A bright and breezy Sunday

If you like sunshine and highs in the 60s, we have a nice forecast for you.

Sunday highs reach the 60s across the southern half of Minnesota plus much of western Wisconsin:

Some 50s are expected in northern Minnesota, with a few upper 40s near the Canadian border. A few spots in far southern Minnesota may top 70. I expect highs in the mid to upper 60s in the Twin Cities metro area.

It’ll be breezy this Sunday afternoon, but winds won’t be as strong as they were yesterday:

Plotted values are in knots, with 19 knots equal to 22 mph.

Gusty winds and low relative humidity levels have prompted a Red Flag warning from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. this Sunday in parts of western and central Wisconsin (shaded red):

Details of the warning:

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service La Crosse WI 427 AM CDT Sun May 3 2020 ...Critical Fire Weather Conditions Expected Today in Parts of Central and Western Wisconsin... .The combination of low relative humidities and gusty winds will lead to critical fire weather conditions this afternoon. Wind gusts will be from 25 to 40 mph and humidities could be as low as 20 percent. Fire behavior could be extreme in these conditions. Burning should be avoided. WIZ033-031900- /O.NEW.KARX.FW.W.0001.200503T1600Z-200504T0000Z/ Trempealeau- 427 AM CDT Sun May 3 2020 ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN WISCONSIN... The National Weather Service in La Crosse has issued a Red Flag Warning, which is in effect from 11 AM this morning to 7 PM CDT this evening. * AFFECTED AREA...IN Wisconsin...Trempealeau. * TIMING...11 AM until 7 PM Today. * WIND...Northwest increasing to 15 to 20, gusting as high as 35 mph this afternoon. * HUMIDITY...As low as 20 to 25 percent. * TEMPERATURES...65 to 70. * IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now....or will shortly. A combination of strong winds...low relative humidity...and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.

A NWS special weather statement describes the enhanced wildfire risk today in southeastern Minnesota:

Special Weather Statement National Weather Service La Crosse WI 437 AM CDT Sun May 3 2020 IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029-032- 053>055-061-040000- Mitchell-Howard-Winneshiek-Allamakee-Floyd-Chickasaw-Fayette- Clayton-Wabasha-Dodge-Olmsted-Winona-Mower-Fillmore-Houston- Taylor-Clark-Buffalo-Vernon-Crawford-Richland-Grant- Including the cities of Osage, Cresco, Decorah, Waukon, Charles City, New Hampton, Oelwein, Elkader, Wabasha, Dodge Center, Rochester, Winona, Austin, Preston, Caledonia, Medford, Neillsville, Alma, Viroqua, Prairie Du Chien, Richland Center, and Platteville 437 AM CDT Sun May 3 2020 ...Elevated to Near Critical Fire Weather Conditions Again Today... The combination of low afternoon humidity and gusty winds will result in elevated fire weather conditions again today. Winds could gust into the 30 to 35 mph range and humidities could be as low as 20 percent. These conditions will support rapid spread of any fires that develop. Please refrain from burning.

Rain chance?

Most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will have a dry Sunday. A stray shower may clip far southwestern Minnesota late Sunday afternoon or Sunday evening.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential rain pattern Sunday and Sunday evening:

You can hear updated weather information on the MPR network, and you’ll see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.

An updated Updraft with a look at the coming week will be posted by around 9:30 a.m.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.