Dry Friday then a Saturday soaker; pushing 60 by Monday?

Parts of Minnesota could see more than an inch of rain Saturday

NOAA GFS precipitation forecast by midday Sunday
NOAA GFS precipitation forecast by midday Sunday
NOAA via pivotal weather

Friday brings another dry day to Minnesota. The weather maps crank up another wet system for Saturday.

Many of us could see an inch of rain with Saturday’s soaker. Sunday trends drier but stays blustery. Monday may renew your faith in the season formerly known as spring.

Brighter, milder days are ahead. April starts in one week. Spring is coming. We welcome every piece of good weather, and news, these days.

Boundary Waters sunset in late June
Boundary Waters sunset in late June.
Paul Huttner | MPR News

Dry Friday

Friday looks like another good day to get outside for some quality, socially distant, exercise. Much of Minnesota will see mix of sun and clouds. Highs reach the 40s north and 50s south.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.

High temperature forecast Friday afternoon
High temperature forecast Friday afternoon
NOAA

Soggy Saturday

Our next weather system blows-in Saturday. A strong, wrapped up low-pressure storm tracks from Omaha, Neb., to Green Bay, Wis., this weekend. That’s a perfect track for heavy snow in Minnesota. But this system looks warm enough for mostly rain.

A few showers may pop up in southern Minnesota Friday night. The bulk of rain breaks out in southern Minnesota Saturday morning and spreads into the Twin Cities by midday. The heaviest rains spread across Minnesota Saturday afternoon and evening.

NOAA’s GFS model paints the rain — and snow — zones through this weekend.

NOAA GFS model Friday evening through Sunday morning
NOAA GFS model Friday evening through Sunday morning
NOAA via tropical tidbits

Local downpours

This system looks strong enough to produce some potentially convective cores. We could hear a clap of thunder, and locally heavy downpours look likely. Many of us will pick up and inch of rain, and we could see some local 2-inch totals.

NOAA’s GFS model lays out some hefty rainfall totals by midday Sunday.

NOAA GFS precipitation forecast by midday Sunday
NOAA GFS precipitation forecast by midday Sunday
NOAA via pivotal weather

Milder next week

Our weather mellows early next week. Highs push toward the 60-degree mark in southern Minnesota Monday.

High temperature forecast Friday
High temperature forecast Monday
NOAA

Temperatures in the 50s hang around most of next week.

Early severe weather season?

If you’ve been watching temperatures south of Minnesota, you know it’s been unusually warm across the central and southern Plains. Highs reached the 90s Thursday as far north as Oklahoma.

Temperatures Thursday afternoon
Temperatures Thursday afternoon
Oklahoma Mesonet

The clash of extreme air masses can be fuel for severe weather outbreaks. I have a hunch we may be seeing severe weather watches and warnings visit Minnesota earlier than usual this spring.

Stay tuned.