“June-tastic” Week: Spotty thunder; Steamy “Graduation Weekend?”

83 forecast high today for the greater metro area

Source: Twin Cities NWS

64 to 68 high temps in Duluth and the North Shore

Source: Duluth NWS

Isolated T-Storms this afternoon and evening moving southward

Late Thursday & Friday AM best chance of showers & T-Storms

"Hot Front" Saturday: 90s return this weekend

Steamy too: Dew points in the 70s this weekend

Brightest 4 weeks ahead: Summer solstice occurs 2 weeks from today

"Graduation Party Weekend:" Hot & steamy, but mostly dry Saturday?

Summery evening sunset on Robinson's Bay Tuesday

Photo by Paul Huttner-MPR news

Does it get any better than this?

Back in the day in Deephaven in the '70s, we used to talk a lot about "ideal" weather when I was a kid. "What's your favorite weather?" I would have to say the consensus in the early, formative Huttner Weather Lab days was that early June is hard to beat.

-Sunny warm days & cool nights

-High in the low 80s

-Lows in the low 60s (Good sleeping weather at night)

-Comfy dew points in the 50s

-No need for heat or AC

-Lake water temps just becoming "swimmable" in the upper 60s to near 70 degrees

-Clearest summer lake water of the year (not too "weedy" yet and very little algae this early in the season)

This weather pattern we're enjoying this week reminds me of the days when we used to hop in the car and head to the "A&W Root Beer Drive In" in downtown Wayzata on mild summer evenings. After a summer evening feast of yummy burgers and root beer floats in a frosty mug, we'd get a gallon jug to take home and stash in the fridge. I can see the sweat on the side of the plastic jug...and almost taste the creamy root beer.

We'd sit on the porch at home on these long daylight summer evenings as the daylight faded, then watch the fireflies blinking and slurp another glass of tasty root beer.

Spotty thunder threat increases:

A sturdy ridge of high pressure has done a pretty good job of keeping any showers at bay this week for most of Minnesota.

The ridge is slowly starting to break down today, and spotty showers & T-Storms will gradually increase over the next 48 hours.

A few spotty T-Showers will ride from north to south along the east side of the ridge today. Keep an eye on the northern sky. If you see a dark cloud heading your way, you can probably expect a brief shower with a possible thunder clap today.

Source: Twin Cities NWS

A piece of low pressure will break off of a more potent storm near Seattle and slide east through Minnesota late Thursday into Friday. This will bring the best chance of scattered T-Storms this week.

Hot & Steamy "Graduation Weekend"

This weekend is probably the most popular graduation party weekend of the summer. It's also one of the wettest weekends of the year climatologically speaking. What can possibly go wrong there? (Thta's why so many graduation parties end up in the garage in Minnesota!)

There may be some good news for Saturday graduation parties this weekend.

A warm front will surge north Saturday. That's usually a recipe for strong thunderstorms...and that can't be ruled out as the front pushes north early Saturday morning. But it looks like the front may clear southern Minnesota by Saturday afternoon and leave a breezy and increasingly hot & humid summery air mass in its wake.

Source: Twin Cities NWS

Things could still change for the wetter, but at this point it looks like most of Saturday afternoon and evening could be dry (but hot & steamy) in the metro and southern Minnesota. Showers & T-Storms may still rumble in the north.

A cold front will carve into the hot steamy air mass by Sunday afternoon, and it looks like the best chance of strong to possibly severe storms will be Sunday PM & evening.

How can you possibly attend all those parties in one weekend anyway?

Congratulations to all the grads in the class of 2012. You've earned it!

PH