Summer’s best now, heat builds next week

Welcome to the best week and weekend of summer in Minnesota.

The weather maps are finally starting to look like July. A gathering ridge of high pressure brings sunshine and pleasant temperatures and humidity through Friday. The weekend looks like classic summer, with sun splashed skies and high in the 80s.

Meteorologists may finally get the chance to put their feet up on the Doppler and enjoy life for the first time this wacky weather year of 2014. You will be forgiven for an extra long lunch this week, or an extended spontaneous evening sunset stroll.

Weather perfection?

For most Minnesotans it just doesn't get any better than this. In the bell curve of weather the next few days are at the top. Here's a look at the protective dome of high pressure building in over the Midwest the next few days.

Talk about pure weather bliss. Sunshine, temps warming into the 80s and comfy dew points the next few days may be just what the weather doctor ordered for the storm weary Minnesota weather soul.

Five sunny, warm, dry days in a row? Somebody alert the media.

Heat builds next week

You knew the heat of summer would get here eventually. Next week marks what could be the start of a fundamental upper air pattern across North America.

A huge ridge of high pressure builds over the southwest US next week. Minnesota's position on the northern edge should assure a steady feed of increasingly hot and tropically stick air as the jet stream finally lifts north into Canada.

The resulting pattern change allows hot sticky air mass to ride north into Minnesota and southern Canada. Red finally replaces blue as the color of choice on weather maps over the Upper Midwest next week.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Global Forecast System model is cranking out some pretty impressive numbers for heat and dew points next week. Temps pushing into the low 90s, and dew points to near 70 degrees will get your (sweaty) attention by early next week. Power demand will rise on the grid as AC units kick into high gear by Sunday afternoon.

The magnitude and duration of the building heat next week is still to be determined. But get ready for a pattern that looks much more like late July than what we've shivered through early this week.