So-So Saturday, A+ Sunday

It's late, I'm tired. Yes, I am weary. It's been a long week. I want to rest my head on the nearest pillow and catch some serious zzzz's, maybe dream about Doppler-Nirvana, the Twins in a pennant race, chocolate ice cream or January Jones. Not necessarily in that order. Speaking of Mad Men, please forgive me for not writing a small novella today - I'm nursing a sickly PC and the forecast is fairly straightforward. For a change I'm not going to bury the lead.

Weather for people in a hurry (in my case in a hurry to hit the hay...)

Last night's heavy thunderstorms are rumbling toward Chicago - winds will shift around to the north today, allowing drier, Canadian air to trickle into Minnesota. A stray, instability shower or T-shower may pop up by midday or afternoon, especially over central and northern counties - but no steady, prolonged rain is expected today - just a fleeting shower or two. Sunday looks remarkable - bright sun, low humidity, light winds - no (meteorological) excuses not to wander out and soak up one of the finer days of July, possibly of the entire summer. Blue sky spills over into Monday and Tuesday, before the next round of midweek showers and storms. Just like clockwork.

Have a great weekend - today will be tolerable/acceptable, Sunday should be nothing short of amazing....

Picture Postcard Perfect Friday. The sun was out across much of Minnesota much of the day (with a gentle northwest breeze and a slight dip in humidity). Not bad at all. Highs ranged from 77 at Hibbing to 82 in St. Cloud, a sticky 85 in Rochester and 86 in the Twin Cities. Alexandria picked up .94" of rain, additional showers clipping far northern Minnesota.




Paul's Conservation MN Outlook for the Twin Cities and all of Minnesota

Today: Partly sunny, breezy, turning less humid. A passing shower or T-shower possible, especially up north this afternoon. Winds: N 10-15. High: 81

Saturday night: Gradual clearing, more comfortable. Low: 61 (50s up north).

Sunday: Mostly sunny with less wind (and low humidity). It may be one of the nicer days of summer. Winds: SW 3-8. High: 84

Monday: Partly sunny and seasonably warm. High: 85

Tuesday: Less sun, growing chance of a T-storm. High: 87

Wednesday: More clouds, more numerous showers/storms. High: 85

Thursday: Showers and storms linger, some clearing north/west. High: 81

Friday: Mix of clouds and sun, still plenty warm. High: 84



Bow Echo. NWS Doppler last night around midnight, as severe storms rumbled across southern Minnesota. The boomerang-shaped kink in the line evidence of a "bow echo", strong straight-line winds causing the squall line to bulge in the direction of motion, evidence of 50-70 mph wind gusts. Hail estimates ranged from .5 to 2.5" diameter, with the biggest hail spotted near Le Sueur.


Say Hello To "Bonnie". Residents of south Florida got sideswiped by Tropical Depression Bonnie Friday - bands of heavy thunderstorms with torrential rain showing up on Miami NWS Doppler (you can see evidence of the spiral bands feeding moisture into the central core of the storm - definitely not yet organized into an "eye").

Predicted Track. Bonnie may come ashore late tonight as a strong depression or weak tropical storm. There's just too much wind shear, winds aloft are too strong - literally shredding the top off the storm. For ideal hurricane development upper level winds need to be very light - that's the major factor preventing rapid intensification right now - residents of the Gulf letting out a collective sigh of relief to be sure.


Study: Global Warming Will Worsen Smog. Great news. Minnesotans are ok with slowly warming winters (well, most of them are) but more smog? The story (which focuses more on southern California) is here.

* U.S. Faces Water Supply Crisis. Click here to read about trends in fresh water supplies nationwide.

The Web Means The End of Forgetting. Be very careful about what you post on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media (even an e-mail). The New York Times explains why healthy paranoia is called for in this story.