A summery Saturday; shower chances return Sunday, with thunder possible too
Red flag warnings western, central and northern Minn. Saturday afternoon/evening
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It’ll be an ice cream cone and flip-flop afternoon.
Saturday highs will reach the 80s in most of central and southern Minnesota plus most of western Wisconsin. The northern third of Minnesota will see mainly 70s. Many spots in the Twin Cities metro area are expected to top out in the mid 80s, which is well above our average May 1 high of 65 degrees.
Warm temps plus low relative humidity and gusty winds will elevate the danger of wildfire spread in Minnesota and western Wisconsin this afternoon and evening. The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings for much of western, northern and central Minnesota from noon to 9 p.m.:
Here are details of the red flag warning in central Minnesota from noon to 9 p.m. this Saturday:
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URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE...CORRECTED National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 940 AM CDT Sat May 1 2021 ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL MINNESOTA... .Temperatures will rise to near 90 this afternoon and RH is expected to drop to between 15 and 25 percent. Northwest winds will increase this afternoon with occasional gusts of 25 to 30 mph, resulting in a high likelihood of critical fire weather conditions. MNZ041>045-047>050-054>058-064-065-073-012230- /O.COR.KMPX.FW.W.0003.210501T1700Z-210502T0200Z/ Douglas-Todd-Morrison-Mille Lacs-Kanabec-Stevens-Pope-Stearns- Benton-Lac Qui Parle-Swift-Chippewa-Kandiyohi-Meeker- Yellow Medicine-Renville-Redwood- 940 AM CDT Sat May 1 2021 ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR BREEZY WINDS AND VERY LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY LEVELS FOR WESTERN AND PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MINNESOTA...... The National Weather Service in Twin Cities/Chanhassen has issued a Red Flag Warning, which is in effect until 9 PM CDT this evening. * AFFECTED AREA...Western and central Minnesota. * WIND...Northwest 10 to 15 mph with gusts of 25 to 30 mph. * HUMIDITY...15 to 25 percent. * IMPACTS...any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now....or will shortly. A combination of strong winds...low relative humidity...and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.
Red flag warnings have also been issued for much of North Dakota, plus portions of Wisconsin, Iowa and South Dakota.
You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR network, and you’ll see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.
Sunday rain chances
Many parts of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will see some rain at times on Sunday. There could also be a few thunderstorms, especially late Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern for Sunday and Sunday evening:
Temperature trends
Sunday highs are forecast to reach the 70s in southern Minnesota and parts of western Wisconsin, with mainly 60s in central and northern Minnesota:
Northeastern Minnesota will see highs in the 50s.
Summery dew points in the lower 50s are expected in southern Minnesota:
Back to high temperatures, Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to be around 60 on Monday, followed by lower 60s Tuesday and Wednesday. Highs around 60 are expected on Thursday and Friday.
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.
