Warm Tuesday, then temperatures dive

Most of Minnesota stays warm and windy Tuesday, but temperatures dive again by Wednesday behind a strong cold front.

Tuesday’s Forecast

Tuesday started seasonable and even slightly above average for much of Minnesota, with morning lows mostly in the 50s and 60s. 

Temperatures stay well above average for most of the state, despite a strong cold front making its way south across the state Tuesday. That front is already through northwestern Minnesota as of Tuesday morning, so the northern edge of the state only sees highs in the 60s. 

Ahead of the front, strong winds out of the south warm the rest of the state into the 70s and 80s. That southerly wind component keeps especially southern Minnesota windy, with gusts over 30 mph at times.

The front moving through does not have much moisture with it, so rain is not expected, but northern Minnesota is seeing a few more clouds. 

The rest of the state can expect mostly sunny skies, although there is still some haze in the upper atmosphere from the fires on the West Coast.

Colder weather returns

The cold front finally passes through southern Minnesota by Wednesday morning, making the entire state colder. 

Northern Minnesota sees highs in the 50s, while southern Minnesota will cling to a few low 70s Wednesday, because the coldest air will not funnel that far south until Thursday.

By Thursday, the entire state sees highs only in the 50s and 60s, which is at least 10 degrees below average for most of Minnesota. Overnight temperatures also turn cold, with frost and freeze concerns for northern Minnesota Thursday and Friday mornings.

Temperatures slowly warm closer to average as we head toward the weekend. 
Here is that temperatures trend for the Twin Cities:

Mostly sunny skies prevail the rest of the week, with only spotty rain chances toward the weekend.

Programming note

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