A lovely summer Sunday
What a lovely summer Sunday this is. Areas of dense overnight fog, mainly in central and west central Minnesota, have given way to sunny skies statewide. Expect a dry day with just some decorative cumulus clouds to develop around midday.
High temperatures this afternoon should range from the mid 70s in the north to the low 80s in the Twin Cites and the south. Humidities will be quite comfortable statewide.
Our comfortable weather is on the dry side of a slowly-moving cold front from the eastern Great Lakes to the Lower Mississippi Valley. That front will be the focus for many thunderstorms with heavy rain today from Texas and Louisiana to southern Indiana and Ohio.
Historic catastrophic flooding continues to ravage central and southern Louisiana, where some locations have received more than 20 inches of rain over the last few days. Homes are flooded, roads remain closed and lives have been lost. Although the storm center has shifted a bit to the west and north, much of the flooded area will be plagued by more rain today.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
Meanwhile, sultry weather will continue east of the cold front. Some of the worst of it will be in the mid-Atlantic States, especially in the big cities that tend to run hotter than rural areas. Heat advisories have been posted for a large area including Washington, DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Jersey, the New York City area and parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts. Those major cities are likely to see highs in the upper 90s with dew points in the mid 70s this afternoon. That combination is quite dangerous.
Back here in Minnesota, Monday will bring us temperatures just a few degrees warmer than today and not too much humidity. There will be a chance of scattered afternoon thunderstorms in the western and northern parts of the state.
A scattering of thunderstorms is likely Monday night and Tuesday, and that is when more mugginess will return.
The humidity will hang around until a cold front pushes through late this week. That front is likely to trigger numerous thunderstorms Thursday night and Friday. Some storms could be strong on Friday.
After the cold front passes, next weekend has a really good chance to be delightful again with pleasant summer temperatures and low humidity.