/Issued 1:27 PM CDT Monday July 21, 2014/
Well the heat is on!
1 PM heat index or feels like temperature around the Northland:
Duluth Harbor, MN: 96F
Duluth Airport, MN: 90F
Longville, MN: 91F
Orr, MN: 92F
Hibbing, MN: 93F
Eveleth, MN: 92F
Silver Bay, MN: 92F
Aitkin, MN: 97F
Pine River, MN: 91F
Brainerd, MN: 91F
Moose Lake, MN: 90F
Hinckley, MN: 92F
McGregor, MN: 92F
Superior, WI: 95F
Ashland, WI: 92F
Hayward, WI: 90F
Siren, WI: 90F
Very warm temperatures in the 80s and low 90s will continue into the early Evening hours over Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin, it may however turn cooler below the hill in the Twin Ports later Today as winds back toward the east as low pressure moves through the Dakotas. Dew points will hold in the 65 to 77 degree range which will lead to heat index temperatures in the 90s to low 100s over parts of the Northland through early Evening.
The other big story besides the heat and humidity is the potential for severe thunderstorms from late This Afternoon through the Overnight hours.
Low pressure tracks ENE through the Northern Plains and into the Upper Midwest Tonight while a cold front which currently sits over far NW Minnesota sags slowly toward the SE. There is also a pretty strong disturbance which will track east out of the Northern Rockies Tonight. As this system moves east it will interact with a very unstable airmass and this could lead to an active night of weather over the Northland.
I do have some concerns with the cap or warm temperatures aloft as 700mb temps are sitting in the +10 to +12C range as of midday and these temperatures could hold steady through much of the night per model guidance. The result from this is that most of the storms could stay across Northern Minnesota, Borderland, and Arrowhead regions or riding on the north edge of the cap. The other scenario would be for the storms to drive right through the cap and this would mean that thunderstorms would also affect areas farther south including the Brainerd Lakes, Twin Ports, I35 corridor, and most of Northwest Wisconsin.
Make sure you have a way to be notified should a watch or warning be issued for your area.
The potential is there for a severe weather event with damaging winds and heavy rain being the primary risks, that doesn’t mean it will happen nor that every single city, town, neighborhood will be hit, but it’s always better to be prepared just in case.
Tim
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