According to NOAA's SPC, there is a risk of isolated strong to severe storms across parts of the region today. Isolated strong wind and hail events will be the primary threat with any of the stronger storms, but there could be a brief spin up tornado across the northern half of Minnesota.

Here's the simulated radar from early Saturday morning to 7AM Sunday. It appears that a round of storms will push through during the morning hours Saturday with a break in the action before another round of storms possibly develops in the afternoon and evening. Keep in mind that some of the storms could be strong with locally heavy rainfall.

Here's the rainfall potential through the weekend, which shows pockets of nearly 1" or more in a few locations, including some near the Twin Cities.

The first half of the month was hot and dry, but things have been a little cooler and wetter as of late. Through the first 25 days of August, temperatures are running just slightly above average and we're now running nearly -0.50" below average in the precipitation department.

Here are the 15 driest summer's on record at MSP. Note that this summer (since June 1st) has been the 9th driest, last year was the 15th driest. If MSP doesn't see any additional rainfall through the rest of August, this would be the 6th driest summer on record.

Here's the weather outlook from AM Saturday to PM Friday. The weekend will be somewhat unsettled across the region with scattered showers and storms, some of which could be strong to severe with locally heavy rainfall. T-storms lingering through early Monday before working east of the region. A northwesterly wind arrives Tuesday, which will bring in a much more comfortable airmass. Lower temps and humidity values will make much of the upcoming week feel quite nice.

Here's the latest drought update across Minnesota. Prior to last week's rain, severe drought was sitting at a little more than 2%, while Moderate drought was at nearly 10%. The good news is that we'll pick up some additional rainfall over the weekend, so we may see some additional improvement into next week.

The weather outlook for Minneapolis on Saturday shows temps warming into the lower 80s with showers and storms possible.

The hourly forecast for Minneapolis on Saturday shows temperatures starting in the mid 60s and warming into the lower 80s by the afternoon. Showers and storms will be in place in the morning and could taper by midday. There is another chance of storms later in the day with pockets of heavy rain once again. South to southeasterly winds will be quite breezy with gusts approaching 30mph through the day.

The extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis shows temps running at or slightly above average through the weekend and into early next week.

The extended weather outlook over the next 7 days shows temps warming into the low/mid 80s through the weekend and early next week with showers and storms. It'll be cooler and less humid by midweek with weather dry and sunny weather in place through Friday.

According to the NBM & ECMWF extended temperature outlook, readings will warm into the low/mid 80s through early next week before cooler weather arrives much of next week.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 Day precipitation outlook shows drier weather in place across the northern tier of the nation, while more active weather will still be in place across the Gulf Coast States.

Achoo! Ugh, sorry. My seasonal allergies are acting up again. It never fails, Stat Fair time is when the sneezing fits and itchy, watery eyes are at their worst.

According to Pollen.com, allergy levels will be running and high to medium-high levels across the state over the next 5 days. The main culprits being ragweed and nettle. Over the counter antihistamines will help, but most of us will suffer together until the first frost.

We may see a slight dip in allergy levels today thanks to shower and thunderstorm chances. It won't be a washout by any means, but fairgoers may have to dodge a few raindrops in the morning and again late in the day. Rain and rumble chances will be hit or miss into Sunday with temps warming into the lower 80s. It won't be too hot, but it will be sticky with tropical dewpoints nearing 70 degrees.

A notable wind change arrives Tuesday with dropping humidity vales. Much of next week will be beautiful. Enjoy!

SATURDAY: Breezy. Spotty T-storms. Winds: SSE 15-30. High: 85.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Chance of showers & storms. Winds: S 10-15. Low: 68.

SUNDAY: Sticky. Isolated rain & rumbles. Winds: SSE 10-15. High: 83.

MONDAY: Lingering showers and a few storms. Winds: WNW 10-15. Wake-up: 67. High: 82.

TUESDAY: Gusty NW winds. Sunnier & less humid. Winds: NW 10-20. Wake-up: 63. High: 79.

THURSDAY: Another blue ribbon weather forecast. Winds: SW 5. Wake-up: 59. High: 77.

FRIDAY: Sunshine and a few clouds. Comfortable. Winds: S 8-13. Wake-up: 56. High: 78.

August 27th

1992: A chilly night in Embarrass, where the temperature dips to 28 degrees.

August 27th

Average Low: 61F (Record: 42F set in 1887)

Record Rainfall: 2.80" set in 1978

Record Snowfall: None

August 27th

Sunrise: 6:29am

Hours of Daylight: ~13 hours & 29 minutes

Daylight LOST since yesterday: ~ 2 minutes & 57 seconds

Daylight LOST since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 2 hour & 2 minutes

0.9 Days Since New Moon

The weather outlook on Saturday shows temps running at or above average across the much of the northern tier of the nation. However, cooler than average temps will move into the Pacific Northwest and the Southwest.

According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, areas of heavier precipitation will be found across the southern tier of the nation. There could also be a few pockets of heavy rain in the Midwest. Meanwhile, folks in the Western US will remain dry.

"The extreme heat and drought that has been roasting a vast swath of southern China for at least 70 straight days has no parallel in modern record-keeping in China, or elsewhere around the world for that matter. Why it matters: Based on recent studies, the question facing climate scientists is how much climate change contributed to this disaster. The big picture: More than 260 weather stations saw their highest-ever temperatures during the long-running heat wave, according to state media reports. It has coincided with a severe drought that has shriveled rivers and lakes and throttled back some of China's hydropower production. This has led the government to cut power to Sichuan's key industrial hubs, an emergency measure extended on Aug. 21."

See more from Axios HERE:

"As the earth warms up, we have to think about our global food supply and the crops that feed nearly eight billion people. The world's crops are now dominated by wheat, corn, and rice. Large parts of the US grow nothing but one variety of corn year after year, depleting the land and causing erosion. Single species food is particularly vulnerable to climate change. If we can't quickly heal the land and stabilize global temperatures, what will we eat in the future? Yeah, you've heard about insects, but plant crops will be necessary to sustain human society. Scientists are looking to the past, to crops that already flourish under harsh conditions, but never made it to the global table. Yet. Four of them are traditional crops that are candidates for diversifying our agriculture, plus there's a crop called Kernza that has been developed for the specific purpose of dealing with climate change. Kernza is a perennial wheat grass that doesn't require a farmer to buy seed, till the soil, or replant every year."

See more from NeatoRama HERE:

See more from Science Alert HERE: