Weekend forecast: No all-day rains this holiday weekend
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It’s not unusual to see some rain during Memorial Day weekend. The Minnesota State Climatology Office looked at Memorial Day weekends from 1971 through 2019 and found measurable rain in the Twin Cities on 45 percent of the Saturdays and Sundays and 33 percent of the Memorial Days over that stretch:
These stats are for the entire calendar day, so there were probably a few days when the rain fell before sunrise or after sunset and it didn’t interfere with most outdoor plans.
Rain opportunities
Rain is expected to be scattered in Minnesota and western Wisconsin on Saturday, with an afternoon and evening thunderstorm also possible.
Episodes of rain are expected in many areas on Sunday, with some embedded thunderstorms at times. We’ll also see some areas of rain on Memorial Day, along with a thunderstorm chance.
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It’s important to note that we’ll have many more dry hours than wet hours this Memorial Day weekend.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows this potential rain pattern Saturday through Monday afternoon:
The NAM loop shows the general pattern for the Memorial Day weekend rain, but timing and coverage will vary. The amount of cloud cover during peak heating hours will be a big factor in the number and intensity of thunderstorms.
You can hear updated weather information on the MPR network, and you’ll see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.
Temperatures
Our average Twin Cities high temperature is 71 degrees on May 23. We’ll probably top out in the mid to upper 70s in the metro area this Saturday. Most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will have Saturday highs in the 70s:
Some 60s are expected near Lake Superior.
Sunday highs top 80 degrees in the Twin Cities metro area and southeastern Minnesota into western Wisconsin:
Highs in the 70s are expected in the remainder of Minnesota. Dew point temperatures will be in the 60s in central and southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin on Sunday, so it’ll feel very summery.
Memorial Day highs reach the 80s in the metro area and points to the southeast and east, with 70s elsewhere:
Dew points will be in the 60s in the areas that have highs in the 80s on Monday.
I hope that you have a relaxing and safe Memorial Day weekend.
