Cooler highs Thursday are more typical for this time of year

The last of the rain is moving out of Minnesota early Thursday, but that storm has left much cooler weather in its wake.

Thursday’s forecast

The storm that brought rain to much of Minnesota Wednesday is clearing out quickly Thursday morning, and as of 7 a.m., the last of the rain showers are clearing out of the southeastern corner of the state.

Skies have already cleared in the northern half of the state, which means mostly sunny skies Thursday. More clouds are still lingering south, but breaks of sunshine will increase during the day.

Because of the clear skies, temperatures in northern Minnesota were able to drop in the 20s, with morning lows mostly in the 30s in central Minnesota. The 40s are lingering south thanks to the extra cloud cover.

Highs Thursday will be noticeably colder behind Wednesday’s storm, with most of the state in the 40s and a couple low 50s south.

This is actually only a couple degrees below average for Oct. 21. For example, the average Twin Cities high on this date is 55. It just feels chillier in comparison to the exceptional warmth Minnesota has experienced most of October.

The cooler, more seasonable weather lasts through the weekend and brings all of Minnesota frost and some places freeze conditions.

That extended forecast will be updated around 9 a.m.

Programming note

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