Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Still searching for rain: Only spotty thunderstorm coverage through Thursday

Minnesota's drought continues to deepen

We’re tracking scant rainfall chances in Minnesota through Thursday. Many farm fields and lawns and shrubs desperately need rain.

I wish I had better news about the extent of rainfall coverage through Thursday, but so far, rainfall coverage looks scarce on the weather maps.

NOAA’s NAM 3 km resolution model barely picks up blips of isolated thunderstorm activity through tonight. The loop below runs from 7 p.m. Wednesday to 7 a.m. Thursday.

NOAA NAM 3 km model between 7 pm Wednesday and 7 am Thursday
NOAA NAM 3 km model between 7 p.m. Wednesday and 7 a.m. Thursday
NOAA via tropical tidbits

There is a marginal severe risk for most of central and southern Minnesota into Thursday morning.

Severe weather risk areas through 7 am Thursday
Severe weather risk areas through 7 a.m. Thursday
Twin Cities NWS office

Thursday brings another chance of spotty storms. But the best chance for rain (and severe weather) is shifting southward to southeast Minnesota and beyond.

Severe weather risk areas Thursday
Severe weather risk areas Thursday
Twin Cities National Weather Service

NOAA’s NAM 3 km model picks up on a developing thunder complex across southern Minnesota that could evolve into possible severe clusters, with bow echo-type severe weather signatures possible from southern Wisconsin toward Chicago Thursday night.

NOAA NAM 3 km model
NOAA NAM 3 km model 7 p.m. Thursday to 3 a.m. Friday.
NOAA via tropical tidbits

There’s a better chance for more widespread rainfall on Sunday.

Stay tuned.