Showers and thunderstorms at times

Timing is everything.

Most of us had gorgeous weather on Memorial Day, so our cemetery visits, barbecues and other outdoor activities weren't interrupted.

We have clouds and rain this morning, as we begin our short work week.

We'll have some periods of rain today, with thunder and lightning in some areas. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are also possible early this evening.

The rain is ahead of a low-pressure system and cold front moving eastward from the Dakotas:

The Storm Prediction Center of the National Weather Service indicates a marginal risk of severe weather over western Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota today and tonight:

Cooling trend

We topped out at 84 degrees yesterday at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. We'll only see highs in the 70s today over much of Minnesota, with some 60s to the north:

Areas along the north shore of Lake Superior will only reach the 50s, due to winds coming in off of the lake.

Most of northern and central Minnesota will see highs in the 60s tomorrow:

A few spots in the north might stay in the 50s.

We should reach 70 tomorrow in the Twin Cities, with a chance of afternoon showers.

Lightning

We see plenty of lightning this time of year, so I thought it would be timely to share some lightning facts.

The National Severe Storms Laboratory is a great source of thunderstorm information.

A few lightning nuggets from the severe storms lab:

Lightning can occur between opposite charges within the thunderstorm cloud (intra-cloud lightning) or between opposite charges in the cloud and on the ground (cloud-to-ground lightning).

Lightning is one of the oldest observed natural phenomena on earth. It can be seen in volcanic eruptions, extremely intense forest fires, surface nuclear detonations, heavy snowstorms, in large hurricanes, and obviously, thunderstorms.

Lightning causes thunder! Energy from a lightning channel heats the air to around 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This causes the air to rapidly expand, creating a sound wave known as thunder. The stepped leader causes the initial tearing sound, and the ground streamer causes the sharp click or crack heard at a very close range, just before the main crash of thunder.

Addition lightning information from NSSL can be found here .

It's good to have a healthy respect for lightning. The lightning threat doesn't end immediately after it stops raining.  Lightning can also strike before the rain even starts, since lightning can strike more than 10 miles from the parent thunderstorm:

One general rule is to wait at least 30 minutes after a thunderstorm passes before heading back outdoors. In some cases, another thunderstorm may be approaching, so that guideline doesn't always work!

I hope that you have a good work week!