Do you remember all the stories we have heard recently about the western US? I think the most recent weather story was about all the snow and rain the region received first with a vigorous winter and then with the remnants of Tropical Storm Hilary. Now? How about some pleasant, below normal temperatures to wrap up the summer. Weird, huh?

Man, it just seems like the Twin Cities can’t get a drop of rain these past couple of years

Tired of looking at the Tropics? Me too! Check out these storms in western New Mexico.

This is some monsoonal moisture, but this time of year, things are moving a little bit more from west to east. This moisture is going to get collected into a developing area of low pressure that will bring a little bit of severe weather to Oklahoma and Texas early this week.

There is a big, sloppy tropical feature blasting through the Canadian Maritimes today. Most of Canada is in the throes of a drought that has brough fires to much of the country and smoke to much of the continent. Most of Canada is in a drought, except for the Canadian Maritimes.

Of further note, the rain is falling on Friday morning instead of over the weekend as well! Red letter day in Minneapolis-St. Paul!

I will discuss this in greater detail tomorrow, but I want you to wake up with this knowledge. Hurricane Lee is not going to landfall in the States. I would worry more about that in Nova Scotia. Additionally, this does not mean that US interests on the coast are in the clear. As Lee heads to the north, be wary of rip currents and high surf as the stom heads north.

To give you an idea of the weather scenario we are in right now, I was just on a conference call with people from many parts of the country. One of the attendees from Texas was lamenting the triple digit heat that continues to boil Texans.

Here in Minnesota, I had to wear a light jacket this morning. Fall is coming, people. Eventually.

Update: Brr!

After we were looking forward to a hot couple of weeks for really most of the country, today, we can look at the outlook and see cooler air is on the horizon. Let’s hope that the cool down comes entirely at the hands of an advancing cold front and not Hurricane Lee. (I should note that it is NOT likely to be the result of Lee)

Lee, presently in the North Atlantic, already looking for a trip to the Eastern Seaboard, is a big, scary storm. He’s going to be a Cat 4 before all is said and done, and a Cat 5 is not out of the question. Fortunately, this is the forecast map for Saturday.

That coastal feature should be just enough to shunt Lee away from the coast. Remember that if you are lamenting the weekend rain out East this weekend.