Weekend forecast: Quiet weekend after Friday evening storms

A severe thunderstorm watch continues in much of northwestern Minnesota and a portion of west-central Minnesota until 2 p.m. this Friday.

There have been numerous strong to severe thunderstorms this morning in northwestern Minnesota and some areas have received heavy rain. Flash flood warnings are in effect until 3 p.m. for parts of Otter Tail County and Wilkin County. (Check the National Weather Service Grand Forks, N.D., office website for warning and watch details.)

Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to spread across much of Minnesota and eventually into western Wisconsin as we go through Friday afternoon and evening. Stay aware of which county you are in if you are traveling this afternoon and evening, so that you can take cover if warnings are issued for your area.

Strong to severe thunderstorms could arrive in the Twin Cities metro area by late Friday afternoon or early Friday evening.

The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center shows an enhanced risk (beige-shaded) of severe thunderstorms across a large swath of Minnesota Friday and Friday night:

The enhanced risk of severe weather includes the western portion of the Twin Cities metro area.

Enhanced risk means that numerous severe thunderstorms are possible. Scattered severe thunderstorms are possible in the yellow-shaded area that covers most of the remainder of Minnesota and parts of western Wisconsin.

The Storm Prediction Center will update the severe weather outlook by midafternoon, and it will probably issue some additional severe weather watches as we go through Friday afternoon and evening.

Here’s the Twin Cities NWS office discussion of our severe weather risk into Friday evening:

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

As the thunderstorms spread to the east and southeast later Friday afternoon and Friday evening, you can also check for watch and warning details from the NWS offices in Duluth and the Twin Cities.

The weekend

After the storms overnight Friday night, the daylight hours of Saturday and Sunday look rain-free in most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

Far northern Minnesota may see scattered showers and thunderstorms late Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening.

Here’s the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale forecast model depiction of the potential rain pattern from Saturday afternoon through Saturday night:

Saturday highs will be mainly in the 70s, with some lower 80s in the far south:

The Twin Cities forecast high of 80 on Saturday is very close to our average Aug. 15 high of 81 degrees.

Saturday afternoon dew points will be in the relatively comfortable 50s:

Sunday highs will be in the 70s central and northern Minnesota, with lower 80s in the south:

Sunday dew points will be in the 50s:

I hope that you have a good weekend!

Programming note

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