Weather perfection? May likely warmer than average
May, more than any other month of the year, wants us to feel most alive. - Fennel Hudson
We earn our springs in Minnesota. And if we get credit for enduring last winter's seemingly eternal wrath, this is going to be the Mother of all Springs.
Ask a Minnesotan about their idea of weather perfection and you'll get many different answers. But the highest consensus will emerge around sunny, mild days with low humidity and highs in the 70s.
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By that measure, we're about to enjoy some of the finest weather of the year in Minnesota in the next few weeks.
Almost perfect
The next several days border on weather perfection. Lazy high pressure drifts overhead. May air masses in Minnesota are often the most pleasantly mild and dry of the year. Highs in the 70s rule most of Minnesota for the next several days.
Minor rain chances
Two primary chances for rain emerge in the next few days. System No. 1 clips southern Minnesota overnight. A minor low-pressure wave may bring a few spotty light showers Saturday. Aside from those two minor systems, our forecast is all sunshine and daffodils.
This Canadian model loop from Thursday evening into Sunday picks up on the two systems, and the mostly clear skies in between.
Warm May
The first days of May are trending about 7 degrees warmer than average in Minnesota. The upper-air pattern favors a warmer than average pattern for much of the month. Highs near 80 look likely again by around May 13 to 15.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center's outlooks favor warmer-than-average temperatures across most of the U.S. through mid-May.
The week 3-4 outlook continues the mild trend.
The NOAA Global Forecast System's 16-day product is cranking out highs in the 80s by mid-May. The possibility of another frost in the Twin Cities and much of southern Minnesota looks very slim.
Enjoy this amazing stretch of weather. We've earned it.