Mild overnights for southern Minnesota as thoughts turn to gardening

Weather for the weekend will stay mild with a couple isolated rain chances.  Plus, if you’re thinking about your gardens, a look at where overnight temperatures are at across the state.

Friday’s Forecast

A weather system south of Minnesota is bringing a few light showers to southern Minnesota Friday morning that are rapidly diminishing. However, a few more isolated showers and even a couple thunderstorms could develop into the afternoon across the state.

Rain totals Friday will stay relatively low, with most of the state likely to see under a tenth of an inch of rain.
Outside of any showers, there will be sunshine, so the state will see a mix of sun and clouds during the day. Those breaks of sunshine are going to help most of Minnesota make it into the 60s for highs.

Weekend forecast

Another weather disturbance could bring a few scattered showers and storms across the state on Saturday, especially in the afternoon. 

There will also be plenty of sunshine in the morning and breaks of sunshine in the afternoon.  Sunday will stay dry and mostly sunny.  Both days will bring highs in the 60s to most of the state. 

Upcoming Rain

Most of Minnesota has seen below average precipitation for April, so rain would be beneficial for many areas right now.  The best chance for rain next week comes with a system targets Minnesota on Tuesday, but could bring rain and occasional thunderstorm chances anytime Monday through Wednesday. 

Rain totals are currently expected to be a quarter to a half inch of rain, with isolated higher amounts possible. 

Is it safe to plant yet?

Recent mild temperatures have many people thinking about their gardens and starting to plant or water, in fact an Updraft reader from Montevideo emailed on Thursday asking if it was safe to turn on outside water. 
The answer varies depending on where in Minnesota you are.  Northern Minnesota saw widespread 20s Friday morning, and the average low in International Falls right now is 31.  So, it will still be several weeks before the risks of freezes and frost diminish.
For southern Minnesota, more of the average lows now the low 40s, including the Twin Cities at an average low of 41 for April 24.  Especially with mild lows in the forecast, temperatures staying cold long enough to freeze water is very unlikely. 
It is easier to get a frost though, and some plants can be very susceptible to that.  For southern Minnesota, chances for frost are looking increasingly slim. Overnight temperatures for southern Minnesota are expected to stay in the 40s or above through next week, by which point we will be into May. 
Here is that forecast for the Twin Cities through May 2. 

The shaded blue area shows the possible range of low temperatures under different forecast models, and none of the possibilities take the lows near freezing (the dark grey line indicates freezing).  Hopefully that is helpful in making any gardening decisions!

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:48 a.m. Monday through Friday morning.