"In early June the world of leaf and blade and flowers explodes, and every sunset is different," wrote American writer John Steinbeck in "The Winter of Our Discontent." Everything has been perfect. Except for the smelly pall of smoke snaking southward out of Canada into Minnesota. It kept skies gray much of the weekend, sparking fire engine red sunsets. Will this be another smoky sunset as northern blazes go unchecked? A flood or drought summer? Yes.
June is the wettest month of the year for most of Minnesota with 4 to 5 inches of rain on average. It's our peak severe month, too, with the most reports of hail, tornadoes and damaging winds — 80% to 90% of all wind damage comes from straight-line winds, which can exceed 100 mph.
A few severe storms may push into far western Minnesota later Monday with metro rumbles Monday night. After a shot at 90 degrees Monday, some half-inch to 1-inch rains arrive Tuesday; heaviest southeast of MSP.
I see mostly 70s later this week with periods of smoke. BTW, all that smoke kept us a bit cooler last weekend.
