Periods of rain and thunder this week

The official high temp at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 84 degrees on Sunday.

That's 15 degrees warmer than our average May 14 high of 69 degrees, and 84 would be a typical Twin Cities high temperature in July.

It was even warmer in parts of west-central Minnesota and southwestern Minnesota:

Much of southern Minnesota will see highs in the 80s on Monday:

70s will be common elsewhere, but northeastern Minnesota will see some 60s.

Some spots close to Lake Superior could top out in the 50s.

Periods of rain this week

Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible Monday afternoon, with more widespread rain and embedded thunderstorms Monday night and early Tuesday.

Another round of rain and thunderstorms is expected Tuesday night.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's North American Mesoscale Forecast system model shows the potential rain pattern:

Rainfall totals from Monday through Tuesday night could be from 1 to 2 inches in some areas, especially in southern Minnesota:

Locally heavier amounts are possible in areas that get a series of thunderstorms.

Additional rain is expected on Wednesday and Wednesday night, so parts of Minnesota could see rainfall totals of 3 to 4 inches this week.

Severe weather outlook

The Storm Prediction Center of the National Weather Service shows a marginal risk of severe weather over southern and central Minnesota Monday and Monday night:

The main severe weather window in Minnesota would tend to be from late Monday afternoon through Monday night.

Another batch of strong to severe thunderstorms is possible late Tuesday and Tuesday night. We'll keep you updated on Minnesota Public Radio.

This will be a good week to keep your NOAA weather radio nearby; it will wake you up if warnings are issued for your area while you're asleep.