Nice Saturday afternoon; most of Sunday looks dry

Rainy Monday, with cooler temps this coming week

Remember last Saturday? Minnesota had strong winds and a lot of highs in the 30s. There was a mix of rain and snow in the Twin Cities, and parts of northern Minnesota had several inches of snow.

This Saturday will be much nicer, with mild temperatures and reasonable wind speeds. Parts of eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin will have some off and on morning showers, with a few showers lingering in far southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin into early Saturday afternoon.

Listen for updated weather information on the MPR network, and you’ll also see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.

Temperature trends

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Saturday highs will reach the 50s across the northern third of Minnesota, with 60s in central and southern Minnesota plus west-central Wisconsin. Many spots in the Twin Cities metro area will probably top out in the mid 60s, which is well above our average Oct. 19 high of 57 degrees.

Northern and central Minnesota reach the 50s Sunday afternoon, with some 60s to the south:

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Sunday forecast highs
National Weather Service

Cooler temps are in the forecast next week. Twin Cities highs are projected to reach the mid 50s on Monday, followed by 40s Tuesday through Friday.

Rain chances late Sunday

Some rain showers will probably move into parts of western Minnesota as we go through Sunday afternoon, then spread eastward Sunday evening. Some showers could arrive in the Twin Cities metro area after sunset on Sunday. Periods of rain are likely Sunday night and Monday in Minnesota and western Wisconsin, with an isolated thunderstorm also possible.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Global Forecast System (GFS) model shows the potential precipitation pattern from Sunday afternoon through Monday evening:

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NOAA GFS precipitation rate Sunday afternoon through Monday
Tropicaltidbits.com

We could see lingering showers into Tuesday morning.

Flooding along the Red River

Flood warnings continue for many North Dakota and Minnesota counties that border the Red River:

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Flood warnings continue along the Red River
National Weather Service

You can get flood warning details by clicking on the map at the NWS Grand Forks, N.D., site.

Hydrographs of recent and forecast river levels can be found here. The Saturday morning hydrograph shows that the Red River will slowly fall this weekend:

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, Saturday morning hydrograph for East Grand Forks, Minnesota
National Weather Service

Fall color update

There’s still some great fall color in portions of Minnesota, according to the latest fall color report from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources:

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Fall colors Friday
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Keep in mind that the fall color report includes all deciduous trees, not just maples. A Wisconsin fall color report is also available.

This colorful display was captured Friday in St. Paul:

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Friday fall colors in St. Paul
Ron Trenda

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:49 a.m. Thursdays and Fridays and at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.