The dawn of a new era in astronomy has begun as the world gets its first look at the full capabilities of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, a partnership with ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency). The telescope's first full-color images and spectroscopic data were released during a televised broadcast at 10:30 a.m. EDT (14:30 UTC) on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. These listed targets below represent the first wave of full-color scientific images and spectra the observatory has gathered, and the official beginning of Webb's general science operations. They were selected by an international committee of representatives from NASA, ESA, CSA, and the Space Telescope Science Institute. These first images from the world's largest and most powerful space telescope demonstrate Webb at its full power, ready to begin its mission to unfold the infrared universe.

See more from NASA HERE:

Hurricane Darby continued as a Major Hurricane on Tuesday with 125mph sustained winds. This has been the first major hurricane of either of the Eastern Pacific or Atlantic basin of the 2022 season. Darby is tracking west and is expected to gradually weaken as it approaches Hawaii late weekend/early next week. Stay tuned.

Here's the track for Hurricane Darby over the next several days. According to NOAA's NHC, Darby will gradually weaken through the week and upcoming weekend as it approaching the Hawaiian Islands. Stay tuned...

Here's the weather outlook from 7AM Wednesday to 7AM Monday. Things will be rather quiet on Wednesday, but a round of showers and storms will be possible late Thursday into AM Friday. Another round could develop PM Friday into Saturday with pockets of locally heavy rainfall.

Here's the weather outlook through the rest of the week and into the weekend. Late week could feature thunderstorm activity with pockets of locally heavy rainfall possible in spots.

The weather outlook for Wednesday shows temps running close to average for Mid July with readings warming into the 70s and 80s statewide. It'll be a little cooler in the Arrowhead as a cooler wind blow off of Lake Superior. Highs will only warming into the 60s, which will be nearly -5F to -10F below average. Much of the region will be dry and sunny with few clouds.

Here's how much rain has fallen across the region so far this July. Note that the Twin Cities has seen less than 0.50", which is one of the top 40 driest starts to any July on record. Duluth has seen nearly 1.50" and several locations across southern Minnesota have seen more than 1" of rain so far this month. Meanwhile, Huron, South Dakota has seen nearly 6.25" of rain already this month, which is the wettest start to any June on record.

Here's the latest drought update across Minnesota. Thanks to mostly dry weather over the last few weeks, much of southern Minnesota, including the Twin Cities, abnormally dry conditions have popped up. There is even a sliver of moderate drought in extreme southern MN.

The weather outlook for Minneapolis on Wednesday shows temps warming into the low/mid 80s under mostly sunny skies. Winds will be lighter and out of the NNE through the day.

The hourly temps for Minneapolis on Wednesday shows temperatures starting in the mid 60s and warming to low/mid 80s by the afternoon. Skies will remain mostly sunny with a few clouds through the day. NNE winds will generally be light through the day as well.

The extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis shows near average temperatures in the Twin Cities metro through midweek. Temps later in the week and wekeend will warm into the upper 80s and lower 90s, which will be nearly +5F to +10F above average.

The extended weather outlook over the next 7 days shows near average temps through midweek before another heat bubble arrives late week and into the weekend. It appears that we'll endure several days in the 90s during the 2nd half of the month. There will also be chances of showers and storms later this week as well.

According to the NBM & ECMWF extended temperature outlook, temps will gradually warm to above average levels over the next few days. The second half of the month looks quite a bit warmer with a number of 90s likely.

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

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 Day precipitation outlook shows hot and dry weather in place across much of the Central US and into the Northwest.

I'm curious if Big Pharma has a pill for "Summer Fatigue Syndrome" yet? It's a chronic ailment with no cure. Most of us plot, scheme and daydream about all the things we'll do during a fleeting Minnesota summer. The trips! The lakes! The meals! So we jam way too much into 90 days and then whine when the weather isn't perfect. I fear I am afflicted.

Looking at the data, mid-July is when we usually experience the hottest weather of the year, and 2022 will not disappoint. After a comfortable Wednesday with less wind and reasonable humidity we start to heat up late in the week, igniting a flurry of T-storms Thursday night into Friday morning. Another storm may fire up Saturday, with Sunday the sunnier, drier (hotter) day of the weekend. So far in 2022: 11 days of 90+. That number may reach 20 days of 90+ by early August.

