Monday was the exclamation point at the end of a very soggy sentence. The bloated cherry on top of a runny sundae (flooded in butterscotch). I already miss the fair, by the way.
As a meteorologist I'm still filled with a sense of awe, dread and inevitability when I experience wild weather. But Monday's 30-minute, category 1 squall was in a different league. Gusts of 70-80 mph blew a firehose of water (and pine needles) under our doors. We spent Monday night with towels, vacuuming water off our lower-level carpeting.
Note to self: Some Minnesota counties sound sirens for tornadoes and confirmed winds gusting 70-75 mph, as well as chemical spills and nuclear accidents. Sirens were meant for outdoor use — don't depend on them to keep your family safe.
No more beastly heat or boomerang-shaped severe thunderstorms. Wednesday will be sunny and quiet with more showers and thunderstorms Thursday, maybe a half inch to 1 inch of rain.
The most comfortable days for the fair? Friday into Labor Day with dew points in the 50s. Ah, fresh air!
