Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Bright and cool Sunday; warmer Monday

Dry stretch ahead

Much of Minnesota and western Minnesota saw frost and sub-freezing temperatures this morning.

Leaves covered in frost
Leaves are covered in frost on November 13, 2011 at the "Planten un Blomen" park in Hamburg, northern Germany
CHRISTIAN CHARISIUS/AFP/Getty Images

It’s official, the 2020 growing season is now over:

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Sunday note from the National Weather Service
National Weather Service

The official Sunday low temperature at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 31 degrees. Several locations in the metro area dropped into the upper 20s. The National Weather Service has posted dozens of Sunday lows from Minnesota and western Wisconsin here.

The Duluth NWS office posted some Sunday lows from northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin:

Cool Sunday afternoon

Our average Twin Cities high temp is 64 degrees this time of year. Many spots in the metro area are expected to top out in the mid 50s this Sunday. Afternoon highs will range from around 50 in northeastern Minnesota to around 60 in the southwest.

It’ll be breezy Sunday afternoon in northwestern Minnesota; an approaching low pressure system will give them gusts over 20 mph. Fairly light winds are expected Sunday afternoon in the Twin Cities metro area and points to the south and east of the metro.

Shower chances limited

Most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will have a rain-free Sunday. Scattered showers are possible in far northern Minnesota Sunday night, and the north could see additional scattered showers Monday afternoon and evening.

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

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Simulated radar Sunday evening through Monday evening
NOAA, via Tropicaltidbits.com

The Twin Cities metro area could see an isolated shower Monday evening or Monday 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.

Windy and warmer Monday

Monday highs reach the 70s in much of western Minnesota, with a lot of 60s elsewhere:

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Monday forecast highs
National Weather Service

Wind gusts of 25 to 35 mph are expected in the Twin Cities metro area and much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin Monday afternoon:

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Monday 1 p.m. forecast wind gusts
National Weather Service

Plotted values are in knots, with 26 knots equal to 30 mph.

Temperature trends

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to be in the upper 60s Monday, followed by around 70 on Tuesday, mid 60s Wednesday and Thursday, and then mid 70s on Friday

Warmer than normal temps may linger next weekend and into the following week. The NWS Climate Prediction Center shows a strong tendency for above-normal temps in Minnesota and Wisconsin from Oct. 11 through Oct. 17:

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Temperature outlook Oct. 11 through Oct. 17
NWS Climate Prediction Center

Fall colors

We’re seeing some vibrant fall colors across much of Minnesota right now. Here’s the latest fall color report from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources:

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Fall colors Saturday
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Keep in mind that all deciduous trees are included in the fall color report, not just maples.

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.