At 11:55AM on Sunday, August 29th, Hurricane Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon in southeastern Louisiana as a major category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 150mph. The central pressure of the storm was 930mb, which is the lowest pressure ever recorded for a landfalling hurricane in the state of Louisiana. This is also the 3rd hurricane on record (since 1851) to have winds 150 sustained winds during a Louisiana landfall. The 2 other storms were the Last Island Hurricane of 1856 and Laura in 2020. Also note that this is the first time that two Category 4 hurricanes have made landfall in the state of Louisiana in back to back years. Category 4 Hurricane Laura in 2020 with 150mph winds and Category 4 Hurricane Ida in 2021 with 150mph winds.

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Here was the IR Satellite Loop of Category 4 Hurricane Ida as it was making landfall near Port Fourchon in Louisiana. Interestingly, Hurricane Ida made landfall 16 years to the date of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that was responsible for nearly 1,600 deaths in Louisiana alone.

According to NOAA's NHC, Ida will quickly deteriorate as it moves inland through the early week time period. Gusty winds and heavy rains will still be attributed to Ida, but Ida will quickly lift northeast as we approach the 2nd half of the week and will be east of the U.S. mainland by Thursday.

Rainfall amounts will still be heavy across the Southern US, but as the speed of Ida quickens, rainfall amounts should lessen to the northeast. However, there will be some appreciative totals with some 4" to 6" tallies possible with areas of flooding.

Through August 29th, the MSP Airport has received 6.89", which brings us to the 10th wettest August on record! Interestingly, we've seen more rainfall through the first 29 days of August than we did from May 1st - July 31st (6.18").Our wettest August on record was 9.32" set in 2007.

The weather outlook for the Twin Cities on Monday, August 30th looks like another nice day with mild sunshine. Temps will warm into the upper 70s to near 80F, which will be pretty close to if not slightly above average for the end of August.

The weather outlook across the region on Monday shows temps running close to average across much of the region with highs warming into the 70s across the state. Much of the region will be dry and sunny, but there could be a few late day showers/storms across the western half of the Dakotas.

The extended weather outlook for Minneapolis shows near average temps over the next several days with highs warming into the upper 70s to near 80F. After drier and sunnier days through the first half of the week, there could be additional shower/storm chances later in the week/weekend ahead. Stay tuned.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows cooler than average temps across parts of the Midwest, Ohio Valley and into the Northeast. Meanwhile, warmer than average temps will be found across the Southern and Western US.

"We interrupt this drought for news of a flood". We are still in a drought, but last week's June-like parade of tropical thunderstorms were a welcome sight. Not a cure, but a big step in the right direction.

Rainfall amounts were heavier over central and southern Minnesota, closer to a thundery warm frontal boundary. According to the Twin Cities National Weather Service over 4" of rain soaked the metro last week - a June's worth of rain. August rainfall at MSP is 6.89 inches; the 10th wettest August on record. It's more rain than fell between May and July (6.18"). I'm hoping it's a signal, a harbinger of a pattern shift that will help us climb out of the drought by late spring of 2022.

MONDAY: Lukewarm sunshine. Winds: NW 7-12. High: 80.

MONDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy and quiet. Winds: N 5. Low: 58.

TUESDAY: Partly sunny and comfortable. Winds: E 7-12. High: 77.

WEDNESDAY: Plenty of mild sunshine. Winds: SE 10-15. Wake-up: 60. High: 80.

THURSDAY: Showers and T-storms, some heavy. Winds: S 10-20. Wake-up: 63. High: 72.

SATURDAY: Some sun, stray shower. Winds: NE 8-13. Wake-up: 61. High: 73.

SUNDAY: Blue sky, very pleasant. Winds: NW 8-13. Wake-up: 59. High: 74.

August 30th

1977: Flooding occurs on the southwest side of the Twin Cities, with MSP Airport getting 7.28 inches of rain in 4 1/2 hours.

August 29th

Average Low: 60F (Record: 45F set in 1974)

Record Rainfall: 7.28" set in 1977

August 13th

Sunrise: 6:33am

Sunset: 7:53pm

Daylight LOST since yesterday: ~ 2 minute & 59 seconds

Daylight LOST since Summer Solstice (June 20th): ~2 Hour & 17 Minutes

1.0 Days After Last Quarter Moon

"Winter Circle before dawn in late summer - The majestic Winter Circle isnt' a constellation. It's an asterism, in this case a giant star figure made of bright stars from many constellations."

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The weather outlook on Monday shows above average temps across much of the nation with scattered showers and storms across the Central & Southern US in association with Ida.

The national weather outlook on through early next week shows Ida lifting northeast through the Southern US with areas of heavy rainfall and gusty winds. There will still be damage potential with Ida as well as flood concerns, but as we head through the week, weather conditions won't be as intense as Ida loses steam.

According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center areas of heavy rainfall will be possible from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Northeast as Ida lifts northeast through the week. Areas of heavy rainfall and flooding will begin to lessen as Ida picks up speed through the week. We're also noticing monsoon storm potential in the Desert Southwest.

"Nearly 2 miles thick in places, the ice sheet hides a landscape of canyons, mountains, fjords and gem-like lakes. Fridtjof Nansen, the leader of the first expedition to cross Greenland, once described what he found in the Arctic as "the great adventure of the ice, deep and pure as infinity." Nansen, who made his journey in 1888, could not have known of the wonders hidden below the icy landscape beneath his skis. Today, thanks to radar and other technologies, the part of Greenland that sits below its 9,800-foot-thick(3,000 meters) ice sheet is coming into focus. These new tools reveal a complex, invisible landscape that holds clues to the past and future of the Arctic."

"The Caldor Fire is closing in on Lake Tahoe. Firefighters are doing everything they can to battle the blaze while... people just golf? The Caldor Fire is California's latest megafire in a wildfire season from hell. It's among a number of unchecked blazes, but this one hits slightly different because it's encroaching on the Lake Tahoe basin. The fire has continued to march eastward from its ignition point in the El Dorado Forest, engulfing more than 450 structures along the way. The fire front now sits roughly 13 miles (21 kilometers) from South Lake Tahoe, a tourist hot spot. As 2,531 firefighters battle the blaze, it appears to be business as smoke-choked usual in Tahoe. Images show people in the resort town, casinos, and surrounding recreation spots acting out some semblance of normal life even as ash rains down and fires burn ever-closer. The above photo captures the surreal hell as a man plays golf in a mask to keep smoke or covid-19 (or both) at bay."

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"Hundreds of wildfires have already scorched the rainforest this year, and the worst is likely yet to come. In the summer of 2019, the Amazon captured the world's attention when large chunks of the iconic rainforest went up in flames and smoke darkened the afternoon sky above São Paulo, Brazil's largest city. The following year proved to be even worse. And this year? It's not looking good so far: More than 1,000 large fires have burned across the rainforest since January. Experts say this year is on track to be as bad as 2020, when fires razed more than 19 million acres of the world's largest tropical forest. Conservation advocates aren't counting on help from the government of Brazil, which is home to some 60 percent of the Amazon. While President Jair Bolsonaro banned unauthorized outdoor fires and deployed troops to the Amazon earlier this year, experts say these efforts haven't worked in the past — and question the president's commitment to ending rampant forest loss. A populist and ally of former President Donald Trump, Bolsonaro has dismantled a number of environmental protections since taking office in 2019."

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