A cool weekend; Saturday shower chances highest to the south
Temps rebound this week
Many people have outdoor plans this weekend, and they want to know if it’ll rain.
Saturday rain chances will be highest in southwestern and south-central Minnesota, with parts of southeastern Minnesota getting wet later in the day. The Twin Cities metro area could be clipped by a shower later this afternoon and this Saturday evening, but many spots in the metro area are likely to have a dry Saturday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening:
It’ll probably rain in some spots that look dry in the NAM loop, but the loop illustrates the general rain pattern that’s expected Saturday afternoon and evening.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
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.
Mother’s Day looks dry in most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin, with an isolated shower possible late Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening in far southern Minnesota.
Temperature trends
Cool again.
Our average Twin Cities high temp is 67 degrees on May 8. Metro area highs will reach the upper 50s to around 60 this Saturday. Most of Minnesota will see Saturday highs in the 50s, but some spots in western Wisconsin could touch 60.
Sunday highs will be mainly in the 50s. The Twin Cities metro area and points to the south and east could touch 60:
There’ll be some 40s in northeastern Minnesota.
Sunday afternoon wind gusts will be in the 14-18 mph range in many areas:
Plotted gusts are in knots, with 13 knots equal to 15 mph.
Back to temperatures, Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the upper 50s Monday, followed by lower 60s Tuesday, mid 60s Wednesday, upper 60s Thursday and around 70 on Friday.
We may see above-normal temps next weekend into the start of the following week. The NWS Climate Prediction Center shows a tendency for above-normal temps in the southern half of Minnesota and much of Wisconsin from May 15 through May 21:
First week temp contrasts
Our official Twin Cities high temp has reached 70 degrees or warmer on just 2 of the first 7 days this month. In April, we had highs of 70 or warmer on 5 of the first 7 days.
We did have a summery high of 87 degrees in the Twin Cities last Saturday, but that has been followed by much cooler weather.
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.