"Little rainfall fell this week, except in some parts of far northern Minnesota where over an inch of rainfall was reported. Gunflint Lake (Cook County) and Orr (St Louis County) reported over 2 inches of rain. The heat this week coupled with the absence of rainfall in most places has accelerated produced drought concerns over many areas of the state. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor portions of 6 Minnesota counties are in severe drought, and 55 counties are designated in moderate drought, with the rest of the state drier than normal, but not yet in drought. Some areas of southern and western Minnesota have received less than 50 percent of normal precipitation for the year so far. Further the outlook models show continued trend for hot and dry through most of the rest of the month. Many lawns are already showing signs of browning, and some tress are under stress as well."

See more from Mark Seeley's Minnesota Weather Talk HERE:

"Agriculture impacts: We are early in both the growing season and this drought, so agricultural impacts have been minimal to this point. The main impact messaged by the USDA is that the early June warmth promoted a rapid pace in crop development, though has begun to stress pastures. In both Minnesota and Wisconsin, about 75% of major crops were reported as being in good or excellent condition, with slightly lower percentages for the condition of pastures/rangeland as of June 7th. Hydrologic impacts: Being early on in this dry spell, we have yet to see significant hydrologic impacts. Fire hazards: In Minnesota, all but the counties that border Wisconsin have a fire danger rating from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as high or very high, with burn restrictions in place from St. Cloud on north in the state. In Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has all of western Wisconsin within a moderate fire danger with only daytime burning restrictions."

See more from the National Weather Service Drought Information Statements HERE:

Here's how much precipitation we've had so far this month and despite a few heavy pockets of rain across the Dakotas, northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin, much of central and southern Minnesota have not had much in terms of any appreciative rain. Interestingly, Rochester, MN & Mason City, IA have not seen a drop of rain yet this month!

Here's the precipitation departure from average so far this month. Note that many locations from the central and northern part of the state down to the MN/IA border are at least -1.00" below average with Rochester, MN and Mason City, IA nearly -2.00" below average. Interestingly, this is the driest start to any June on record for Rochester, which again has not yet seen any rain yet this month.

Many areas across the region are dealing with deficits with many areas several inches below average since the beginning of the year. The biggest deficits are located south and east of the Twin Cities across parts of Iowa and southern Wisconsin. With that being said, Madison, WI is sitting at its 6th driest start to any year on record, while Mason City, IA is sitting at its 7th driest start to any year on record.

Here's the extended precipitation outlook from NOAA's WPC, which shows pockets of decent rainfall potential across parts of southern Minnesota and into central Wisconsin. Unfortunately, this rain chance won't arrive late week. Until then, it will remain hot and dry.

Through the first 11 days of June, the Twin Cities is running nearly +15F above average, which is the warmest start to any June on record. We've also only had 0.40" of rain, which is the 26th driest start to any June on record.

Here's the top 15 warmest June 1st - 11th stretches on record. Note that this year is the warmest June 1st to 11th on record with an average temperature of 82F !! So far, we've surpassed the other warmest start to any June on record, which was back in 1933 during the Dust Bowl years.

"Twin Cities Observed and Forecast Temperatures During the June 2021 Heat Wave. Heat wave update: The Twin Cities continued the record for the longest 90 degree day streak this early in the season on Friday (day 9). Also, 6 of the last 8 days have seen record warm lows at MSP Airport. Lows have been around the average high of 77 degrees at MSP. #mnwx #wiwx. This is the first time we've gone more than 6 days since late June/early July of 2012.

Here's a look at dewpoint values over the next several days, which shows comfortable dewpoint readings in the upper 40s and lower 50s. The end of the week could see a spike in humidity later in the week as our next best chance of showers and storms arrives.

The weather outlook for the Twin Cities on Sunday shows more hot sunshine in place with high temps warming into the low/mid 90s by the afternoon. SSW winds will be a bit strong at times with gusts approaching 20mph.

