Recent dry weather has much of Minnesota under burning restrictions
Needed rain finally targets the entire state by mid-week
Minnesota has been very dry so far this May, leading to fire concerns and burning restrictions. A shift in the weather pattern finally brings needed soaking rain back into the forecast by Wednesday.
May has been exceptionally dry, especially in potions of central and northern Minnesota, where many areas have had less than 10 percent of normal precipitation so far this month.
From May 1 to 16, Duluth normally sees 1.63 inches of precipitation, but this year the city has only seen a trace of rain during that period. This dry weather has exacerbated fire concerns and is contributing to widespread burning restrictions across the state.
Monday night and Tuesday forecast
Minnesota saw dry skies again Monday except for a couple spotty showers and storms in the Arrowhead region. With those diminishing after sunset, a dry night with lows mostly in the 50s is expected.
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Light areas of fog may develop by Tuesday morning, but it should not be as dense as the fog some areas saw Monday morning.
A storm sliding south of the state brings light rain showers to the southern half of Minnesota, especially Tuesday afternoon.
That also keeps more clouds south while northern Minnesota is likely to stay sunnier. The sunshine keeps northern Minnesota warmer, in the 80s, while the rest of the state sees highs in the 70s.
A soggier pattern
Behind Tuesday’s system, a southerly flow opens in the large-scale weather pattern.
This draws in moisture and warm air all the way from the Gulf of Mexico starting Wednesday.
Temperatures for the rest of the week are expected to remain in the 70s and low 80s.
Here is that trend through Friday for the Twin Cities:
The biggest impact from the pattern change is the arrival of the needed, soaking rain.
Rain is forecast to return across the entire state by Wednesday afternoon and increase into Thursday. Scattered showers and occasional storms are then likely to stick around through Sunday and possibly into Monday.
Through Monday, much of Minnesota can expect rain totals near an inch, with localized higher amounts, especially with thunderstorms.
While the sunshine will be limited through the weekend, the rain should make a huge dent in the recent parched conditions Minnesota has been experiencing.
You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:49 a.m., weekday mornings.