What a beautiful weekend! Saturday (May 3) started out chilly, but it ended up being a nice day for 'Christmas in May' activities in Chaska, with a high temperature of 55 degrees. Sunday was even warmer, with a high temp of 68 degrees. I saw a lot of neighbors out in their yards this weekend - a sight that I had not seen in 6 months!

Our lawn and gardens received a nice watering on Tuesday, when 0.34" of rain fell in Chaska. More rain is expected toward the weekend, with temperatures in the 60's. Let's hope for nice weather for fishing...and Mother's Day!

We're feeling hot, hot, hot! The high temperature in Chaska on Friday reached 80 degrees - for the first time since October 7, 2007. Perhaps we've finally left the cool days of early spring behind. Farmers and outdoor enthusiasts alike will certainly be pleased with this development!

Big storms in Hugo and in Coon Rapids - we certainly dodged a meteorological bullet last weekend! While we were enjoying a warm Sunday afternoon, with highs in the upper 80's (86 degrees officially in Chaska that day), temperatures in the northern metro were only in the 60's. That temperature difference set the stage for the development of some strong storms later in the day. As you have probably heard by now, two separate tornados hit Coon Rapids and Hugo on Sunday, producing major damage along with one fatality and many injuries. The National Weather Service has determined that the Coon Rapids tornado was an EF-1 on the enhanced Fujita scale (with winds up to 100 mph), while the Hugo storm was declared to have been an EF-3 (with top wind speeds of up to 165 mph). Thank God we missed that!

Our weather will slowly warm over the next few days, with highs reaching back into the 70's with a chance of thunderstorms by the end of the week. Hopefully some rain will come our way, as some local lawns have begun to look a bit dry. The last measurable rainfall in Chaska - before Saturday's 0.03" - was all the way back on May 10th when 0.78" fell in our area.

When I went for my after-work walk, I started putting on capri pants and a T-shirt but a breeze through my open bedroom window made me change my mind -- and my clothes. I wore wind pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt and was quite comfortable. Still looking forward to multiple days of tank-topped walks!

Yay!! That means I won't have to water my grass seed patches every morning and evening then.

By the way, Greg, since you gave me good advice on the dog burn spots on my lawn, what can I do about a spot of dead grass that is constantly very spongy from apparently not draining properly (even though the property management guy says it is) and has moss growing on it?

Almost half an inch of rain fell around Chaska on Friday (5/30) - 0.44" to be precise - with some hail reported in the area, and so our wet streak continues. More scattered rain and thunder is expected over the next week or so, with Sunday looking like the only "dry" day in the bunch (sunny, light winds, high around 80 degrees) so make sure you get out and enjoy it!

Some hail and heavy rain occurred in our area on Thursday, but I have not received any reports of major damage so that is good news! Chaska did receive a burst of nickel-sized hail just before 4:00 pm, and our rainfall totaled 1.12" for the storm event. Thankfully the predicted outbreak of tornadoes did not materialize in our area, although areas to our south and west did see several - I have seen reports of tornado debris blowing across I-90 near Sioux Falls SD.

We will continue to experience a good chance of rain and thunder over the next several days, so you may want to mow your lawn and pull those weeds when (if) you get the chance!

I didn't hear the rain as I went to bed on Wednesday -- I watched it and the lightning through the windshield all across Wisconsin and into Minnesota as my husband and I drove home from Indiana.

OK, so I dozed a bit while he drove. All I can say is, thank goodness I splurged on those new tires before we left -- and thank goodness he was behind the wheel while I was securely belted into the passenger seat with a pillow against the window.

My yard was fine -- but I wish I'd closed my sunroof on my car! The wind blew a whole bunch of these little tree debris things (not helicopters) into my car.

Almost half-an-inch of rain fell last weekend! On Friday and Saturday (June 27-28), Chaska received a welcome 0.48" of rain - along with a little wind. However, many lawns and gardens are still looking a little bit parched. With warmer temperatures in the forecast, let's hope for a few showers from time to time as well.

A nice rain on Monday night! We received 0.68" of rainfall overnight on Monday/Tuesday....a very welcome rainfall after a dry last half of June.

Be ready for more heat and humidity later in the week, along with a chance of thunder once again.

A litle marble-sized hail fell in Chaska last week, along with some much-needed rain (0.54" on the 10th and 0.60" on the 11th) and some wind (a peak gust of 38 mph). More rain and thunder are possible later this week....

Missed it by "that much".... Once again, a nice rain has passed us by. On Saturday afternoon, Chaska officially received just a trace of precipitation, while places as close to us as Glencoe tallied just over one inch of welcome rainfall. There is a slight chance of rain in our forecast over the next several days, along with temperatures in the middle 80's. So far things are looking pretty nice for River City Days!

Wasn't that rain nice on Friday morning? We received 1.25 welcome inches of rainfall in Chaska. The rest of the day was beautiful, which made for a great opening day for River City Days. Other than a slight chance of a shower, the rest of the weekend is looking equally nice!

It's not so much that I love the heat, but it's sure a lot easier to roll out of bed in the morning, pull on some shorts and shoes and go walk the dogs than the routine I go through in cold and snowy months (think Ralphie's little brother in "A Christmas Story").

As for rakes and snow shovels? I don't know where yours are, but can I tell you where to put them?

A dry week is coming. The 0.02" of rain we received on Sunday night may be the only rain we see for the next 5-7 days - so keep your sprinkler handy. The good news is that comfortable weather is on tap, with high temperatures around 80 and lower humidity. All in all, a very nice week is on the way!

Wonderful rain on Tuesday Aug 12! Chaska received 0.64" of very welcome rainfall on Tuesday, with 0.07" coming in the morning and 0.57" coming later in the afternoon. Unfortunately, this welcome rainfall was not wide-spread. While Chaska residents in the northern part of town were enjoying that much-needed half-inch afternoon rainfall, yards and gardens in southern Chaska received smaller amounts of rain. Still, being in the middle of a somewhat dry summer as we are, we'll take any rain that we can get. We do have a few more chances of hit-and-miss showers over the next few days. For now, however, the weekend is looking pretty nice!

So where are we at on average rainfall this summer? I noticed sandbars in the Minnesota River at the Highway 41 bridge, which means it's been a pretty dry one.

Here's a photo of the Minnesota River showing the sandbars. I don't think supplies are gonna make it through via steamboat anytime soon.