A breezy and chilly Mother's Day; freeze warning late tonight and early Monday

Wouldn’t it be nice to talk about temps in the 60s and 70s on Mother’s Day? That won’t happen this year. Mother’s Day 2020 highs will be in the 40s across most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Some spots in the Twin Cities metro area and points to the southeast may touch 50. That’s way short of our average May 10 high of 68 degrees in the Twin Cities.

It’ll be a breezy Mother’s Day, with wind gusts of 20-30 mph in many locations. Scattered showers are expected this Sunday morning in the Twin Cities metro area and southern Minnesota plus west-central Wisconsin. A few very scattered showers might also develop this afternoon in central and southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

Freeze warning Sunday night/early Monday

Winds will lighten up overnight, and lows in the 20s to lower 30s will be common early Monday morning:

Freeze warnings run from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. Monday across much of southern Minnesota and parts of central Minnesota and western Wisconsin:

Freezing temps are also expected in northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin, but the main growing season isn’t considered to have started in those areas.

Here are details of the freeze warning, which includes the Twin Cities metro area:

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 241 AM CDT Sun May 10 2020 MNZ056>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ023>028-101545- /O.NEW.KMPX.FZ.W.0003.200511T0700Z-200511T1300Z/ Chippewa-Kandiyohi-Meeker-Wright-Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-Washington- Yellow Medicine-Renville-McLeod-Sibley-Carver-Scott-Dakota- Redwood-Brown-Nicollet-Le Sueur-Rice-Goodhue-Watonwan-Blue Earth- Waseca-Steele-Martin-Faribault-Freeborn-St. Croix-Pierce-Dunn- Pepin-Eau Claire- Including the cities of Montevideo, Willmar, Litchfield, Monticello, Minneapolis, Blaine, St Paul, Stillwater, Granite Falls, Olivia, Hutchinson, Gaylord, Chanhassen, Chaska, Victoria, Shakopee, Hastings, Redwood Falls, New Ulm, St Peter, Le Sueur, Faribault, Red Wing, St James, Mankato, Waseca, Owatonna, Fairmont, Blue Earth, Albert Lea, Hudson, River Falls, Menomonie, Durand, Chippewa Falls, and Eau Claire 241 AM CDT Sun May 10 2020 ...FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 8 AM CDT MONDAY... * WHAT...Sub-freezing temperatures in the upper 20s to lower 30s expected. * WHERE...Portions of west central Wisconsin and central, east central, south central, southeast, southwest and west central Minnesota. * WHEN...From 2 AM to 8 AM CDT Monday. * IMPACTS...Frost and freeze conditions will kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing and hoses. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...There`s a good chance that sub-freezing temperatures will return again Monday night into Tuesday morning, but then temperatures will warm the rest of the week. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. Cover or drain above-ground pipes and hoses to protect them from freezing.

You can hear updated weather information on the MPR network, and you’ll see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.

Temps recover slowly

Monday highs reach the 40s in northern Minnesota, with 50s to the south:

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the mid 50s Monday, followed by upper 50s Tuesday and around 60 on Wednesday. We may hit the upper 60s Thursday and lower 70s on Friday.

Rain chances return midweek

Many areas will see some periods of rain on Wednesday, followed by scattered showers and a possible thunderstorm on Thursday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Forecast System (GFS) model shows the potential precipitation pattern Wednesday through Thursday:

Check forecast updates as we get closer to Wednesday.

Programming note

You can hear live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.