Weekend forecast: Cool, with Saturday p.m. rain chances
Early morning frost is possible
I’ve talked to people who are really enjoying this cool weather. It’s been great for cycling, walking, running and outdoor projects.
If you’ve already put some tender plants into your garden, you might want to cover them up tonight (Friday night) to protect them from frost. Low temps early Saturday morning will be in the 20s in much of northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin, with 30s elsewhere in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The official temp is measure 5 feet above the ground, but temps near the ground can be several degrees cooler than that official temp…especially if winds are very light. Tender potted plants can be brought indoors to protect them from frost; even bringing potted plants into your garage will keep them a bit warmer.
Weekend temps and winds
Our average Twin Cities high temp is 67 degrees on May 8. Metro area highs may only reach the upper 50s this Saturday. Most of Minnesota will see Saturday highs in the mid to upper 50s, with 60 possible in parts of western Wisconsin:
Saturday afternoon wind gusts will be highest in southwestern Minnesota, where they could top 20 mph:
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Plotted gusts are in knots, with 12 knots equal to about 14 mph.
Sunday highs will be mainly in the 50s, with 60 degrees possible in the Twin Cities and points to the east and southeast:
There’ll be some 40s near Lake Superior.
Sunday afternoon wind gusts will be in the 14-18 mph range in most areas:
Weekend rain chances?
Rain showers will spread into portions of west-central and southwestern Minnesota by Saturday afternoon. The rain shower coverage expands eastward by late Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern Saturday and Saturday evening:
One forecast model also shows an isolated shower chance in roughly the southern third of Minnesota Sunday afternoon. Another forecast model keeps Minnesota and western Wisconsin dry on Sunday.
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.
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.