The meteograms for Minneapolis on Sunday shows temps warming into the 80s rather quickly by late morning. High temps will warm into the low/mid 90s in the afternoon, which will once again be nearly +15F above average. WSW winds will be fairly stout later in the afternoon with gusts approaching 20mph at times.

The weather outlook across the region on Sunday looks rather quiet once again with high temperature readings warming into the 80s and 90s across much of the region, which will be nearly +5F to +15F above average.

The extended weather outlook for Minneapolis shows temps still warming into the upper 80s and lower 90s through early next week. This will still be nearly +5F to +15F above average. Keep in mind that the Twin Cities is at its warmest start to any June on record with the average temperature sitting nearly +15F above average. We should stay mostly dry through much of the week until late Thursday or Friday when showers and storms arrive. Temps behind the front could be quite a bit cooler than they've been in some time.

The weather outlook from AM Sunday to AM Friday shows mostly dry weather in place across much of the region as another bubble of hot high pressure settles in. Scattered showers and storms will be possible on Thursday and Thursday night, some of which could be a little on the vigorous side. Stay tuned.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows warmer than average temps across much of the western half of the nation.

Happy National Weed Your Garden Day! According to National Calendar Day, June 13th is a day dedicated to remind all gardeners to keep those newly planted gardens weed free! An extra 5 or 10 minutes here or there keeping your garden free of any nuisance growth, will ensure a happier, healthier harvest when the time comes! Happy gardening.

Latest news from the National Weather Service suggests that drought conditions are rapidly expanding across Minnesota and Wisconsin. Watering bans have been issued for a few communities, while the extreme heat and lack of rainfall has been increasingly stressing crops and pastures. Many river gauges along the Mississippi north of St. Paul are reporting stream flows between 10 and 25 percent of normal.

Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be any appreciative rainfall potential anytime soon. The next best chance of thundery downpours won't arrive until late Thursday. In the meantime, hot and dry sunshine will fill the void.

Welcome to Minnesota where the weather never fails to be interesting.

SUNDAY: Hot Sunshine. PM Rumble N. Winds: WSW 10-15. High: 94.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Mostly Clear and quiet. Winds: N 5-15. Low: 63.

MONDAY: Sunny, Warm And Dry Again. Winds: N 5-10. High: 88.

TUESDAY: Above Average Temps Continue. Winds: NE 5-10. Wake-up: 62. High: 85.

WEDNESDAY: Still Dry With More Bright Sunshine. Winds: SSE 8-13. Wake-up: 61. High: 90.

THURSDAY: Breezy. Late PM Storms, Some Strong? Winds: SW 10-20. Wake-up: 68. High: 92.

FRIDAY: Lingering Shower or Two. Cooler winds. Winds: NW 15-25. Wake-up: 67. High: 82.

SATURDAY: Blue Sky & Refreshing. Winds: WNW 5-10. Wake-up: 52. High: 77.

June 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.'

June 13th

Average High: 78F (Record: 100F set in 1956)

Average Low: 58F (Record: 37F set in 1969)

Record Rainfall: 2.37" set in 2001

Record Snowfall: 0.00"

June 12th

Sunrise: 5:26am

Sunset: 9:00pm

Hours of Daylight: ~15 hours & 35 minutes

Daylight GAINED since yesterday: ~ 34 seconds

Daylight GAINED since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 6 hours & 49 minute

3.9 Since New Moon

See more from Space.com HERE:

"The young moon returns In June 2021, new moon happens on June 10 at 10:21 UTC. And so – by about June 11 – the young moon, a waxing crescent, returns to the evening sky. If you watch that evening, and in the evenings after that, you can also notice two planets, Venus and Mars. You can spot Regulus, Heart of the Lion in the constellation Leo, now about to descend into the sun's glare for another season. And you might also glimpse the stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini the Twins. They in such bright twilight, though, that they'll be tougher to see. Evening of June 11, 2021 For us in North America, the moon turned new during the early morning hours of June 10. That means – for us in North America – the moon will be well over one day (24 hours) old at sunset June 11, staying out for over one hour after sunset. On June 11, the sleek and slender young moon will be pairing up with the dazzling planet Venus on the sky's dome. That's not to say that moon watchers in the world's Eastern Hemisphere won't see the young moon after sunset June 11. But the younger and thinner moon may present more of a challenge, as an even paler crescent sets all the sooner after sunset."

