Storm damage north, metro escapes with drier breezes

A well predicted storm tore across the Red River Valley and northern Minnesota as expected overnight. The damage reports are extensive.

Here are a few storm headlines.

• Classic mesoscale convective system spawned bow echo and derecho from North Dakota through northern Minnesota.

• Widespread damage reports include trees down and power out to several Northern Minnesota communities.

• Winds gusts of 50 to 80 miles per hour recorded from Red River Valley to Duluth.

• 1 to 2 inch rainfall in an hour caused numerous local flooding reports.

National Weather Service experimental Local Storm Report mapper shows the damage swath.

Here's a closer look at some of the more intense damage reports.

• Crookston [Polk Co, MN] BROADCAST MEDIA reports TSTM WND GST of 80.00 MPH at 21 Jul, 9:20 PM CDT -- PERSONAL WEATHER STATION REPORTED AT LEAST 80 MPH. MULTIPLE 8 INCH DIAMETER TREES DOWN.

• 6 W Grand Forks [Grand Forks Co, ND] ASOS reports TSTM WND GST of 69.00 MPH at 21 Jul, 7:58 PM CDT -- PEAK WIND AT THE GRAND FORKS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. WINDOW DAMAGE REPORTED AT THE TERMINAL BUILDING.

• RED Lake Falls [Red Lake Co, MN] PUBLIC reports TSTM WND DMG at 21 Jul, 9:35 PM CDT -- NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN CITY AND POWER IS OUT.

• Thief River Falls [Pennington Co, MN] PUBLIC reports TSTM WND DMG at 21 Jul, 9:35 PM CDT -- NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN THE CITY. POWER OUT.

• BIG Sandy Lake [Aitkin Co, MN] AMATEUR RADIO reports TSTM WND DMG at 12:30 AM CDT -- SEVERAL TREES A FOOT IN DIAMETER DOWN.

• Aitkin [Aitkin Co, MN] LAW ENFORCEMENT reports TSTM WND GST of 70.00 MPH at 12:47 AM CDT -- NUMEROUS TREES DOWN THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY

• Hill City [Aitkin Co, MN] AMATEUR RADIO reports TSTM WND DMG at 12:47 AM CDT -- 8 INCH DIAMETER TREE DOWN BLOCKING HIGHWAY 169. POWER OUTAGE.

• Duluth [St. Louis Co, MN] ASOS reports TSTM WND GST of 50.00 MPH at 1:23 AM CDT --

• Embarrass [St. Louis Co, MN] LAW ENFORCEMENT reports TSTM WND DMG at 1:24 AM CDT -- TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN.

• Babbitt [St. Louis Co, MN] LAW ENFORCEMENT reports TSTM WND DMG at 1:24 AM CDT -- TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN.

UM climatologist Dr. Mark Seeley shared with me this morning that several northern Minnesota communities set daily rainfall records in the storm.

• 4.28" at Baudettee

• 2.78" at Argyle

• 2.22" at Thief River Falls

• 1.48" at Kabetogama

Here's the squall line as it moved into northeast Minnesota. Notice the bowing segments in the overall line. These are surges of high winds that caused damage.

Also note how the storms rapidly vanish near and south of St. Cloud. Though there was plenty of heat and moisture near the Twin Cities, a capped atmosphere produced a strong "instability gradient" from St. Cloud south. That meant storms could not form south of the main line and the metro escaped.

• 92 degrees - high at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Monday (hottest day of 2014 so far)

• 2nd 90 degree day so far  this year

• 9 days at or above 90 last year by this date

• 76 degrees highest dew point at MSP Airport overnight (highest of the year so far)

Free sauna

Yes it was that humid out there overnight.

You could cut it with a dull knife. It feels like walking through a steamy shower when dew points reach the tropical 70s. Dew points hit 80 in eastern North Dakota. That's literally Amazon Jungle stuff folks.

Even along Lake Superior the tropical off shore breeze mid 70s dew points all the way to the North Shore made for a sweaty days and night.

Forecast: nicer week ahead

Fresher breezes have us breathing easier today cross Minnesota. Northwest breezes bring in another comfortable Canadian air mass this week and push dew points back into the 50s and even 40s. Here's NASA's GOES 1 km resolution visible satellite shot. I've taken the liberty to overlay wind flow and dew points.

The next chance of showers rolls in Thursday night or Friday.

Good sleeping weather and free AC return by tonight. Enjoy!