Strong thunderstorms in some areas Saturday night; warm & windy on Sunday

Parts of west-central and southern Minnesota will see some strong to severe thunderstorms late Saturday evening and during the overnight hours of Saturday night.

The NWS Storm Prediction Center shows an enhanced risk of severe weather for Saturday night in parts of west-central and southern Minnesota. “Saturday night” in NWS lingo ends at 7 a.m. on Sunday.

Here’s the Twin Cities NWS depiction of the Saturday night severe weather risk, with the enhanced risk area shaded beige:

Enhanced risk means that numerous severe thunderstorms are possible:

The yellow-shaded area on the NWS map shows where there is a slight risk of severe weather, and it includes the southwestern portion of the Twin Cities metro area. Thunderstorms may hold off until after 11 p.m. or midnight this Saturday in the Twin Cities metro area.

Parts of southern Minnesota may also see some heavy rain overnight Saturday night.

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

Information on any severe weather watches that may be issued Saturday evening or overnight Saturday night can be found on the NWS Storm Prediction Center site, and information will also be posted by the NWS offices in Sioux Falls, the Twin Cities and La Crosse.

Here’s a safety reminder for people who may be camping Saturday night:

After sunrise on Sunday, it’s possible that a few showers and an isolated thunderstorm will remain over far eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Sunday afternoon looks rain-free in most areas, with a shower/isolated thunderstorm chance in northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin.

Warmer on Sunday

Our Saturday high at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 78 degrees. That was two degrees above our average Sept. 5 high temp. It felt great, since it was accompanied by comfortable dew points and plenty of sunshine.

Sunday highs are expected to reach the lower 80s in the Twin Cities and we’ll share 80s with roughly the southern half of Minnesota:

A few spots in far southern Minnesota could touch 90, and there will be a lot of 70s in northern Minnesota.

Dew points will be in the sticky 60s in the warmest areas Sunday afternoon:

Winds pick up Sunday afternoon, gusting over 22 mph in the Twin Cities metro area and possibly close to 45 mph in far northwestern Minnesota:

The plotted wind gust are in knots, with 20 knots equal to about 23 mph and 39 knots equal to around 45 mph.

A few showers and an isolated thunderstorm could linger over far eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin early Sunday morning.

Temperature trends

Labor Day highs will be in the 50s in most areas, with lower 60s in the Twin Cities and points to the south and east:

Southern Minnesota has the best chance of some showers on Monday, with a chance of scattered showers to the north.

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to be in the mid 50s Tuesday and Wednesday. That wasn’t a typo. Temps recover a bit after that, with highs in the lower 60s Thursday and upper 60s on Friday.

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.