Slight Severe Risk Later Today

* Slight severe storm risk later today over the southern half of Minnesota.

* Best chance of showers/T-storms: this evening, again Thursday night and Saturday.

* Sunday appears to be the nicer day of the weekend.

* Temperatures closer to average for the next week, mostly mid 70s to near 80 for highs.


Dust Storm. Check out this amazing photo from Quinghi Province, China - at the edge of the massive Gobi desert. Looks like something out of a big budget disaster movie - the details are here.


It's been a remarkable spring. Two years ago when I suffered my own mid-life career-crisis I had no idea I'd be part of a team that launched a competitor to the Weather Channel. Life leads you in strange and often unforeseen directions.

My wife of 27 years, Laurie, turned 50 yesterday; still has the same spark, the same beautiful eyes that attracted me to her 33 years ago. Can't ponder going through life without her. I was able to win her over in spite of what was possibly the worst opening line in the history of opening lines. "Has anyone ever told you you look like Barbara Streisand?" I stammered at a post-Doobie Brothers party. She was horrified, blushed, reached for her nose. "No, I meant your EYES!" It was lame, but I guess it worked.

I hope you had a most memorable Memorial Day, arguably the nicest in years.

Hurricane season kicks off today (officially); residents of the Gulf now have to contemplate waves of oil surging inland in the months to come. Puts our thunder threat into perspective - a few severe storms may bubble up later today. We dry out Wednesday, an eastbound storm arriving with more storms Thursday night, again Saturday. Sunday looks like the nicer day of the weekend with ample sun, highs in the 70s.

Severe Risk. Some of the ingredients are converging for a possible severe weather outbreak later today, just enough low-level moisture, wind shear and instability aloft for a few (isolated) severe storms capable of large hail and damaging winds. Stay alert, stay tuned for possible watches/warnings later today.

Paul's SC Times Outlook for St. Cloud and all of central Minnesota:

Today: Unsettled, more humidity with some sun. PM storms may be strong/severe. Winds: SW 10-20. High: 81

Tuesday night: Lingering T-storms. Low: 52

Wednesday: Becoming partly sunny, comfortably mild. High: near 70

Thursday: Sun giving way to increasing clouds. Showers/T-storms late. High: 73

Friday: Mix of clouds and sun, pleasantly warm. High: 78

Saturday: Mostly cloudy with a few hours of showers, possible thunder. High: 75

Sunday: (right now it looks like the nicer day). More clouds than sun, mild enough for the lake or pool. High: 74

Monday: Lingering clouds, a few showers nearby. High: 72

Mega-Tornado. Baca County, in southeastern Colorado, was under a continuous tornado warning from 1:57 pm to 6:45 pm, nearly 5 hours, which is pretty much unprecedented. No reports of damage or injury, but that must have been one amazing supercell thunderstorm. It probably wasn't the same tornado for 5 hours, but the same rotating "parent" thunderhead spun up a family of multiple tornadoes, one after another.

Speaking of Hollywood. The Icelandic volcano shot out boulders the size of VW's Monday - if you don't believe it check out this YouTube clip. The volcano's big sister, "Katla", is starting to rumble. If this (much larger) volcano comes to life all bets are off. It's happened before, and volcanologists have been warning for weeks that a Katla eruption may be imminent.

Flood Aftermath. Tropical Storm Agatha was a moderate-size storm, but it moved slowly, pouring out some 10-20" rainfall amounts, resulting in catastrophic flash flooding. Scores of Guatemalans have been killed, over 100,000 have fled their homes - the story from MSNBC is here.

RECORD EVENT REPORT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA

610 PM EDT MON MAY 31 2010



...LEAST SNOWIEST SPRING ON RECORD AT SOUTH BEND IN...



SNOWFALL FOR THE ENTIRE SPRING SEASON OF MARCH THROUGH MAY WAS JUST

A TRACE...WHICH IS 10.4 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS IS THE FIRST

SPRING SINCE RECORDS BEGAN AT SOUTH BEND IN 1893 THAT NO MEASURABLE

SNOWFALL OCCURRED DURING THE SPRING SEASON. THE SPRING OF 2004

RECORDED JUST 0.7 INCHES OF SNOWFALL WHICH PREVIOUSLY HELD THE

RECORD FOR THE LEAST SNOWIEST SPRING AT SOUTH BEND.  

RECORD EVENT REPORT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA

605 PM EDT MON MAY 31 2010

...LEAST SNOWIEST SPRING ON RECORD AT FORT WAYNE IN...



SNOWFALL FOR THE ENTIRE SPRING SEASON OF MARCH THROUGH MAY WAS JUST

A TRACE...WHICH IS 5.8 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS TIES AS THE LEAST

SNOWIEST SPRING ON RECORD AT FORT WAYNE SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1897.

OTHER SPRING SEASONS WITH NO MEASURABLE SNOWFALL INCLUDE 1927...1946

AND 1990. 

RECORD EVENT REPORT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY

0521 PM EDT MON MAY 31 2010



...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT SYRACUSE NY...



 A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 92 DEGREES WAS SET AT SYRACUSE NY TODAY.

THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 92 SET IN 1999.

RECORD EVENT REPORT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY

0444 PM EDT MON MAY 31 2010



...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT WATERTOWN NY...



 A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 88 DEGREES WAS SET AT WATERTOWN NY

TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 86 SET IN 1999.