Active weather targets Minnesota over the weekend

A wetter pattern is settling in across Minnesota, causing everything from areas of fog to rain showers. Over the weekend, an area of low pressure brings even heavier rain, a severe weather risk, and eventually ushers in cooler temperatures.

Friday’s forecast

Minnesota began the day Friday with much more active weather than we have seen recently.

Fog has been very widespread across the state. Although most of the fog is light and there are no dense fog advisories, there are a couple pockets of low visibility in central and southern Minnesota. Drive with caution.

In northeastern Minnesota, where fog has been the thickest the past couple days, it is rain that is reducing visibility in some spots. 

As of 9:30 a.m., there was a scattered band of rain generally cutting north to south across the Arrowhead, near the Wisconsin border, then through southeastern Minnesota. This has brought some persistent morning rain in cities such as Duluth and Rochester, and even a few spotty showers on the eastern edge of the Twin Cities. 

Outside of that rain band, there are a few isolated showers, especially in northern Minnesota. The rain in eastern Minnesota will diminish through the morning, but with even more unsettled weather moving in from the west, northwestern Minnesota will start to see increasing showers and storms as the day progresses.

By late Friday, some of that rain could make it far enough south to clip the Twin Cities.

Meanwhile, temperatures are still very mild. With almost all of Minnesota in the 50s and 60s Friday morning, many places saw morning lows near or even warmer than our average highs for this time of year.

Highs will be 5 to 15 degrees above average, with most of the state in the 70s.

A wet weekend

The rain Friday is ahead of a storm forecast to track over northern Minnesota Saturday evening into Sunday.

All of Minnesota is likely to see precipitation with this storm, but due to the track of the low pressure, showers and storms will more frequent north, becoming spottier as you head south.

Because of this, much of northern Minnesota can expect 1 to 2 inches of rain or more, with the heaviest amounts possible northwest.

Meanwhile, the southern half of the state is forecast to see rain totals predominantly less than one-quarter inch.

There is also a risk for scattered severe storms in western Minnesota Saturday, then an isolated risk northeast on Sunday.

Hail is the primary threat, but damaging winds are also possible.

Even outside of any storms, it will be breezy over the weekend, with gusts occasionally over 20 mph, especially in southern Minnesota.

This could blow some of the fall color off the trees.

Ahead of the low pressure, temperatures stay mild, with most of Minnesota in the 70s again Saturday, and a few 80s possible south.

However, cooler air filters in on the backside of the storm, putting most of Minnesota in the 60s by Sunday (a few southern spots, including the Twin Cities may cling in the low 70s Sunday).

Much of Minnesota will continue to see highs in the 60s most of next week, which is still slightly above average for mid-October.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:48 a.m. Monday through Friday morning.