Temperatures rebound over the weekend, with 80s by Sunday
Friday's cooler weather could lead to areas of frost overnight
Following a stormy night, Friday will be noticeably cooler. Temperatures rise again over the weekend, with most of the state 10 to 15 degrees above average early next week.
Active weather targeted Minnesota from Thursday evening through the overnight as a long line of severe storms cut across Minnesota associated with a cold front. This included reports of large hail in central Minnesota and wind damage in southern Minnesota including the Twin Cities.
Some of the storms also brought heavy rain. The North Shore in particular saw several rainfall reports over 2 inches, including near Duluth and Two Harbors.
Friday’s forecast
As of Friday morning, the front that was driving the storms has finally cleared through the southeastern corner of the state, with just a few lingering showers in southern Minnesota that continue to move out through the morning.
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Ahead of the front there was very warm air, so southeastern Minnesota was still in the 60s early Friday. A much cooler air mass is behind the front, putting the rest of the state in the 40s and 50s for lows Friday morning.
Afternoon temperatures will be noticeably cooler than Thursday, with most of Minnesota stuck in the 60s, and a few temperatures near 70s south.
For much of southern Minnesota, the Friday afternoon temperatures will not be the highs for Friday. Those occurred just after midnight when temperatures were still in the mid- and upper 70s coming off the 80s that part of the state saw on Thursday.
Skies do clear quickly as the cold front exits, so while it will be cooler Friday, there will also be plenty of sunshine.
Extended forecast
The cooler air Friday plus clear skies overnight set the stage for temperatures to drop to chilly levels by Saturday morning. Most of the state will be in the 40s, but 30s in the Arrowhead could lead to a few spots of frost.
Temperatures rebound quickly during the day though, with highs back in the 70s Saturday under sunny skies.
Continued sunshine plus southerly winds pushes the entire state well above average highs and into the 80s Sunday. More humidity also returns Sunday.
Here is that temperature forecast for the Twin Cities:
Rain starts to move into northern Minnesota Sunday night, and scattered showers and storms are forecast across much of the state Monday into Tuesday.
Monday will also be mild, but behind that storm, temperatures are currently forecast to dive again, with most of the state seeing highs only in the 60s by Tuesday.
Programming note
You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:48 a.m. Monday through Friday morning.