The National Weather Service has issued Excessive Heat Alerts for Tuesday and Wednesday due to heat index values that could be as high as 105F. IMPACTS...Extreme heat and humidity will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities.

Below is chart of forecast highs and maximum heat index values for a number of select cites across the region. Some spots could see heat index values above 100F, including the Twin Cities.

According to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center, there is a risk of strong to severe thunderstorms across parts of the southern half of the state late in the day Tuesday. Some of the storms could produce large hail and gusty winds if they can get going.

There is also a severe risk on Wednesday from near Central Minnesota into parts of central and southern Wisconsin. A few of these storms could be strong to severe with large hail and damaging winds as the primary threat. There could also be heavy rainfall, where some of the stronger storms develop.

Here's the HRRR Simulated Radar from 7AM Tuesday to 7AM Wednesday. Tuesday will be a hot & sticky day with scattered showers and storms possibly developing later in the day, some of which could be strong to severe with pockets of heavy rainfall.

Here's the rainfall potential through AM Thursday, which shows the heaviest rainfall along and east of the Mississippi. Some of the rainfall amounts could approach 1" to 2" or more.

According to the US Drought Monitor, nearly 20% of the state is now considered to be in an Extreme Drought, which is up from the 4% last week. Keep in mind that this is the first time any part of MN has seen Extreme Drought since April of 2013. 72% of the state is in a Severe Drought, which is up from the nearly 52% from late week. Moderate drought covers much of the Twin cities.

The weather outlook for the Twin Cities on Tuesday shows hot weather conditions in place through much of the day. Note that the MSP Airport has seen (20) 90F days so far this year, so Tuesday's high of 94F will make it the 21st day with highs in the 90s so far this year. The average number of 90F days at MSP is generally around 13, last year we had 12.

Air temperatures will warm into the low/mid 90s on Tuesday with sticky dewpoints in the mid/upper 60s. With that being said, feels like temps will warm into the upper 90s to near 100F.

The meteograms for Minneapolis on Tuesday show temps warming from the low/mid 70F in the morning to the low/mid 90s by the afternoon. Much of the day will be dry, but there could be a few late day showers and storms. Southerly winds will be a bit gusty at times.

The weather outlook across the region on Tuesday shows hot and humid weather in place across much of the region. Note that temps will warm into the upper 80s and low/mid 90s, which will be nearly +5F to +10F above average. Temps across the Dakotas could warm into the low 100s, which will be nearly +15F to +20F above average. There could be a few showers and storms late in the day across parts of the region.

The extended weather outlook for Minneapolis shows a string of very warm days as we head through the rest of the last full week of July. Highs will warm into the 90s through Wednesday, which will be nearly +10F to +15F above average for mid/late July. Note that temps will fall into the 80s on Thursday and will likely remain there through the weekend and into next week.

Here's the rainfall potential through 7PM Wednesday across the Midwest, which shows better rain chances across parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley. This rain will be from thunderstorms developing on the outer periphery of the dome of very hot and humid weather setting up across much of the Central US.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows warmer than average temps continuing across much of the Central US, including the Upper Midwest.

We've been watching the Extreme Weather Olympics for some time now. More people are catching on that weather disruption might not be a fluke, but a trend. Every week I see something on the maps I haven't seen before.

Without delving into the head-scratching reasons why it's called the 2020 Olympics, athletes in Tokyo are feeling the effects of warming summers. Daytime highs have been reaching the 90s, with a heat index close to 100F.

Climate scientists point out Tokyo temperatures in July and August are 5.1F warmer, on average, than the last time Tokyo hosted the games in 1964. On average there are 8 more days of 95-degree weather.

While the USA sizzles, a couple volleys of Canadian air cool us into the 80s later this week and next. 2021: the summer 80s were called "cool fronts".

TUESDAY: Hot sunshine. Winds: S 7-12. High: 93.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy. Slight chance of thunder. Winds: ENE 5. Low: 74.

WEDNESDAY: Even hotter, few T-storms nearby. Winds: SW 10-15. High: 97.

THURSDAY: Partly sunny, breezy and "cooler". Winds: N 10-20. Wake-up: 72. High: 88.

SATURDAY: Blue sky, still pleasant. Winds: NW 7-12. Wake-up: 67. High: 86.

SUNDAY: A few more clouds, "average" temps. Winds: NW 7-12. Wake-up: 65. High: 83.

MONDAY: Mix of clouds and sun, comfortable. Winds: N 7-12. Wake-up: 63. High: 81.

July 27th

1910: Giant hailstones fall in Todd and Wadena Counties. One stone weighed in at 5 pounds.

Average High: 83F (Record: 104F set in 1931)

Average Low: 64F (Record: 49F set in 1971)

Record Rainfall: 6.35" set in 1892

July 27th

Sunrise: 5:53am

Hours of Daylight: ~14 hours & 52 minutes

Daylight LOST since yesterday: ~ 2 minute & 12 seconds

Daylight LOST since Summer Solstice (June 20th): ~45 Minutes

4.2 Days After Full "Buck" Moon

"July 23: Full Buck Moon 9:37PM - When the new antlers of buck deer push out from their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, thunderstorms being now most frequent. Sometimes this is also called the Full Hay Moon."

"The full moon, Jupiter, Saturn ... what could be better? Watch as they light the night from dusk until dawn on July 23 to 26, 2021."

See more from Earth Sky HERE:

The weather outlook on Tuesday shows hot temps in place across much of the Midwest, where temps will be nearly +5F to +15F above average. Most locations around the country will be at or above average with the exception of the Desert Southwest, where monsoon storms will be possible.

The national weather outlook through the midweek time frame shows scattered showers and storms possible from the Intermountain Wester and across parts of the Midwest with locally heavy pockets of rain.

According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center areas of heavy rainfall will be possible in the Intermountain West to the Upper Midwest and across parts of the Southeast. Some of the rain could be locally heavy with localized flood concerns.

See more from EuroNews HERE:

"Climate is a main driver of changes in body size, according to new research performed jointly by teams of researchers with the University of Cambridge and the University of Tübingen in Germany. "We can see from people living today that those in warmer climates tend to be smaller, and those living in colder climates tend to be bigger. We now know that the same climatic influences have been at work for the last million years," said Professor Andrea Manica, a researcher in the University of Cambridge's Department of Zoology who led the study. To determine the correlation between climate and body size, researchers relied on two sets of data: measurements of body and brain size from over 300 fossils from the genus Homo, as well as a reconstruction of the world's regional climates over the last million years. In comparing the two, they have pinpointed the specific climate each fossil experienced when it was living. "Our study indicates that climate – particularly temperature – has been the main driver of changes in body size for the past million years," Manica said."

See more from The Debrief Here:

"The billionaire space race is well on its way, setting the stage for a burgeoning space tourism industry. More civilian space tourists are making their way into space than ever before — a trend likely to grow substantially as the sector advances. At the same time, widespread rocket launches also appear to come with a considerable cost to the environment, The Guardian reports. Rockets burn monstrous amounts of fuel to escape the Earth's gravity, a hefty price to pay for Virgin CEO Richard Branson to experience four fleeting minutes of weightlessness. More people than ever before are also starting to hold billionaires responsible for taking day trips to space instead of using their considerable resources to fight Earth's many environmental crises instead."

See more from Futurism HERE: