain heavy rainfall. Afternoon and evening monsoonal showers and storms will also occur in the Southwest. Numerous record highs will be possible in the Northwest.

Heavy rain is expected to fall through the first half of the weekend from portions of the central Rockies to the mid-Mississippi Valley, with the potential of at least 3-5" of rain expected to fall. This could lead to flooding in some locations.

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Schumer, Manchin announce deal on reconciliation bill with tax, climate, energy provisions

More from CNBC: "Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., on Wednesday announced that they have struck a long-awaited deal on legislation that aims to reform the tax code, fight climate change and cut health-care costs. The reconciliation bill would invest more than $400 billion over 10 years, to be fully paid for by closing tax loopholes on the richest Americans and corporations, the senators said in a joint statement. It would reduce deficits by $300 billion over that decade, the senators said, citing estimates from nonpartisan congressional tax and budget offices."

More from E&E News: "The deal includes a prodigious set of tax incentives for renewables, hydrogen and nuclear, as well as credits for clean vehicles. Manchin spent months trying to knock electric vehicle provisions out of negotiations, but the final deal offers thousands in incentives for the purchase of EVs and other types of commercial clean vehicles. It also contains $60 billion for environmental justice, $60 billion for clean energy manufacturing, $27 billion for a new federal green bank and the methane fee Democrats spent months negotiating with Manchin. In a concession to Manchin's desire to keep fossil fuels afloat, the bill would mandate offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska. Manchin and Schumer also agreed to advance permitting reform in a separate bill this fall. That could draw support from Democrats, as well as some Republicans, who have long been interested in cutting down permitting times for clean energy and infrastructure across the board."

Joe Biden's new plan: solar power for everyone, not just the rich

More from The Verge: "The Biden administration has new plans to get lower-income households hooked up to solar energy. The White House announced two new programs today aimed at expanding access to "community solar" projects among subsidized housing residents and households that receive federal assistance to pay their utility bills. It also launched a new rewards program for existing community solar projects. "Community solar" essentially lets many different households share the benefits of one shared solar array. The most common way this takes shape is through a subscription program. A solar company or nonprofit organization will build out a solar farm, and then households that subscribe to the program get credit back on their electricity bills for the energy generated by the shared solar farm."

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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).