MSP has picked up 13.25" rain in 2022, 3" below average, but .77" more than last year at this time.

Starting now no "threat" or "risk" of storms. No, it's a golden opportunity for rain.

WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny, less wind. Winds: N 5-10. High: 82.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear and quiet. Winds: E 5. Low: 63.

THURSDAY: Sunny with nighttime storms. Winds: SE 8-13. High: 89.

FRIDAY: Early thunder, then sticky sunshine. Winds: SE 5-10. Wake-up: 67. High: 90.

SATURDAY: Some sun, few PM T-storms. Winds: S 5-10. Wake-up: 71. High: 87.

SUNDAY: Sunny and hotter. Winds: S 5-10. Wake-up: 74. High: 92.

MONDAY: Hello Dog Days. Hot sun. Winds: S 7-12. Wake-up: 74. High: 94.

TUESDAY: Blazing saddles. A baking sun. Winds: SW 7-12. Wake-up: 76. High: 95.

July 13th

1933: An intense heat wave affects Grand Marais with a high of 90, extremely rare for that location. Most of Minnesota would exceed 100 degrees on this date.

1890: A tornado hits Lake Gervais north of St. Paul. People rush from St. Paul to help victims and look for souvenirs. One reporter notes that 'nearly everyone who returned from the disaster last evening came laden with momentoes (sic) denoting the cyclone's fury.'

July 13th

Average High: 84F (Record: 105F set in 1936)

Average Low: 66F (Record: 50F set in 1926 & 1990)

Record Rainfall: 2.79" set in 2013

Record Snowfall: None

July 13th

Sunrise: 5:39am

Sunset: 8:57pm

Hours of Daylight: ~15 hours & 18 minutes

Daylight LOST since yesterday: ~ 1 minutes & 30 seconds

Daylight LOST since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 19 minutes

0.5 Days After Full "Buck" Moon

1:38 p.m. CDT - Named for 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 it's also called the Full Hay Moon. The moon will also arrive at perigee about 9.5 hours earlier, at 5 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT) at a distance of 221,993 miles (357,264 kilometers) from Earth. So, this will be the biggest full moon of 2022. Very high ocean tides can be expected during the next two or three days, thanks to the coincidence of perigee with full moon.

See more from Space.com HERE:

The weather outlook on Wednesday shows above average temperatures across much of the Plains. Highs from Billings, MT to Houston, TX will warm into the 90s and 100s. Temps will be a little closer to average along the West Coast with dry weather. Meanwhile, folks along the East Coast will see showers and storms.

Weather conditions through the Thursday will be unsettled across parts of the Plains and the Southwest. There will also be areas of heavy rainfall along the Gulf Coast and Southeast with localized flooding possible.

According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, areas of heavier precipitation will be found in the Desert Southwest and well and parts of the Midwest. The heaviest rain will be found along the Gulf Coast and Southeast, where localized flooding can't be ruled out.

"Has anyone else noticed that it's really, really hot outside? Due to the current heatwave (which is set to see UK temperatures overtake the likes of Greece) it's become near impossible to keep your cool at the moment, even if you are blessed enough to have a fan at home. But, thanks to some clever TikTokers, it turns out there is a smart hack you can deploy to get your fan feeling extra cold over the coming days – which will no doubt help to make sleeping in the heat an all-round more pleasant experience. Hurrah! In two viral videos, respective TikTokers @onlyjaysus and @lisafj14 both shared the sneaky way that they've been giving their home fans a boost on the cold front, and it's super simple to do."

See more from Cosmopolitan HERE:

"Methane concentrations in the Earth's atmosphere are soaring—and the exact causes of the "frightening" increase are puzzling scientists. In April 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that concentrations of the gas averaged 1,895.7 parts per billion (ppb) over the past year, a new record. In fact, the NOAA report showed that 2021 saw a rise of 17 ppb: the largest annual increase in atmospheric methane levels since systematic measurements began in 1983."

See more from NewsWeek HERE:

"Raging wildfires in Portugal have injured dozens of people as another potentially record-breaking heat wave sweeps Europe one month after historic high temperatures, per the Independent. The big picture: Portugal and Spain are already enduring temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Parts of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg are set to see similar temperatures this weekend. And forecasters warn temperatures in the U.K. could top 40 Celsius (104°F) for the first time ever."

See more from Axios HERE: