Warmer, drier weather likely in the week ahead

Odds are you’re paying more for homeowner’s insurance than you did 20 years ago. Inflation? No. More natural disasters, specifically damaging hail and flooding. But Minnesota is in good shape compared with Houston, just whacked (again) by a damaging hurricane named Beryl.

Miami and New Orleans are especially vulnerable with rising seas and increasingly intense hurricanes, but there is no major metropolitan area quite like Houston. Twenty-six FEMA disasters in the past 41 years, eight since 2015. It turns out paving over wetlands and swamps was suboptimal; water from tropical systems and even garden-variety thunderstorms has nowhere to go.

A stray thunderstorm can’t be ruled out later Tuesday, but thunderbangers won’t be as widespread as Monday. There’s a small chance of thunder late Wednesday; more storms bubble up by Saturday as daytime highs top 90 over much of Minnesota. But most of this week will be quiet, with highs in the 80s — normal for early July. Our flood (and severe storm) risk will be low into next week. Good news, indeed.