Rainy, chilly weather for Thursday

The southern half of Minnesota sees persistent rain Thursday, and the same weather system keeps the entire state chilly.

A cold and rainy Thursday

A storm moving south of Minnesota is bringing widespread rain to the southern half of the state as of 7 a.m.

Although there could be a couple isolated thunderstorms during the day, this is primarily a rain event, with showers continuing through the day Thursday then starting to diminish overnight as the storm moves off.

Because of the position of the storm, rain lessens as you head north, with the northern edge of the state likely to remain dry and possibly seeing a couple breaks of sunshine during the day.

Most of southern Minnesota can expect a half-inch to an inch of rain, with a few higher amounts likely under persistent rain bands and for the southeastern corner of the state.

Meanwhile, the recent cooler air that spread across Minnesota and clear skies overnight allowed temperatures in northern Minnesota to plunge overnight. That region started the day with some 20s and low 30s, causing much of the area to be under either freeze warnings or frost advisories. 

In contrast, central and southern Minnesota stayed milder overnight thanks to the clouds and rain, beginning the day in the 40s and 50s. 

However, the rain keeps that area from warming, and some places could see temperatures fall slightly during the day. For example, the Twin Cities was at 56 at midnight, 49 at 7 a.m., and may only be in the mid-40s by the afternoon. By comparison, with drier weather in northern Minnesota, temperatures rise into the 50s.

Here are the forecast afternoon temperatures:

The recent colder trend means more frost is likely for northern Minnesota Friday morning, but temperatures rise again over the holiday weekend. That extended forecast will be updated around 9 a.m.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:49 a.m. Monday through Friday morning.