♪♪ >> CATHY: RAIN, HEAT, RINSE AND REPEAT.

IS THAT THE BEST WAY TO SUM UP OUR CURRENT SUMMER WEATHER PATTERN?

LET'S ASK OUR NEXT GUEST, MR.

PAUL DOUGLAS.

YES, I SAID MISTER.

WHEN HE'S NOT HERE FOR HIS MONTHLY WEATHER CHATS, HE KEEPS HIMSELF BUSY WITH AERISWEATHER, THE "STAR TRIBUNE" AND, OF COURSE, WCCO RADIO.

HEY, HAPPY SUMMER.

>> HAPPY SUMMER, YEAH.

WE DAY GREEMED ABOUT THIS A FEW MONTHS AGO, THE HEAT, HUMIDITY, IT'S HERE.

>> Cathy: I LIKE IT.

OUR MUTUAL FRIEND, MARK SEELEY, WE WERE TALKING HERE THIS MORNING, IT HAS BEEN SO RIDICULOUSLY SOGGY AND HE SAID, I COULDN'T BELIEVE THIS, SOME PLACES IN MINNESOTA HAVE SEEN SO FAR IN JEWEL HERE RAINFALL TOTALS THAT ARE ABOVE NUMBER, JUST IN THE PAST 12 DAYS, REDS ROAD FALLS HAD SIX AND A HALF INCHES OF RAIN.

WHAT THE HECK?

>> YEAH, THAT'S ALMOST TWO MONTHS OF RAIN.

WE'RE STUCK IN A WET PATTERN.

EVERYTHING IS TRENDING WETTER -- >> Eric: DID YOU BRING SOMETHING THAT WOULD ILLUSTRATE ALL THIS?

>> I DID, JUST FOR YOU, ERIC.

>> Eric: OH, GOD BLESS.

>> MY COHORT ON THE RADIO, JORDANAGREEN ON THE RADIO, WE HAD A COMPANY PICNIC.

I'M INVOLVED IN TWO WEATHER COMPANIES AND WE HAD ALL THESE PLANS, GOING TO BE AT A PARK, GOING TO BE BEAUTIFUL, A LAKE, AND SO IT RAINED ON WE HAD AND WE HAD IT IN OUR PARKING LOT.

KIND OF SAD.

SHE ACTUALLY PUT LITTLE BLACK BARS OVER THE FACES SO THE EMPLOYEES WOULD NOT BE EMBARRASSED BUT -- WE HAD A GOOD TIME ANYWAY.

YOU ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES, RIGHT?

WE ARE NOT IMMUNE.

MOTHER NATURE GRANTS NO SPECIAL FAVORS TO METEOROLOGISTS, QUITE THE CONTRARY.

7th WETTEST START TO A YEAR, ANY YEAR SINCE 1872.

HERE'S HOW MUCH RAIN HAS FALLEN, HERE'S THE DEPARTURE FROM AVERAGE.

AS WET AS IT'S BEEN HERE IN THE METRO, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE, MUCH WETTER IN SOUTHERN MINNESOTA AND NATION-WIDE, I AM BLOWN AWAY BY HOW MUCH OF AMERICA RIGHT NOW IS WETTER THAN AVERAGE.

JUST ABOUT THE ENTIRE NATION EAST OF THE ROCKIES.

A FEW DRY SPOTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BUT THAT'S WHAT'S IMPRESSIVE TO ME, HAVING TRACKED THIS FOR 40 YEARS.

THE LAST 12 MONTHS, THE WETTEST ON RECORD FOR THE LOWER 48.

THE FOURTH WETTEST SUCH PERIOD HERE IN MINNESOTA.

LOOKS LIKE WE'RE HEADING INTO A SLIGHTLY WARMER, DRYER PATTERN, IN FACT, NEXT WEEK, MAY BE THE HOTTEST WEEK OF THE ENTIRE YEAR.

SO FAR, METEOROLOGICAL SUMMER SINCE JUNE 1st, WE'RE RUNNING JUST OVER A DEGREE ABOVE AVERAGE, ONLY ONE 90-DEGREE DAY, LIKE ANCHORAGE, ANCHORAGE GOT UP TO 90 FOR THE FIRST TIME, EVER.

WELL, MODERN RECORDS.

AND, YEAH, IT'S GOING TO BE STINKING HOT HERE THROUGH MOST OF NEXT WEEK.

92 BY SUNDAY, IN THE METRO.

LOOKING AHEAD TO MONDAY AND TUESDAY, EQUALLY HOT, 29S ON MONDAY AND SOME OF THE MODELS HINTING, THE EUROPEAN MODEL HINTING AT MID-90s BY THE ENDS OF NEXT WEEK.

WE COULD HAVE 97 OF THE NEXT 10 DAYS IF YOU BELIEVE THE ECMWF, THE EUROPEAN MODEL.

THOSE MODELS EQUALLY HOT.

KEEPING AN EYE ON BARRY, WHAT MAY BE A WORST-CASE SCENARIO FOR NEW ORLEANS.

HERE'S FUTURE RADAR.

BAR REEXPECTED TO STRENGTHEN INTO A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE LATE TONIGHT, TOMORROW MORNING, COME ASHORE AS A CATEGORY ONE BUT THE REAL CONCERN ISN'T SO MUCH THE STORM SURGE, IT IS THE RAIN.

IT'S MOVING AT FIVE MILES AN HOUR AND SO THE RAINFALL AMOUNTS FORECAST TO BE 10 TO 20 INCHES.

THE MISSISSIPPI IS UNUSUALLY HIGH IN NEW ORLEANS, AND IT'S LATE IN THE SEASON FOR IT TO BE SO HIGH AND THEN YOU GOT THE STORM SURGE PUSHING THE WATER ASHORE.

THE WATER HAS NOWHERE TO GO.

NO SIGNS OF, ERIK, I'M SORRY, NO CAFE THIS YEAR, NO PAUL.

>> Cathy: OH, THAT'S FINE.

>> SO IT'S GOING TO BE STINKIN' HOT THROUGH MOST OF NEXT WEEK.

CRTH 100 GROWS IS STINKIN' HOT.

>> YEAH, BUT IT'S THE HUMIDITY.

[Laughter] >> Eric: WE GET ANY BACK-SPLASH FROM THE NEW ORLEANS STUFF?

>> THAT WILL STAY AWAY.

ONCE IN A DECADE WE GET A GENTLY USED TROPICAL STORM THAT RACES NORTHWARDS BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT.

I HAVE A SON IN SEATTLE AND DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AND THEY HAD AN EARTHQUAKE THIS MORNING, 40 MILES NORTHEAST OF SEATTLE, A FAIRLY MINOR TREMOR BUT I MENTIONED TO MY SON, WALT, I SAID, DID YOU FEEL IT AND HE GOES, NO, BUT I'M PUTTING TOGETHER AN EARTHQUAKE SURVIVAL KIT.

I'M LIKE, OKAY.

KIND OF PUTS OUR COLD FRONTS AND OUR HUMIDITY AND OUR THUNDERSTORMS INTO PERSPECTIVE.

>> Cathy: IT DOES.

>> THE GROUND IS FIRM.

>> Eric: WE'LL HEAR YOU ON