Enjoy a hard-earned break from summer storms

Mother Nature is taking a few days off after a few months of sloppy, noisy tantrums. Take as much PTO as you want, please!

Twin Cities Doppler radar is back up, and this is a good time to brush up on weather terminology.

The “derecho” that went through Chicago on Monday evening sparked damaging straight-line winds and a few tornadoes. They look like boomerangs on radar, and they can travel 400 to 1,000 miles.

“Mesoscale convective systems” are a vast, swirling blob on Doppler, a swarm of 50-plus thunderstorms that resembles a tropical storm over land. They often form at night along warm frontal boundaries. The primary risk is flooding.

And “hook echoes” are spinning supercell thunderstorms that spawn large hail and occasional tornadoes.

Quiet, comfortable weather lingers into Friday, with sunshine and low humidity. A few storms sprout late Sunday, with generally dry weather and 80s into next week. The longest dry spell since March? Looks like it.