Weekend forecast: comfortable afternoon temps; mostly dry
Fall color update for leaf-peepers
Our weekend temperatures won’t be very far from normal. The average Twin Cities high temperature is 70 degrees on Sept. 19. We’re expecting the metro area highs in the upper 60s this Saturday.
Most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will see Saturday highs in the 60s, with some 70s in western Minnesota:
Winds pick up a bit Saturday afternoon, with gusts of 16 to 26 mph:
Plotted values are in knots, with 19 knots equal to 22 mph and 23 knots equal to around 26 mph.
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Sunday highs reach the 70s in most of Minnesota, with 60s in northeastern Minnesota and parts of western Wisconsin:
A few spots in southwestern Minnesota may top 80 degrees Sunday afternoon.
It’ll be windy Sunday afternoon, with gusts of 20 to 30 mph:
Dry weekend in most areas
Most of the weekend is expected to be dry. A few scattered showers may develop in parts of western Minnesota Sunday afternoon, then spread eastward Sunday evening and overnight Sunday night. Any shower in the Twin Cities metro area would probably hold off until after sunset on Sunday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model model shows the potential rain pattern Sunday afternoon through 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.
Fall colors
We’re seeing spotty fall color in the Twin Cities metro area, but our peak fall colors don’t typically arrive in the metro area until sometime in October.
Fall colors are really popping in parts of northern Minnesota. Here’s the latest fall color report from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources:
The areas shaded yellow are showing the most changeover to fall colors at this point. Keep in mind that all deciduous trees are included in the fall color report, not just maples.
Here are some fall color details for Banning State Park, near Sandstone, Minn.:
Where to go
Blueberry slide trail is a great option for a short hike with river views. Trillium Alley is a nice trail to add on to other hikes its fairly short but has lots of maples that are showing alot of color right now!What you'll see
Colors are popping but are patchy. We are noticing more color along the river with some bright reds and oranges mixed in with yellows
The Wisconsin fall color report can be found here.
Programming note
You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.