Weather whiplash? This is Exhibit A

Welcome to the Land of Meteorological All or Nothing. Feast or famine. Drought or flood. Not much in between. We’ve gone from the fourth-driest stretch of weather since April 1 in 2023 to the second-wettest April 1 to July 26 in 2024, at least since modern-day records began in 1871. The very definition of weather whiplash. Is a warming climate sparking more back and forth? Thirty years ago climate scientists predicted wets would get wetter and dries would get drier, which is what we’re seeing on our weather maps today. I hate when the experts are right.

Persistent rains have kept us cooler than average, but that is about to change. The heat wave gripping much of America will expand northward, and I see three to five days at or above 90 degrees from tomorrow into next Saturday.

The metro area should experience a mostly dry weekend, but Sunday thunderstorms flare up from Alexandria to Brainerd, rumbling into the metro Sunday night and Monday. Wildcard: Western wildfires will push smoke into Minnesota into much of August. Lovely.