For the first time in a long time, weekend weather conditions look fairly unsettled across parts of the region. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible both Saturday and Sunday with a few strong storms possible as well. Keep in mind that some of the storms could produce locally heavy rainfall with some 1" to 2" tallies possible.

According to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center, there is a risk of severe storms on Saturday with large hail, damaging winds and an isolated tornado possible. The Slight Risk (in yellow) is a level 2 out of 5 on the severe scale, so severe storm chances should be too widespread, but there certainly be a few strong storms across parts of the region.

Here's NOAA's HRRR simulated radar from AM Saturday to AM Sunday, which shows showers and storms pushing through the region during the morning hours. Some of the storms could be strong to severe with locally heavy rainfall early and again late in the day when another round of storms develops.

Unfortunately, weather conditions will be unsettled over the weekend, but the good news is that many locations have a pretty good chance of some measurable rainfall! According to NOAA's NDFD, some locations could see 1" to 2" tallies, which would be great news for many as it has been a very hot and dry summer so far.

The US Drought Monitor released their latest drought update on Thursday, which suggested that drought conditions continue to deepen across the state. Last week, nearly 22% of the state was in an extreme drought, now nearly 35% is in an extreme drought. Severe drought conditions have expanded to nearly 80% of the state, including the Twin Cities.

The map below shows precipitation departures from average since January 1st. Other than Wausau and Rhinelander, most locations are several inches below average since the beginning of the year. In fact, Minneapolis is at its 22nd driest start to any year on record. Fargo is the 6th driest and Milwaukee 2nd driest.

The weather outlook for the Twin Cities on Saturday shows near average temperatures in place for early August. However, it looks like a fairly unsettled day with scattered showers and storms possible in the morning again later in the day. Some of the storms could be strong to severe with locally heavy rainfall.

The weather outlook across the region on Saturday shows near average temps for many locations across the region with the exception of the North Shore, where readings will be nearly -5F to -10F below average thanks to an easterly wind off of Lake Superior. Areas of showers and storms will be fairly widespread with a few strong/severe storms and pockets of locally heavy rain.

The extended weather outlook for Minneapolis shows near average temps over the weekend thanks to a storms system bringing much needed rains to the region. After the storm passes, skies will clear and temps will warm to above average levels once again early next week. In fact, highs will approach 90F on Monday and Tuesday, which will be nearly +5F to +10F above average.

Here's the extended weather outlook through the weekend and into early next week, which shows unsettled weather moving through much of the Midwest. Again, some of the storms could be strong to severe with locally heavy rains for some.

Here's the rainfall potential through 7PM Sunday, which shows pockets of heavy rains across parts of the region, including Eastern Minnesota into Central Wisconsin. It has been very dry across much of the Midwest, so any rain we can get is good news!

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

We need about 5-8 inches of rain but not all at once. Dry ground is more impermeable; it's harder for rainwater to soak into the soil where it's needed. During downpours, much of the rain runs off into streams, streets and sewers. Six one-inch rains would do a lot more good than one 6-inchcloudburst right now.

A few snarling T-storms are expected today; a small percentage may turn severe with large hail and damaging winds over roughly the southern half of Minnesota. Daytime highs flirt with 90F next week before cooling off late Thursday. Until further notice Canadian cool fronts may be accompanied by thick smoke. Oy.

SATURDAY: T-storms, some severe. Winds: SE 10-20. High: 81.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Showers & Storms. Winds: SSE 10-15. Low: 71.

SUNDAY: More showers and T-showers. Winds: SW 10-15. High: 82.

TUESDAY: Steamy, few passing T-storms. Winds: W 10-15. Wake-up: 73. High: 90.

WEDNESDAY: Plenty of hot sunshine. Winds: SW 10-15. Wake-up: 71. High: 89.

THURSDAY: Partly sunny, turning less humid. Winds: NW 10-20. Wake-up: 66. High: 86.

FRIDAY: Comfortable. Risk of Canadian smoke?. Winds: NW 10-15. Wake-up: 60. High: 78.

August 7th

1955: The climate record of George W. Richards of Maple Plain ends. He recorded weather data with lively notations on phenology and weather events. He began taking observations when he was eleven in 1883. He continued to take observations for 72 years, with 66 years as a National Weather Service Cooperator.

1896: The final day of a massive heat wave brings highs of 104 to Le Sueur and Mazeppa.

1863: A Forest City observer sees what he calls a 'perfect tornado.' He noted that it 'drove principally from west to east and lasted about one half hour.'

August 7th

Average High: 82F (Record: 98F set in 2001)

Record Rainfall: 2.29" set in 1984

August 7th

Sunrise: 6:06am

Sunset: 8:31pm

Hours of Daylight: ~14 hours & 25 minutes

Daylight LOST since Summer Solstice (June 20th): ~1 Hour & 12 Minutes

0.3 Days Before New Moon

"Moon and Gemini stars On the mornings of August 5 and 6, 2021, you'll find the waning crescent moon in front of the constellation Gemini the Twins. Gemini's two brightest stars, Castor and Pollux, represent twin brothers in Greek mythology. These two stars don't look alike. Pollux is slightly brighter than Castor and more golden in color. But no two bright stars in our sky lie so near one another. Their brightness and proximity have made Castor and Pollux a symbol of brotherly love for centuries. Ancient tale of the Twins There are multiple versions of the ancient tale of the Twins. In Greek mythology, both Castor and Pollux were born from the same mortal mother, Leda, with different fathers. Castor, the mortal brother, was sired by Tyndareus, a mortal king of Sparta. Pollux, the immortal brother, was the son of Zeus, the king of the gods, who seduced Leda in the form of a swan. It's said that – when the mortal brother Castor was slain in battle – his immortal brother Pollux was inconsolable. He begged his father Zeus to relieve him of the bonds of immortality. Zeus granted his request, and so Pollux joined his brother in death, choosing togetherness with his brother over eternal life. According to the legend, Zeus allowed the brothers to live together in the heavens as the constellation Gemini the Twins."

See more from Earth Sky HERE:

The weather outlook on Saturday shows near average temps across much of the nation with a few areas of showers and storms. Some of the coolest weather will be found in the Pacific Northwest, where readings will be nearly -5F to -10F below average with scattered rain showers.

According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center areas of heavy rainfall will be possible across parts of the Midwest over the next several days. There will also be a few heavy pockets of rain across the Mid-Atlantic States and in southern Arizona, where monsoon storms will continue.

"An already-active hurricane season shows "no sign of slowing." It's been just over two months since the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season kicked off on June 1, and we can expect to see even more hurricanes and named storms than experts previously predicted, before the season winds down on Nov. 30. On Wednesday (Aug. 4), scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) updated their May 20 hurricane season forecast, in an online briefing. They had already warned in May of above-normal hurricane activity, Live Science previously reported, and their update confirmed the presence of atmospheric and ocean conditions that favor higher-than-average storm activity."

See more from Space.com HERE:

"Eight years after its last update on climate science, the United Nations is set to publish a report Monday that will likely deliver even starker warnings about how quickly the planet is warming – and how damaging the impacts might get. Since the last report https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/syr by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2013, both greenhouse gas emissions and the average global temperature have only continued to climb. The new report will forecast how much more emissions can be pumped into the atmosphere before the average global temperature rises more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. That revised carbon budget may serve as a guide to governments as they map out their own emissions-cutting plans before a major U.N. climate conference in November. Scientists say the world must halve global emissions by 2030 and cut them to net-zero by 2050 in order to prevent global warming above 1.5C, which could trigger catastrophic impacts across the globe."

See more from USNews HERE:

See more from National Geographic HERE: