Warm And Sunny Through The Weekend - Storms For The Fourth?

Despite last weekend's rain across the state, we didn't really see much improvement in the drought - and, in fact, we saw the drought worsen. While the percentage of the state under Abnormally Dry conditions (D0) stayed the same week-to-week, D1 Moderate Drought increased from 39.43% to 44.17%, and D2 Severe Drought also increased slightly (up 0.1%) as a small area was added in far southeastern Minnesota.

As we look at where we did see those changes occur over the past week, only a tiny sliver of northwestern Minnesota saw some improvement in their drought category. Parts of southeastern Minnesota went from abnormally dry (D0) to moderate drought (D1).

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While we will continue to see some hazy skies at times from wildfire smoke up in the atmosphere, Friday will be a mainly sunny and warm day with just a few passing afternoon clouds. Morning temperatures will start off in the upper 60s with highs in the upper 80s.

As we look statewide for your Friday, a few isolated storms will be possible during the afternoon hours in parts of northern Minnesota. As we head toward the evening and overnight hours, a few showers and storms will be possible across southern Minnesota - particularly along and south of I-90. While most areas of the state will climb into the 80s for highs on Friday, they'll remain in the 60s and 70s along the North Shore with some 70s as well along the International Border.

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Saturday: A mix of sun and clouds are expected Saturday as we continue to watch a few showers or storms across southern Minnesota - with the best chance of seeing some rain along/south of I-90. Afternoon temperatures will climb up to around 90F.

Monday: While the day before the holiday looks dry here in the metro, some showers and storms will be possible across northern and western Minnesota. Monday looks to be the hottest day of the extended holiday period, with highs reaching the mid-90s.

As we head toward Independence Day, we will be watching a slow-moving cold front working its way across the state (up across northern Minnesota Monday and Tuesday mornings, making its way to southeastern Minnesota by Wednesday morning). That front will help to spark off some of nature's fireworks during the day - and we'll have to see if it ends up interrupting any man-made fireworks later in the evening. Highs in the metro Tuesday afternoon are expected to reach the low 90s, with temperatures dropping back to around 80F by any displays of fireworks (or lasers).

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It has been a warm and dry month here in the Twin Cities. Through the 28th (covering most of the month), it has been the 4th warmest and 4th driest June to date.

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For some reason I can't get "Smoke From a Distant Fire" from Sanford-Townsend Band out of my head. "Will it be like this much of the summer, Paul?" Probably. Honest answer: there is no way to know.

NBC Environmental Reporter Bill Karin shared statistics that helped me understand why wildfire smoke is so thick and persistent. Across Canada 500+ fires are burning. 257 fires are out of control. 20 million acres have gone up in smoke, the size of 3 New Jerseys or one state of Maine. Historic and unprecedented, with foul air as far east as Europe.

Air quality concerns aside for a moment, at least the weather will cooperate with holiday weekend plans. Expect sunshine into Monday with highs in the 80s, probably low 90s Monday and the 4th of July. The approach of a cooler front may spark a few T-storms for fireworks Tuesday night. Significant rain stays to our south over Iowa until further notice. We remain in a drought.

Wait, a new tune is playing in my head. "Smoke on the Water" from Deep Purple? Weird.

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FRIDAY: Warm hazy sunshine. Wake up 68. High 87. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NW 10-15 mph.

SATURDAY: Weather Hotdish. Sunny skies. Wake up 68. High 89. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind N 5-10 mph.

SUNDAY: Hot sunshine lingers. Wake up 71. High 90. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind NW 5-10 mph.

MONDAY: Murky sun, hottest day? Wake up 71. High 93. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind SW 5-10 mph.

TUESDAY: Steamy sunshine, late T-storms. Wake up 73. High 91. Chance of precipitation 60%. Wind S 10-20 mph.

THURSDAY: Sunny and comfortable again. Wake up 63. High 77. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind N 10-15 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
June 30th

*Length Of Day: 15 hours, 33 minutes, and 46 seconds
*Daylight LOST Since Yesterday: 38 seconds

*When Do We Drop Below 15 Hours Of Sunlight? July 24th (14 hours, 59 minutes, 22 seconds)
*When Are Sunrises After 6 AM? August 2nd (6:00 AM)
*Latest Sunsets Of The Year: June 21st-July 2nd (9:03 PM)
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1982: Frost hits St. Louis County. Kulger Township falls to 27 degrees and Meadowlands bottoms out at 32.

1871: Extremely large hail falls in Meeker County. Some of the stones are 6 inches in circumference, breaking many windows on the north sides of houses.

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Heat continues to blast parts of the lower and mid-Mississippi Valleys (and surrounding areas) on Friday, with highs reaching 100F as far north as St. Louis. On the edge of that heat bubble, we will be watching showers and thunderstorms - some of which could be severe. Scattered storms will also be possible in the eastern United States.

Heavy rain will be on the edge of that heat bubble across the southern United States through the first half of the weekend, with some areas from Nebraska to Indiana expected to see at least 3" of rain over the next few days.

The first battery-powered trains have arrived in Europe

More from CNN: "As the aviation world looks to battery-powered planes to help sustainability, the rail sector has been quietly working on a faster alternative. Enter Europe's first battery-powered trains. A 20-strong fleet of Hitachi Masaccio trains is now running in Italy, where they are known as "Blues." It's the first phase of a 1.23 billion euros project which will add 135 battery-powered trains to national operator Trenitalia's network, running in Calabria, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Tuscany, and the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. In Calabria, the trains are running on the Ionian Coast, while Sicilian routes include Messina to Palermo and Messina-Catania-Syracuse. Of course, not all the trains on these lines will be the Blues, so it's pot luck which travelers end up on."

Mountains Vulnerable to Extreme Rain from Climate Change

More from Berkeley Lab: "As the world warms, extreme weather events grow – and they also change. Researchers at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) found that climate change is shifting snowfall to rainfall on mountains across the Northern Hemisphere. Those surges of liquid water bring a distinct set of dangers, including floods, landslides, and soil erosion. "One quarter of the global population lives in or downstream from mountainous regions," said Mohammed Ombadi, first author of the paper published today in Nature. "They are going to be directly affected by this risk." Scientists already expect climate change to increase the volume of water falling during extreme events (which typically take place over a few hours to a day), but this study is the first time researchers have looked at whether that extreme precipitation comes as rain or snow. They found that the fraction of water falling as snow decreased in mountainous regions, falling instead as rain – making mountains particularly susceptible to extreme rain hazards. They even put a number to it: For every 1 degree Celsius increase in the global temperature, researchers expect an average of 15% more rain at high elevations."

The EPA was on the cusp of cleaning up 'Cancer Alley.' Then it backed down.

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Thanks for checking in and have a great day!

- D.J. Kayser