Minnesota’s Weather Authority has placed a Forecast First ALERT in forecast for Monday.

HEAT: An Excessive Heat Warning is in effect through 8pm on Monday.

Monday will begin with Mostly sunny skies. It won’t cool off that much overnight Sunday, so there’s no real nighttime relief from the mugginess. Monday will likely be the hottest day of the entire summer. Highs will reach the mid 90s, and heat indices could range from 100 to 110 degrees across parts of the state. In the metro, Monday afternoon heat indices near 105 degrees are expected.

Heat is the number 1 weather related cause of fatalities. As always, remember to listen to your body. If you start to feel too hot, find some shade or air conditioning. Make sure you are checking in on the very young and very old in your family and community. Heat can take a toll quickly on kids and the elderly. Above all, remember to stay hydrated and drink plenty of water if you are going to be outside.

STORMS: Into the evening and nighttime hours of Monday, attention then to the potential of strong to severe storms arriving. As of now, most of Minnesota and Western Wisconsin is in an Enhanced Risk (Level 3 out of 5) for severe storms. The current expectation is for severe storms developing across western Minnesota before sunset Monday evening, then moving eastward towards the metro after sunset into the overnight hours.
STORM THREATS: The greatest risk factor is hail. Very large hail of 2 to 3 inches in diameter is possible across the enhanced risk zone. For reference, this would be golf ball to baseball sized hail. Damaging winds, heavy rain, and isolated spin up tornadoes are also possible.

As always, stay tuned to Minnesota’s Weather Authority for changing conditions with heat and storm chances into the new week.