See more from Earth Sky HERE:

According to NOAA's NHC, there is a medium chance of tropical development with a wave of energy in the Gulf of Mexico. Over the coming days, the developing area of low pressure will lift north toward the Gulf Coast States and will bring areas of heavy rainfall, which could lead to flood concerns.

It's a little too early to say exactly what the area of interest in the Gulf will do, but here's the extended GFS model forecast, which shows areas of heavy rainfall lifting north toward the Gulf Coast States late next week and into the weekend. Stay tuned...

Here's the rainfall potential through next week, which shows several inches of rain possible along the coast. Stay tuned as this system develops.

The weather outlook on Sunday shows well above average temps continuing across much of the nation. In fact, many locations will be nearly +10F to +20F above average with even hotter temps settling in across the Western US with records possible through much of next week.

The national weather outlook through PM Monday shows lingering showers and storms across parts of the Eastern US. Drier weather will settle in across the Upper Midwest and will continue in the Desert Southwest, where drought conditions continue.

According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center there is a chance of locally heavy rainfall across parts of the Gulf Coast and Mid-Atlantic Region. There will be a few pockets of heavier rainfall in the Pacific Northwest with dry weather continuing in the Desert Southwest and much of the High Plains.

The largest reservoir in the U.S. reached an all-time low. As a massive "megadrought" grips the Western U.S., water levels in Lake Mead reached a historic all-time low as of Wednesday night, according to CBS News. The water levels have fallen steadily as inflow from the Colorado River and its tributaries have dried up, reported USA Today. According to The Weather Channel, 89% of the Western U.S. is experiencing drought conditions. More than half — about 55% — of the West is experiencing the highest levels of "extreme" and "exceptional" drought, reported The Weather Channel. The low water levels in Lake Mead are likely to lead to historic water cuts for multiple southwestern states, reported Reuters. What is Lake Mead? Why is it important? Formed in 1937 by the construction of the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the U.S. The reservoir supplies water to 25 million people in Los Angeles, San Diego, Tucson and Las Vegas, per Reuters. Arizona and Nevada rely on Lake Mead for water, especially for agricultural production, said USA Today.

See more from Desert.com HERE:

"Fifty top scientists warn climate change and biodiversity loss are one and the same, and world leaders need to start addressing them in tandem. Mass extinction and the climate emergency each pose an existential threat to life as we know it. A new landmark report shows they must be tackled in tandem to give nature—and by extension, us—the best shot at survival. The report, released on Thursday morning, was compiled by 50 top climate and extinction experts for the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on Thursday morning. It's the first-ever joint collaboration between these two bodies, both of which have released seminal reports in recent years on the climate crisis and the collapse of nature. Their collaboration shows the urgency of these issues as truly catastrophic impacts loom. So far, the authors say, most international policy has treated biodiversity loss and global warming like they are independent issues, and world leaders have formed separate conventions and intergovernmental bodies to take on each one. But leaders must more carefully consider how the issues intersect if they actually want to solve the crises."

See more from Gizmodo HERE:

"A mammoth star is playing an interesting game of hide and seek. In 2012, a giant star some 25,000 light-years away blinked at the Earth, and we stared back, a little confused. Astronomers using the VISTA telescope in Chile watched the star dramatically decrease in brightness and then light up again over a period of around 200 days. The team has a hunch that a large object, orbiting the giant star, obscured our view of it briefly — but the nature of the occulting object is uncertain. They've dubbed the event VVV-WIT-08. "It's amazing that we just observed a dark, large and elongated object pass between us and the distant star and we can only speculate what its origin is," said Sergey Koposov, an astronomer at the University of Edinburgh and co-author of the new study. The study, published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, suggests a couple of possibilities, but the dip doesn't appear to be due to features inherent to the star itself — it must be a gravitationally bound companion."

See more from Cnet HERE: