Welcome to an unfortunate shotgun marriage of Arizona heat and Florida humidity. Yes, it's Florida-sweaty out there; a free sauna, minus the towels. When there's this much water in the air (a dew point in the mid-70s) rain can fall with breathtaking intensity. Tell that to residents of Mora, Minn., where 7 inches of rain fell in a few hours Thursday morning. "Monsoon rains" would not be an exaggeration.
More than half of all flash flood deaths occur while driving at night — it's impossible to estimate the water depth. NOAA reminds all of us that only a foot of rapidly moving water can sweep away a car; 18-24 inches can carry away large SUVs and trucks. The old adage "Turn around, don't drown" rings true.
Storms firing up along a slow-moving frontal zone may complicate your morning commute. Models print out 1-2 inches of rain for some communities before we dry out later today. A few spotty T-showers may bubble up over the weekend, but a Canadian front should drop humidity levels early next week. The heat wave shifts west, with a relatively cool finish to July.
