We're halfway through the month of August and temperatures are running pretty close to average in Minneapolis. The warmest day was 95F on the 2nd, which tied for the 5th warmest day of 2022 so far this year. The coolest morning low was on the 8th at 56F.

Through the first half of the month, Minneapolis is actually running above average for precipitation. The wettest day of the month was on the 12th, when 0.95" of rain fell, which interestingly was the 2nd wettest day of the year so far.

Believe it or not, but there are only 2.5 weeks of meteorological summer left and so far, it has been the 9th driest June 1st - August 15th on record at MSP. The metro is nearly 6" below average precipitation for the summer so far, while St. Cloud is nearly 1" above average this summer. Below are the driest June 1st - August 15th on record at the Minneapolis Airport

Here's how much rain has fallen across the region so far this summer (since June 1st). Interestingly, Minneapolis has seen some of the lowest amount of rain totals along with Baudette. Meanwhile, Rochester, Madison and Mason City have seen more than 1 foot of rain this summer.

Here's the weather outlook from AM Tuesday to AM Monday. Weather conditions will be a little unsettled in a few spots around the Upper Midwest through the rest of the week with spotty showers and T-storms. It looks like there is a better chance for more widespread showers & storms later this week, especially Friday & Saturday.

The extended precipitation outlook through the week and weekend ahead shows areas of heavier rainfall across the northern part of the state with some +1" tallies possible. Lighter rain amounts will be found across the southern half of the state, but still up to 0.5" can't be ruled out.

Here's the latest drought update across Minnesota. Severe drought decreased a little from nearly 4% last week to less than 3% this week. Moderate drought decreased from nearly 14% to nearly 11% this.

The weather outlook for Minneapolis on Tuesday shows temps warming to near 80F in the afternoon with isolated showers and storms possible. It won't be a washout, but there could be a couple of pockets of heavy rainfall in a few locations.

The hourly forecast for Minneapolis on Tuesday shows temperatures starting in the low/mid 60s and warming to near 80F by the afternoon. Southerly winds should be fairly light through much of the day as well.

The extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis shows near average temperatures through midweek with cooler than average temps returning late week and into the weekend. Note that the average high dips into the upper 70s by the last week of the month. Enjoy the warmth while you can, it'll be gone before we know it.

The extended weather outlook over the next 7 days shows temps warming to near 80F through Thursday and into the 70s Friday and into the weekend. Spotty showers and storms will be possible with a better chance of rain on Friday & Saturday.

According to the NBM & ECMWF extended temperature outlook, temperatures over the next several days will be close to average. Readings will likely bounce around the 70s and 80s through the 2nd half of the month.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 Day precipitation outlook shows drier weather in place across the Midwest. However, the southern two-thirds of the looks wetter and more active.

Knock, knock. Who's there? Accordion. Accordion who? Accordion to the weather forecast, it's going to rain tomorrow! Sorry for the dad joke, but I couldn't resist, it's National Joke Day!

All joking aside, it has been a pretty warm and dry summer thus far. Minneapolis is sitting at the 9th driest and 14th warmest June 1st - August 15th on record. The summer season is nearly 6 inches below average at the MSP Airport with thin sliver of severe drought stretching across the metro into the Minnesota River Valley.

Things are looking increasingly soggier this week with the best chance of more widespread rains across the northern half of the state through Midweek. Showers and storms become more likely across the southern half of the state later in the week, which may help ease the drought.

A few local lawns are still brown, but the upcoming cooler and somewhat wetter weather could help bring a few light shades of green to a neighborhood near you.

TUESDAY: Partly sunny. T-showers? Winds: SE 5. High: 80.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Slight chance of showers. Winds: SE 5. Low: 63.

WEDNESDAY: Mix of clouds and sun. Isolated storms. Winds: SSE 5. High: 80.

THURSDAY: Showers and storms more likely late. Winds: SW 5-10. Wake-up: 64. High: 80.

FRIDAY: Scattered rain and rumbles. Winds: SSW 5-10. Wake-up: 63. High: 76.

SUNDAY: Shower possible early. Peeks of pm sun. Winds: ESE 5-10. Wake-up: 61. High: 77.

MONDAY: Stray afternoon shower risk. Winds: ESE 5-10. Wake-up: 62. High: 79.

August 16th

1981: Chilly temperatures are felt across Minnesota. Tower reports a low of 33 degrees.

August 16th

Average Low: 63F (Record: 47F set in 1962)

Record Rainfall: 1.97" set in 2002

Record Snowfall: None

August 15th

Sunrise: 6:16am

Hours of Daylight: ~14 hours & 01 minutes

Daylight LOST since yesterday: ~ 2 minutes & 47 seconds

Daylight LOST since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 1 hour & 36 minutes

1.9 Before Last Quarter Moon

The weather outlook on Tuesday shows temps running above average across the southern US and the western US. Meanwhile, folks in the Midwest, Great Lakes and into the Eastern US will be cooler than average.

According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, areas of heavier precipitation will be found in the Desert Southwest with more monsoon storms. There will also be areas of heavier rain in the Central US and the Gulf Coast States.

"Late on the night of August 7, a surprise solar storm slammed into the Earth's magnetic field. The clash of the storm against our planet's outer shield resulted in the appearance of a baffling aurora-like phenomenon known as STEVE, which is short for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. STEVE first appeared in the sky back in 2017, and since then has appeared numerous times. The latest appearance peaked later Sunday night when a solar storm slammed into our planet's atmosphere. Like most solar storms, this caused several auroras throughout the world. One of those auroras, known as the STEVE phenomenon, was spotted over Alberta, Canada. Twitter user @amazingskyguy managed to snap several images of the event, which were posted in a tweet."

See more from BGR HERE:

"Last September, New York City was so thoroughly inundated by Hurricane Ida that some commuters waded through water up to their waists just to get in and out of the subway station. Across the country, extreme heat battered the West Coast, melting Portland's streetcar power cables. This summer is seeing similar headlines, with heatwaves warping the BART train tracks in San Francisco and sudden rainfall interrupting Northeastern commutes."

See more from Next City HERE:

See more from Forbes HERE: