Paul Douglas On Weather
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4th of July Outlook

Monday morning could be quite noisy with scattered showers and storms through the first half of the day, some of which could be strong to severe with heavy rainfall. The good news is that things should clear out a bit as we head through the day. There could be a few isolated thunderstorms later in the afternoon/evening, but at this point it should be fairly isolated.

Severe Threat 4th of July Monday

According to NOAA's SPC, there is a risk of strong to severe thunderstorms in the morning and again later in the day. Gusty winds and hail with be the primary threat along with heavy rainfall. There could be another round of isolated strong to severe storms later in the day, especially across southeastern MN.

4th of July Outlook

The weather outlook for the 4th of July Monday looks unsettled across the state. Scattered showers and storms will be possible, some of which could be strong to severe early in the day with locally heavy rainfall. Highs will warm into the 70s and 80s across much of the state with some 90s possible in the Southwest corner. The high temp in the Twin Cities will warm into the upper 80s, which will be nearly +5F above average.

Unsettled 4th of July Monday

Here's the weather outlook from 12AM to 7PM Monday, which shows a strong line of thunderstorms moving through the Upper Midwest through the first half of the day. there could be a few more storms later in the afternoon/evening that could be a little on the stronger side as well.

Precipitation Potential Through Tuesday

Here's the extended rainfall potential through Tuesday. Several round of thunderstorms may be possible with locally heavy pockets of rain here and there across the region. Some locations could see up to an inch of rain or more through the 4th of July.

Precipitation Departure From Average Since Jan. 1st

Here's the precipitation departure from average so far this year. Note the Twin Cities is more than -2.25" below average so far this year, but just an hour north, St. Cloud is nearly +6.00" above average, which is good enough for the 8th wettest start to any year on record there.

Minnesota Drought Update

Here's the latest drought update across Minnesota. Thanks to a dry June across much of southern Minnesota, including the Twin Cities, abnormally dry conditions have popped up. There is even a sliver of moderate drought in extreme southern MN.

Meteograms for Minneapolis

The hourly temps for Minneapolis on Monday shows temperatures starting in the low/mid 70s and warming to the mid 80s by the afternoon. Showers and storms will be likely in the morning, some of which could be strong to severe with locally heavy rainfall. Things should settled down in the afternoon, but a few isolated strong to severe storms will be possible later in the day. Southerly winds could be a bit breezy with gusts approaching 20mph.

Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis

The extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis shows at or slightly above average temperatures in the Twin Cities metro over the next few days. The warmest and most humid day will be the 4th of July Monday with highs warming into the upper 80s.

Extended Weather Outlook For Minneapolis

The extended weather outlook over the next 7 days shows at or slightly above average temperatures through most of next week. there will also be rounds of showers and thunderstorms, especially through the first half of next week. Note that some of the rains could be locally heavy as well.

Extended Temperature Outlook For Minneapolis

According to the ECMWF & GFS extended temperature outlook, temps over the next few days will be near average. Temperatures look to gradually warm as we head into mid July with a few more 90s possible.

8 to 14 Day Temperature Outlook

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows above average temps across much of the Central US.

8 to 14 Day Precipitation Outlook

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 Day precipitation outlook shows more active weather in place from the Desert Southwest.

4th of July T-Showers. A Few Strong Storms
By Todd Nelson, filling in for Douglas.

It's the4th of July. Today we celebrate America's 247th birthday with parades, BBQs and lots of fireworks! Hard to believe, but Americans will consume nearly 150 million hotdogs today and nearly 68 million cases of beer. Hiccup!

According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, nearly 14,000 fireworks displays will brighten tonight's sky. Atmospheric Environment says that this will boost this evening's air pollution by nearly 42 percent. The most dangerous type of air pollution, PM2.5, can be nearly 8 to 10 times higher following a large firework display.

Mother nature will get in on the action today as well with scattered showers and storms through the first half of the day. Keep in mind that some of the storm could be a little on the vigorous side with locally heavy rainfall. The good news is that much of the inclement weather will fade by the time you light the grill this afternoon. The week ahead looks warm & somewhat sticky with spotty rain and rumble chances. Sounds perfectly like summer.

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Extended Forecast

MONDAY: Scattered storms, some strong. Winds: S 5-10. High: 88.

MONDAY NIGHT: Showers & storms likely. Winds: S 5-10. Low: 70.

TUESDAY: Partly sunny. Isolated t-showers. Winds: ENE 5-10. High: 86.

WEDNESDAY: Mix of sun and clouds. PM Rumbles. Winds: ESE 5-10. Wake-up: 68. High: 85.

THURSDAY: Spotty t-storm possible. Winds: NNE 5-10. Wake-up: 69. High: 86.

FRIDAY: Drying out. Warm temps. Winds: ENE 5-10. Wake-up: 66. High: 85.

SATURDAY: Summerlike. A few PM t-showers. Winds: SE 10-15. Wake-up: 65. High: 86.

SUNDAY: Partly cloudy. Isolated pm rumble. Winds: SSW 10-15. Wake-up: 66. High: 90.

This Day in Weather History

July 4th

1999: Severe winds knock down millions of trees in the BWCA, injuring 19 people.

1962: An extremely heavy downpour falls at Jackson, dumping 7.5 inches of rain in two hours.

Average High/Low for Minneapolis

July 4th

Average High: 83F (Record: 101F set in 2012)

Average Low: 65F (Record: 43F set in 1972)

Record Rainfall: 2.27" set in 1900

Record Snowfall: None

Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis

July 4th

Sunrise: 5:32am

Sunset: 9:02pm

Hours of Daylight: ~15 hours & 29 minutes

Daylight LOST since yesterday: ~ 55 seconds

Daylight LOST since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 8 minutes

Moon Phase for July 4th at Midnight

1.8 Days Before First Quarter Moon

See more from Space.com HERE:

National High Temps Monday

The weather outlook on Monday shows at or slightly above average temperatures settling in across much of the Central US with some showers and storms as well. The coolest weather will be found along the West Coast with highs running nearly -5F below average for early July.

Severe Threat Monday

According to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center, there is a risk of strong to severe thunderstorms across the High Plains and Midwest with large hail, damaging winds and even some tornadoes.

Severe Threat Tuesday

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has highlighted another risk of strong to severe storms across the High Plains and the Midwest over to the East Coast.

National Weather Outlook

Weather conditions through the Tuesday will be quite unsettled across the Front Range of the Rockies into the Midwest. Some of the storms could be strong to severe with locally heavy rainfall. There will also be strong to severe storms early next week with locally heavy rain in the Northeast.

Extended Precipitation Outlook

According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, areas of heavier precipitation will be found across the northern tier of the nation, through the Midwest, Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. Also note the heavy rainfall across the Mid-Atlantic States, this is in association with Tropical Storm Colin.

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See more from Science Alert HERE:

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